How much does an AI receptionist cost in Australia?

Published plans

What the plans charge

$25 to $100 a month

Software you set up yourself, with a set number of calls. The cheapest answer website chat rather than the phone.

$100 to $300 a month

Where most published phone answering plans sit.

$200 to $900 a month

Done for you, varying with call volume and what it connects to.

Entry plans usually cover somewhere around thirty to sixty calls a month. Done for you plans include someone writing what the receptionist says, connecting it to your calendar and job software, and updating it when the business changes.

If your business misses only a few calls a month, a missed call text back may cover it.

Per call charges

Where a cheap plan becomes expensive

Many low priced plans include a small bundle of calls, then charge per call or per minute. In a quiet month that charge is invisible. In a busy month, when your advertising works or a storm fills the phone, the bill can look very different from the plan.

Human answering services are usually charged this way too, which is why two businesses on the same plan can pay very different amounts. Flat “unlimited” offers exist at around $99 a month; read the terms to see what unlimited covers.

Before you sign

What to check before signing up

The receptionist should work with the number already on your signage and your Google profile, so nothing printed has to change and customers never need a second number.

Calls past the included amount

A rate per call, a rate per minute, or no extra charge.

Whose number and account it is

Your own, so changing providers is a switch rather than a move.

Where messages arrive

By text, by email, or straight into your job software.

Who changes what it says

You, or someone who updates it the same day you ask.