What is an AI Receptionist OS for a local business?
People searching for an "AI receptionist OS" usually want the whole front desk handled. At Handbuilt the core is the AI Phone Receptionist: it answers your line with approved information, records caller details and a callback request, emails you a summary and hands off to a tested fallback. AI Phone Receptionist launch pricing: $750 CAD fixed setup, then $179 CAD/month, month-to-month. Includes 300 AI-handled minutes a month; extra minutes are $0.25 each. Taxes extra. Texting, calendar booking, quotes, review requests, CRM updates and dashboards are not part of that price; if you want them connected, they are scoped and quoted separately as a custom system.
The problem
You've patched together a phone line, a texting app, a booking link, a review tool and a follow-up reminder — and leads still slip through the cracks between them.
What this looks like in practice
Take a busy Surrey HVAC company where one person answers the phone, sends quotes and tries to remember follow-ups — usually while on a job. The sensible first step is the phone: an AI receptionist that takes the caller's details and emails a summary, so missed calls become recorded callback requests. Once that is running, the owner can decide whether quote follow-up or review requests are worth a separately scoped build, instead of buying all of it up front.
How it works
- 1
We map how calls, texts, quotes, bookings and follow-ups flow today and where leads leak
- 2
We start with the AI Phone Receptionist: one number, one routing flow and one language, at $750 setup + $179/month CAD
- 3
We configure and test the fallback, run test calls and hand over
- 4
Anything beyond the receptionist — texting, booking, CRM, reviews, dashboards — is scoped and quoted separately before any work starts
What the receptionist price covers
Setup covers one business, one number, one routing flow and one language: approved FAQs, services, service area and greeting; caller name, contact details, reason and callback request; an emailed call summary; a configured and tested fallback; test calls and handover.
The monthly fee covers operation and maintenance, 300 AI-handled minutes and up to 30 minutes of small changes a month (no rollover). Faults in the agreed setup are corrected at no charge.
What a fuller front-desk system costs
Calendar booking, CRM, text messaging, dashboards, extra numbers or languages and other features beyond this scope are not included and are quoted separately. A connected system that adds those pieces is a custom build — Business AI System pricing is $3,500–$7,500 CAD after scope is confirmed — and it is quoted on top of, not instead of, the receptionist's own terms.
What you get
- One business, one phone number, one routing flow and one language
- Approved FAQs, services, service area and greeting
- Captures caller name, contact details, reason for calling and callback request
- An emailed summary of each handled call
- A configured and tested fallback to a person or voicemail
- Test calls before go-live, then a handover walkthrough
Launch pricing
AI Phone Receptionist
then $179 CAD/month, month-to-month. Taxes extra.
No separate phone or AI usage charge for the first 300 AI-handled minutes each month; beyond that, $0.25 CAD per minute.
Calendar booking, CRM, text messaging, dashboards, extra numbers or languages and other features beyond this scope are not included and are quoted separately.
Request a receptionist reviewCommon questions
Is this a different product from the AI Phone Receptionist?
No. The receptionist is the product. Anything added around it — texting, booking, reviews, follow-up, a dashboard — is a separately scoped custom build, not a bundled monthly tier.
What does the monthly fee cover?
The monthly fee covers operation and maintenance, 300 AI-handled minutes and up to 30 minutes of small changes a month (no rollover). Faults in the agreed setup are corrected at no charge. Beyond 300 minutes, each AI-handled minute is $0.25 CAD. Taxes extra.
Will it work with the tools I already use?
The standard receptionist emails you a summary and does not connect to other tools. If you want a calendar, CRM or messaging connection, we check the specific product and account access and quote it separately.
Want this built for your business?
Tell us about your setup and we'll send a plan and a fixed quote within one business day.