Question
What is an AI receptionist?
The short answer, how it works under the hood, and where it stops.
Quick answer
An AI receptionist is software that answers customers' routine questions for a business, like hours, directions, prices and policies, using the business's own information. Phone AI receptionists answer calls; in-person ones, like Kioskly AI on an iPhone or iPad, answer people at the counter out loud. Anything that needs a person goes to staff.
How an AI receptionist works
Under the hood, an in-person AI receptionist does four things in a few seconds:
- ListensSpeech recognition turns the customer's question into text. On Kioskly AI, that happens on the device where iOS supports it.
- Looks it upIt finds the relevant facts in the information the business gave it: notes, website pages, menus, price lists.
- Writes a short answerA language model turns those facts into a sentence or two, in the customer's language.
- Speaks itA synthetic voice reads the answer out loud, and the words appear on screen.
A phone AI receptionist works the same way, except the conversation happens on a call, and it can often take messages or book appointments too.
What it can do
- Answer the same questions all day without getting tired or short with anyone
- Answer in several languages; Kioskly AI speaks 25
- Keep working through rushes, breaks and quiet hours
- Give everyone the same, correct answer, as long as your information is current
- Show you what customers asked that it couldn't answer
What it can't do
- Make judgment calls, bend a rule or calm down an upset customer
- Know anything you haven't told it, like today's stock or a new price
- Handle safety questions: allergies, medicines and health belong with a person
- Take payments or hand over anything physical
A well-built AI receptionist knows these limits and says so. When Kioskly AI can't help, it tells the customer it doesn't have that information and points them to your staff.
Who uses one
Any business where people walk up or call with the same questions: shops, hotels, restaurants and cafés, salons, gyms, pharmacies, showrooms, museums and reception areas. Small businesses get the most out of it, because one person is often doing the reception job on top of their real one.
Frequently asked questions
Is an AI receptionist the same as a virtual receptionist?
Not usually. "Virtual receptionist" often means a real person answering your calls remotely, while an AI receptionist is software. We explain the difference in virtual vs AI receptionist.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
It varies widely, from free apps with paid plans to monthly services billed per call. Kioskly AI is free to download and try, with a Premium subscription for unlimited customer answers.