A practical guide / AI receptionist cost
How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?
Work out an AI receptionist’s monthly cost by adding the plan fee, usage, phone charges and any connected services you need. Spread setup costs over a chosen comparison period. Use the same call volumes and required features for every quote.
The calculation below uses made-up figures to show how this works for a cleaning company. Replace them with written supplier quotes and your own call records. A useful budget shows both the first-year cost and the ongoing monthly bill.
Compare receptionist quotesCompare the whole bill using the same calls and service scope.
Read the pricing unit before the headline fee
Compare quotes under three headings. Per-minute pricing: multiply billable minutes by the quoted rate, after any included allowance. Per-call pricing: multiply chargeable calls by the call rate, using the supplier’s definition of a call. Monthly pricing: start with the subscription and check what the allowance covers.
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A quote can combine these elements. Put the monthly fee on one line and extra usage on another. Ask how the supplier rounds call duration and whether transfers, voicemail, spam or repeat calls enter the usage count.
Write the billing rule beside each rate. For example, record whether a started minute is charged as a whole minute and whether the clock continues during a transfer. This lets you apply each supplier’s terms to the same call pattern.
Gather the inputs from a typical month
Use your phone records to count calls and total duration. Separate the calls you want the service to handle from calls that will keep going straight to staff. Include a busy month too if enquiry volume varies over the year.
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List the functions your business needs: message capture, transfers, appointment requests, diary updates and access to call records. Ask suppliers to quote for that list. Add your current phone provider’s forwarding or number costs where they apply.
For internal effort, estimate time to update service details, resolve incomplete enquiries and maintain the booking connection. Price that time using a staff cost your business is comfortable using. Keep this allowance separate from the supplier’s invoice.
Worked example
Worked example: a cleaning company’s monthly budget
Example with made-up details: a cleaning company sends 240 calls a month to the service. They average three billable minutes each, giving 720 minutes. Its fictional quote is £120 per month with 300 minutes included, then 20p per extra minute.
Usage above the allowance is 720 minus 300, or 420 minutes. At £0.20 each, the extra usage costs £84. Add a £15 diary connection and £10 phone charge: £120 + £84 + £15 + £10 = £229 per month before tax.
Setup costs £240. Spread over 12 months, that adds £20 to the comparison. Allow two staff hours at £18 per hour, adding £36. The total monthly planning cost is £285: £229 recurring invoice, £20 setup allowance and £36 internal effort.
Over the first year, the total is £3,420 before tax: 12 × £229, plus £240 setup and 12 × £36 staff effort. Ongoing monthly cost after that setup allowance ends is £265 at the same usage. Apply the actual invoice tax treatment separately.
Illustrative example.
Usage
Count the calls and minutes you need handled.
Terms
Apply allowances, rates and extra charges.
Budget
Show monthly, busy-month and first-year costs.
Compare a call price and a busier month
Using that same fictional workload, consider a second quote at £1 per call with a £15 connection and £10 phone charge. Its monthly supplier cost is £265 for 240 calls. Compare setup, staff effort and service scope on the same basis before choosing.
Now test the minute-based quote with 360 calls averaging three minutes. That makes 1,080 minutes, with 780 above the allowance. Extra usage is £156 and the recurring supplier total becomes £301. The monthly planning cost becomes £357 with the same setup allowance and staff cost.
Use these rows in your own comparison: quiet month, typical month and busy month. Add the applicable allowance, extra usage and total for each quote. This shows how the bill changes with demand.
Questions to put to each supplier
Ask what makes a call chargeable, how minutes are rounded and what happens when the allowance is used. Ask for the cost of transfers, additional numbers, diary connections and changing the call script.
Ask who pays phone forwarding charges and who controls the number. Get the minimum term, renewal process, notice period and any exit costs in writing. Ask what happens to your call records and diary connection when the service ends.
Ofcom’s contract checklist covers matters such as contract length and extra costs for residential and small business phone customers. Use it when reviewing the telephony element, and confirm which terms apply to the AI service separately.
Read the source: Ofcom: checklist for a new phone or broadband contract
Check tax and data terms before signing
GOV.UK lists a standard VAT rate of 20%. Confirm the tax shown on each supplier’s quote and use a consistent basis in your comparison. The example above leaves tax outside the calculation.
The ICO covers personal data used in AI systems. Confirm data access, retention and the supplier’s responsibilities before sending live calls through the service. Include any required setup work in your budget.
Ask the supplier to confirm the complete quote against your call sample and required functions. Keep that written calculation with the service agreement so you can compare the first invoice with the terms you accepted.
Read the source: GOV.UK: VAT rates; ICO: AI and data protection
Try a practical task
Calculate the comparable cost of these quotes
Paste your written quotes and call totals into this cost comparison prompt.
Try this in your AI app
ChatGPT
Claude
Gemini
CodexUsing Gemini? The button copies the prompt. Paste it into the new chat.
Compare these AI receptionist quotes: [written terms]. Our typical month has [calls] and [billable minutes]. Our busy month has [calls and minutes]. Required functions: [list].
Calculate each supplier’s invoice using its allowance, rate and rounding rules. Show setup, phone charges and connections separately. Add our internal allowance of [hours] at [hourly cost].
Produce a typical-month total, busy-month total and first-year total for each quote. Keep tax on a separate line using the supplied treatment. List missing billing terms as questions for the supplier.
Questions about this task
How should we compare unlimited plans?
Ask the supplier to define included use, fair-use conditions and the features covered. Apply your typical and busy months to the written terms, and include any phone or connection charges.
Which figure should go into the budget?
Use the expected recurring invoice plus internal effort for ongoing planning. Show setup as a separate first-year cost. Keep a busy-month allowance if your own call records show seasonal peaks.