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AI receptionist

An AI receptionist that answers every call

Add an AI Voice step to your call flow and BaseCloud answers the phone for you. It greets the caller, answers questions from the instructions you write, books appointments on your calendars or your Dispatch board, and passes the call to a person when it should. Every call lands on the client record with a summary and a call-back note.

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See pricing · Every feature is on every plan.

At a glance

  • Answers calls in your own words and voice
  • Books on calendars or as Dispatch jobs
  • Hands off to your team, or you take over live
  • Call-back notes and history on the client record
  • Pay for the calls it handles, nothing else

The problem

Every missed call is a customer who rings the next business

A plumber under a sink, a dentist with a patient in the chair and a front desk on another line all have the same problem. The phone rings, nobody can answer and the caller moves on.

  • Calls go to voicemail

    Most callers hang up instead of leaving a message, and the ones who do wait hours for a reply.

  • Nobody answers after hours

    Emergency repairs and evening enquiries arrive when the office is closed, and a competitor picks them up.

  • Reception costs a salary

    A full-time receptionist is a fixed monthly cost, even through the quiet weeks.

  • Messages get lost

    A scribbled note or a forwarded voicemail rarely reaches the right person with the right details.

How it works

From ringing phone to booked job

Set it up once in your call flow. After that it answers while your team works.

  1. Choose a template

    Start from Front desk, Heating and cooling, Home services, Appointments or After hours, then edit the instructions to match how your business talks.

  2. Add the AI Voice step

    Put it first in your call flow, or after a ring group so your team gets the first chance to pick up.

  3. The assistant takes the call

    It asks for the caller's name, answers from your instructions, checks open times and books the appointment.

  4. Your team sees the result

    The call appears in Call History as answered by the AI assistant, with a call-back note in the right inbox.

What it does

What the AI receptionist does on a call

The AI Voice step sits inside the same call flows that route the rest of your calls. Everything it does is recorded against the client, like any other call.

  • Answers from your instructions

    You write what the assistant should say and do, up to 8,000 characters, plus an opening line for the caller. It sticks to what you wrote and does not read out staff notes or anything you have marked sensitive.

  • Books appointments

    It offers real open times from the calendars you choose, or creates Dispatch jobs, and can text the caller the booking. By default it books Monday to Friday, 8 to 5, with an hour's notice, and you change that in the instructions. It can also move or cancel a booking.

  • Knows who is calling

    It looks the caller up, asks for their full name and creates a new client for someone it does not know. Switch on call history and it remembers past calls, emails and texts.

  • Checks Dispatch jobs

    If you use Dispatch, the assistant can look up a caller's job and tell them where it stands.

  • Ten voices

    Pick the voice that suits your business. Marin, cedar, alloy, ash, ballad, coral, echo, sage, shimmer and verse are all available.

  • Hands off to people

    Set up to ten hand-off destinations, each a person or another call flow. If the assistant cannot help, the caller moves on to the next step in your flow.

  • Take over any live call

    Anyone with an extension and the Manage Phone and Messaging right can take a call from the Calls column while the assistant is still talking.

  • Call-back notes

    When a caller leaves a message, it becomes a note in the client manager's inbox with the details already written down.

Set it up inside your call flow

The AI Voice step is one more step in Settings, Calling, Call Flows. Drop it in next to your greeting, menu and ring group, pick a template and the assistant is ready to take calls.

It works with the rest of your phone system. Callers who need a person move on to a ring group, and the assistant's calls show up in Call History like any other.

  • Five templates to start from
  • Your instructions, your opening line, your voice
  • Booking on calendars or Dispatch
  • Hand-off to up to ten people or call flows
A BaseCloud call flow with an AI Voice step first, followed by two ring groups and voicemail

Add it in a few clicks

Open Settings, Telephony/Texting and Call Routing, click insert and choose AI Voice. Pick a template, edit the instructions and the opening line, and choose a voice.

Then say who it can put callers through to and click Save. The assistant is ready to answer.

  • Five templates to start from
  • Ten voices to choose from
  • Up to ten people or call flows to hand off to
Steps to add an AI Voice step in BaseCloud, from inserting the step to saving it

Take over any live call

The Calls column shows every live call and who has it. A call the assistant is handling reads as AI assistant is talking to them.

Click the call, then Take over, and you are on the line. Anyone with an extension and the Manage Phone and Messaging right can do it.

  • Live calls with Missed and Mine filters
  • Take over with one click
  • Dial pad and team list beside it
A live AI call in the BaseCloud Calls column with the Take over button

Every call lands on the record

Calls the assistant answers show in Call History as answered by the AI assistant, with the transcript and the recording beside them.

When a caller leaves a message, the call-back note goes to the right inbox with the details already written down.

  • Marked as answered by the AI assistant
  • Transcript and recording on every call
  • Call-back note in the client manager's inbox
Call Logs in BaseCloud showing an inbound call answered by the AI assistant, with its transcript and recording

Reference

What you control

Every setting lives on the AI Voice step, and only people with the Manage Phone and Messaging right can change it.

What it says

  • Template to start from
  • Instructions and an opening line
  • One of ten voices

What it can do

  • Look up the caller's Dispatch job
  • Remember past calls, emails and texts
  • Book on calendars or as Dispatch jobs

When it steps aside

  • Hand off to a person or call flow
  • Take over a live call from the Calls column
  • Fall through to the next step in your flow

Pricing

What it costs

Every feature is included on every plan. Usage is billed on what you actually use, at published rates. See plans and every rate on the pricing page.

  • Calling

    $0.14 per minute

    Every call is recorded and transcribed, logged to the relevant client record. (International rates on request.)

  • AI Voice

    $0.085 per 1,000 tokens

    The AI receptionist answering your calls. Charged while the assistant is on a call, on top of the normal calling rate, and shown as its own AI Voice line in your billing credits.

Please note

  • Your subscription covers the full platform and unlimited clients.
  • Communication and AI are billed on actual usage, at transparent published rates.
  • Usage is billed monthly in arrears, itemized on your invoice.
  • Carrier registration fees for business texting are passed through at cost.

One platform

Part of your phone system, not a separate product

The assistant runs on the same call flows, client records and calendars as the rest of BaseCloud, so nothing needs to be connected or copied across.

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Step-by-step docs

See every BaseCloud CRM feature

FAQ

Questions buyers ask

What is an AI receptionist?
An AI receptionist answers your business phone with a voice that talks to the caller. In BaseCloud it is a step in your call flow that answers questions from your instructions, books appointments and passes the call to your team when needed.
Can the AI receptionist book appointments?
Yes. It offers real open times from the calendars you choose, or creates Dispatch jobs, and can text the caller the booking. It can also move or cancel an appointment it booked.
What happens when the assistant cannot help a caller?
The call moves on to the next step in your call flow, such as a ring group or voicemail. You can also set up to ten hand-off destinations, and anyone with an extension can take over a live call from the Calls column.
How much does the AI receptionist cost?
The AI voice usage charge is billed per 1,000 tokens while the assistant is on a call, on top of the normal calling rate. You can see the charge as a separate AI Voice line in your billing credits. See the usage rates on this page.
Will it work with my existing phone numbers?
Yes. The AI Voice step goes into the call flow of any BaseCloud number, including numbers you port in. Callers hear it as soon as you add the step.
Can I choose what the AI receptionist says?
Yes. You write the instructions and the opening line, choose a voice and pick a template to start from. It only knows what you write in the instructions.
Does it work after hours?
Yes. Place the AI Voice step first in a call flow for nights and weekends, or after a ring group so your team gets the first chance to answer during the day.

Never miss another call

Book a demo to hear the AI receptionist answer a call on a live account, or start a free trial.

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