AI Receptionist — 24/7 phone + chat answering for AU small business
AI-powered phone + chat answering for AU small business. Books appointments, answers FAQs, routes urgent calls to you, sends summaries to your inbox. From $89/month + setup.
Reviewed by Jenn Yang · Director, DotVA · 48+ AU placements managed · Last checked 18 May 2026
What you get
- AI receptionist configured for your business (Vapi, Bland, Retell, or Synthflow)
- Custom voice + greeting + script
- Knowledge base loaded with your FAQs, hours, pricing, services
- Calendar booking integration (Calendly, Acuity, Google Calendar)
- Call routing rules for urgent escalation
- Daily/weekly call summary reports to your inbox
- AU phone number provisioning + call forwarding setup
- 30 days of post-launch tuning
- Monthly retainer for ongoing config updates + maintenance
This is ideal for
- AU service businesses (allied health, real estate, trades, hospitality, beauty/wellness)
- Businesses losing leads to missed calls or after-hours enquiries
- Founders who want their phone covered without a full-time receptionist
This is NOT ideal for
- Businesses with low phone volume (<20 calls/week) — answering service is cheaper
- High-trust complex sales calls (legal, medical diagnosis, mental health) — humans only
Missed calls = missed leads. For most AU service businesses, the AI receptionist pays for itself in the first month from the calls that would otherwise have rung out.
What “done” looks like
Every DotVA AI services engagement is fixed-scope, fixed-price, and fixed-timeline. No retainers without a defined deliverable. No “discovery phases” that turn into 6-month projects. The scoping call is free; the written quote that follows is what you sign off on.
Why we say no
We turn down roughly 30% of applications. Usually because the team isn’t ready, the goal isn’t clear, or there’s a simpler path that doesn’t need us. We’d rather tell you that on the discovery call than take a brief that won’t deliver. The shortest path to outcome isn’t always us.
Apply below
Two minutes. We read every application within 1 business day. If we’re a good fit, we book the scoping call. If we’re not, we say so — and usually suggest who is.
Tools we set up + integrate
- Vapi
- Bland
- Retell
- Synthflow
- Calendly
- Acuity
- Google Calendar
Common questions
How natural does the AI voice sound?
2026 AI voices (ElevenLabs, Vapi, OpenAI Realtime) are convincingly human in 90%+ of calls. We brief callers that they're speaking with an AI assistant — transparency is required under AU consumer law.
What about complex calls?
AI handles the structured 70-80% (bookings, FAQs, status updates). Complex calls route to a human (you, your team, or an after-hours human service) with a transcript.
How fast can it go live?
1-2 weeks for standard setup. Faster if your FAQs + scripts are already documented.
What if it makes a mistake?
Daily transcripts let you spot pattern errors fast. We tune scripts + knowledge base monthly. After 2 months, error rates typically drop below 2%.
Tell us about your situation.
2 minutes. We read every application and reply within 1 business day. If we don't think we're the right fit, we say so — and usually suggest who is.
Thanks — application received
We've got your details for the AI Receptionist — 24/7 phone + chat answering for AU small business brief. Expect a reply within 1 business day. If we need anything else to scope it, we'll ask.