Clients write and call when it suits them: at night, on weekends, and often to several businesses at once. An AI receptionist covers those hours. It answers in seconds, asks your intake questions and hands a ready request to your team.
Short answer: an AI receptionist is software that does the first part of a receptionist's job outside working hours or when the team is busy. It greets the client, answers the questions you have approved, collects the details of the request and passes it on. Anything that needs a professional decision goes to a person.
Chat, phone or hybrid
| Type | How it works | Fits | Check before you choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chat receptionist | Answers in writing on the website, WhatsApp, Telegram or Instagram; collects details, books or sends a request | Clients who write first, several languages, requests that must reach a CRM | It needs your approved answers; calls stay with you |
| AI voice receptionist | Picks up calls with a synthetic voice, takes a message or books a slot | Businesses where most first contacts are calls | Usually billed by minutes or plan; test accents, noise and emergencies |
| Hybrid answering service | AI handles routine contacts, live staff take sensitive ones | Injury, family matters, medical | How it is billed, who the staff are, what they may say |
If most of your clients call, add a messenger link to your website and voicemail greeting, so a missed call can continue in a chat.
What it should do in different niches
| Niche | Typical first message | What it collects | Hand to a person when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law firm | "Can you take my case?" | Matter type, location, key dates, the other party's name for a conflict check | Questions on the merits, a deadline, someone in custody |
| Dental clinic | "Do you have a slot tomorrow?" | Treatment, new or existing patient, preferred time | Pain, swelling, bleeding or an injury |
| Plumber or electrician | "Can someone come today?" | Address, the problem, a photo, urgency | A leak, a gas smell or no power |
| Vet clinic | "My dog ate something, what should I do?" | Species, symptoms, when it started | Any emergency: give the emergency number at once |
In our study of 178 small business websites, none of the 7 law firms and none of the 7 vet clinics linked to a messenger, while 22 of 23 dental clinics did.
What it must never do
- Give legal, medical or veterinary advice, or judge whether a case is strong.
- Estimate deadlines or name prices that are not on your list.
- Promise an outcome or a time slot nobody has confirmed.
- Hide that it is an AI. In the EU, Article 50 of the AI Act requires telling people they are interacting with an AI system from 2 August 2026.
- Ask for confidential documents in the chat or collect more data than the request needs.
6 questions to ask before you pay
- Which channels does it cover, and where does each request go: CRM, calendar, email?
- Can I see every answer it gives and change the answers myself?
- What happens with an urgent case at 3 a.m.?
- How does it say it is an AI, and when exactly does it hand over to a person?
- Where is the data stored, and will you sign a data processing agreement?
- What is the one-off price, and what will I pay every month for messages, the AI model or minutes?
For law firms in the US, ABA Model Rule 1.18 protects information from prospective clients, and ABA Formal Opinion 512 (July 2024) asks lawyers to understand how an AI tool stores and uses client data. An attorney of the firm should approve the wording before launch.
If it runs in Telegram
A bot cannot start a conversation: the client opens it first, through a t.me link or QR code. The Bot API is free; payments for physical goods and services go through third-party providers, digital goods only in Telegram Stars. Check the Bot FAQ before launch, because the rules change.
The full guide, with a law-firm checklist, Telegram rules and costs, is on our site: AI receptionist: how it takes requests 24/7.
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