AI Receptionist · How it works
From the first ring to your inbox
Here is exactly what a caller hears, what the receptionist is allowed to do, and what lands in your email once the call ends.
One call, start to finish
- Your line rings outNo answer after your ring time, so the call forwards0:00
- Greeting and noticeYour greeting, plus a note that this is a virtual assistant0:05
- Booked: Tuesday 2:30 pmCalendar confirmed the slot before the caller heard yes1:40
- Summary emailedCaller, reason, outcome and full transcriptDone
During the call
What the caller experiences
A clear introduction
The call opens with your greeting and a short notice that the caller is talking to a virtual assistant and that the call may be recorded. If your greeting leaves that out, the notice is added for you.
Answers from what you wrote
Hours, service area, what you do and do not offer: it answers from your knowledge base and notes. It does not guess at prices, availability or promises you never gave it.
A useful next step
Most calls end one of three ways: an appointment on your calendar, a message with a confirmed callback number, or a transfer to someone on your team during business hours.
Emergencies sent the right way
A caller describing an emergency is told to hang up and dial 911. The receptionist is there for your business, not for a crisis.
After the call
What you get
An email for every call
Who called, why, and how it ended, with the full transcript underneath so you can read the exact words.
Calls next to your other leads
Each call also appears in your 1Digital account alongside your form fills and chats, so nothing lives in a separate inbox.
Bookings already on the calendar
A booked call needs no follow-up to confirm. The receptionist only tells a caller they are booked after your calendar accepts the time.
Protection from runaway bills
Calls are capped per day and per caller. Once a limit is reached, calls ring through as they would without the receptionist.
Step by step
Setting it up
- 1
Write the greeting and notes
Tell it your name, hours, services and anything callers usually ask. Plain sentences are fine.
- 2
Pick when it answers
Missed calls and after hours, after hours only, missed calls only, or every call. Set your hours and how long your phone rings first.
- 3
Test call, then go live
Call it yourself for free, listen, adjust your notes, then switch answering on and forward your line.
Get AI Receptionist
Two ways to add it
Already a 1Digital client?
Sign in to your client portal, open Add-ons, and check out securely with Stripe. You see the price before you pay, and it is added to your account straight away.
Open my client portalNew to 1Digital?
Tell us about your business with the form and we will set AI Receptionist up with you.
- ›Your existing number stays: unanswered calls forward to the receptionist.
- ›Change the greeting or notes any time from your account.
- ›Same knowledge base as your website's AI chatbot, if you have one.
Every feature and current price is listed on AI Receptionist on WorkspaceCMS, the platform 1Digital built that runs it.
Common questions
How does it know what to say?
What if I want it to answer every call, not just missed ones?
How long does my phone ring before it picks up?
Can I hear it before callers do?
Where do the call summaries go?
Explore the AI Receptionist
See how it fits your business
Guides
Features
- After-hours answeringNights, weekends and holidays answered, with a booking or a message waiting in the morning.
- Appointment bookingCallers book open times on your calendar, confirmed only once the calendar accepts them.
- Call transferHands the caller to your team during business hours, and books a time when no one is free.
By industry
- DentistsNew patient calls and appointment requests answered while the front desk is with a patient.
- HVACNo-heat and no-cool calls answered while your techs are on a roof or in a crawl space.
- Law firmsProspective clients get an answer and a consultation time instead of a voicemail box.
- Med spasTreatment questions answered from your menu and consultations booked between appointments.
- PlumbersLeak and drain calls captured with the address and a confirmed callback number.
- Real estateBuyer and seller calls answered during showings, with a time on your calendar to talk.