Back to Business Automation Glossary
The Definition
An AI Receptionist (or AI Sales Assistant) is an intelligent automated responder capable of holding natural, human-like conversations via text or voice. Unlike basic “decision tree” bots that force customers to press 1 or 2, an AI Receptionist understands context, answers complex questions, and can autonomously check your calendar to book appointments.
The “Human Bottleneck” Problem
As your business scales, your front desk becomes the bottleneck.
- Humans can only answer one call at a time.
- Humans need sleep, breaks, and weekends off.
- Hiring a full-time receptionist in Portland costs $40,000+ per year.
If a lead texts you at 8:00 PM on a Friday asking, “Do you do emergency roof repair and how much is it?”, a human won’t reply until Monday. By then, the lead is gone. An AI Receptionist replies instantly, qualifies the lead, and books the job.
How It Works in the Real World
Imagine a potential client visits your site and opens the chat widget.
- The Old Bot Way:
- Bot: “Press 1 for Sales.”
- Client: “I have a weird question about my siding.”
- Bot: “I did not understand. Press 1 for Sales.” (Client gets frustrated and leaves).
- The AI Receptionist Way:
- Client: “I have a weird question about my siding.”
- AI: “We have seen it all! What kind of siding do you have, and what seems to be the issue?”
- Client: “It’s old cedar and it’s warping.”
- AI: “Cedar warping is common in our wet Portland weather. We can definitely take a look. Would you like to book a free inspection for Thursday or Friday afternoon?”
The “Attuned” Approach
At Attuned Automation, we do not use generic AI. We build Custom Knowledge Bases for your specific business.
We Train Your AI To:
- Know Your Pricing: It knows that your service call fee is $150, but estimates are free.
- Qualify Leads: It asks the right questions (e.g., “Do you own the home?” or “What is your timeline?”) before letting them on your calendar.
- Escalate When Needed: If the AI gets stumped, it politely says, “That is a great question for our head technician. Let me have him text you personally,” and instantly alerts you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it sound like a robot? In text, it is indistinguishable from a human. In voice, it is incredibly realistic but we recommend disclosing it is an automated assistant to build trust.
Can it hallucinate (make things up)? We set strict “guardrails” on the AI. It is instructed to only answer based on the data we give it and to never invent pricing or promises.
Is it expensive to run? Compared to a $20/hour employee, it is a fraction of the cost. You pay for the software seat and usage, meaning you only pay when it is actually working for you.
Hire the Employee Who Never Sleeps
Imagine having a sales rep who works 24/7/365, never calls in sick, and responds to every lead in under 10 seconds. Let’s train your AI today.