How to set up an AI receptionist for your business

Last updated 29 Oct 2026 · by Thomas, editor · How we verify

An AI receptionist answers the calls or texts you miss, takes the details and passes them on, or books a slot. These steps come from setups built for a repair shop, a removals firm, UK trades, an eye clinic, franchises and a plumber.

What you need

A voice platform. The recipes use Retell, HighLevel's Voice AI, or Twilio through Zapier
Make.com, n8n or Zapier to send each call summary and log it
Your calendar, once it books
A Google Sheet for the call log
Texts and voicemail only: a separate Google Voice number and Brian Roemmele's Grok Bot template

Set it up, step by step

Decide what it may do on day one. Start with taking messages: name, callback number, what's wrong, how urgent. No prices, no bookings. (recipe)
Load the message-taking script below, with your business name and where summaries go: email, Slack, WhatsApp or a sheet. (recipe)
Have it read numbers and addresses back before it ends the call. (recipe)
Test with 10 fake calls covering odd addresses and dates. (recipe)
Forward after-hours and busy lines first, not every call. (recipe)
Add booking once messages are clean: offer two free slots from your calendar, and book visits or surveys, not prices (second script below). (recipe)
Test-call before you switch numbers over, then review call logs weekly. (recipe)

Script 1: take messages (our version, from the repair shop recipe)

You answer after-hours and overflow calls for [SHOP NAME], a [TYPE] repair shop. 1. Greet and say the team is busy or closed, and you'll take the details so they call back fast. 2. Collect: name, company, callback number, vehicle/unit type, location, what's wrong, how urgent (stranded or not). 3. Read the number back to confirm. 4. Don't give prices or repair times. If they're stranded, say you'll flag it as urgent. 5. End the call politely. After the call, send a summary to [EMAIL / SLACK / WHATSAPP] with URGENT in the subject if stranded, and add a row to [SHEET].

Script 2: book jobs into free slots (our version, from the UK trades recipe)

You are the phone assistant for [BUSINESS NAME], a [TRADE] business in [AREA]. On every call: 1. Greet, then ask what the job is and the full address. 2. Check [CALENDAR] for the next free slot that fits the job type. Offer two options. 3. Book the chosen slot and confirm the date, time and address back to the caller. 4. Send the owner the caller's name, number, job, address and booked time. 5. If asked about price, say the owner will confirm the quote, then take a callback time. Never promise prices, refunds or emergency call-outs.

Approval and safety rules

Prices, refunds and complaints go to the owner. (recipe)
Book a survey or visit instead of quoting a firm price; quotes on the call lead to disputes. (recipe)
Medical questions go to staff. (recipe)
If a caller is upset or asks for a person, take a callback time and alert staff. (recipe)
For texts, every reply waits for your OK unless you turn on auto-confirm for bookings. (recipe)

Real examples

Each one links to the recipe and its original source.

Sell an after-hours voice agent to a repair shopTruck and trailer repair shop: after-hours and overflow messages. The builder charged $1,800 upfront + $400/month, per his post.
Book survey visits from phone calls for a removals firmUK removals firm, 200+ calls a month: books survey visits and texts an estimate, on about £140/mo in tools. He claims ROI in week 3.
Sell an AI receptionist to tradespeople on a monthly feeUK trades and dental practices: answers calls and books jobs into free calendar slots.
Call new leads within 2 minutes and book them inEye clinic: calls new ad leads within 2 minutes, then follows up until they book. He claims conversion went from 15% to 40%.
Roll out templated AI receptionists across franchise locationsFranchise locations: one tested receptionist template, cloned per location.
$500/mo answering service swapped for a Grok BotPlumber: a Grok Bot sorts Google Voice texts and voicemails and drafts replies. Brian Roemmele says it replaced a friend's $500/mo message service.

Compare more setups: AI agents for small business: all 19 recipes →

Common questions

Can an AI receptionist book appointments?

Some here do: the UK trades agent books into free calendar slots and the removals one books survey visits. The repair shop agent only takes messages; its builder says to start there when the shop's system has no booking integration.

What does an AI receptionist cost to run?

Only some sources say. The removals build runs on about £140 a month in tools, and the UK agency hosts all 12 clients on a server of about £4 a month, plus voice platform costs. Builders charged $1,800 + $400/month (repair shop) and £1,500 + £275/month (UK trades).

Can it answer texts and voicemail too?

Yes. Brian Roemmele's Grok Bot template reads texts and voicemails forwarded from a Google Voice number to Gmail, sorts them by urgency and drafts each reply for your OK.

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