AI Receptionist Buyer’s Guide (UK)

Call Handling & UX

• Natural British English tone, handles interruptions and clarifies politely
• Answers instantly 24/7; supports multiple callers concurrently
• Custom greeting, brand voice and escalation phrases
• Accessibility: handles common UK accents and noisy environments

Live Transfer & Routing

• Rules by time‑of‑day, VIP, emergencies, department
• Fallback if no‑answer; voicemail or message capture
• Out‑of‑hours routing to on‑call mobiles
• Whitelists/blacklists (e.g., spam mitigation)

Bookings, Leads & Integrations

• Two‑way calendar sync; avoids double‑booking
• Lead validation + de‑dupe; CRM/webhook/Zapier
• Automatic SMS/email confirmations and reminders
• Exportable logs, summaries and transcripts

Security, GDPR & SLAs

• UK/EU hosting, encryption at rest/in transit
• Role‑based access, audit logs, DPA on request
• Clear retention/deletion policies
• Documented uptime SLAs and support hours

Questions to answer

• Do callers need booking/lead capture, not just routing?
• Are missed calls/after‑hours demand hurting revenue?
• Do you require DTMF for compliance or legacy flows?
• Can you run AI alongside IVR for 1–2 weeks?
• Will you review transcripts and iterate weekly?

Recommendation logic

• 4–5 “Yes” → Full AI
• 2–3 “Yes” → Hybrid AI + IVR (AI as front door, DTMF fallback)
• 0–1 “Yes” → Keep IVR; revisit when booking/lead capture is needed

What to measure

• Missed calls reduction (baseline vs 30/60/90 days)
• Booking rate / lead capture completion
• Abandonment vs nested menu flows
• First‑call resolution and escalation outcomes

Methodology

• Same lines, hours, and demand window for A/B periods
• Report medians and 95th percentile latency
• Include after‑hours data and live transfers

Cite UK authorities where suitable (Ofcom, ICO, NHS Digital accessibility guidance).

Common Models

• Per‑minute: flexible, but watch peak concurrency and long calls
• Per‑call: predictable if your calls are short and frequent
• Tiered bundles: best value for SMEs with mixed usage + features

Baseline: entry plans often start near £9.99/month; evaluate total cost at your after‑hours volume and live transfers.

ROI Drivers

• Missed calls ↓ (60–90%) → more booked jobs
• Instant response ↑ → higher conversion
• Admin time saved → staff focus on revenue work
• Out‑of‑hours coverage → capture urgent demand

Run numbers with the AI Receptionist ROI Calculator.

Cost Comparison (Indicative)

See the pillar: AI Receptionist UK.

Essential RFP Questions

• Describe call handling: interruptions, confirmations, accent handling
• Explain live transfer rules and failover; out‑of‑hours routing
• List calendars/CRMs you integrate with (two‑way sync?)
• Provide security model, hosting region, encryption, access controls
• Share uptime SLA, support hours, onboarding process
• Detail pricing tiers, inclusions (transfers, bookings), overage costs
• Provide 2–3 references in our sector and call volume range

Vendor Scorecard (Example)

Tip: run live test calls with your scripts during the demo.

Security & GDPR Checklist

• UK/EU data hosting; encryption at rest/in transit
• Role‑based access; SSO/SAML optional
• Data Processing Agreement; DPIA guidance
• Retention periods & right‑to‑erasure workflow
• Sub‑processor transparency

Read more on AI Receptionist UK.

Controls to confirm

• UK/EU hosting; encryption in transit/at rest
• RBAC, audit trails, SSO/SAML (optional)
• DPA and DPIA templates; retention/deletion workflows
• Sub‑processor register and change notifications

Consent & disclosures

Ensure prompts capture consent and log timestamps. Provide accessible alternatives for callers who need DTMF or human escalation.

Validation steps

• Request architecture diagrams and SLAs
• Run test calls and review transcript storage
• Check deletion requests and export formats

7‑Step Go‑Live Plan

1. Define goals and success metrics (missed calls, bookings)
2. Draft greeting, tone and escalation phrases
3. Set routing: departments, VIPs, emergencies, hours
4. Connect calendars/CRM; test booking rules
5. Run internal test calls; refine prompts
6. Forward your number or deploy new local/03/0800
7. Monitor analytics; iterate scripts in week one

Need help? Talk to our UK team.

Industry‑Specific Tips

• Dentists/Clinics: triage questions; emergency routing; NHS/private tags
• Trades: postcode capture, job type, on‑call escalation
• Salons: service + staff calendars, deposit policies, SMS reminders
• Law firms: conflict checks, out‑of‑hours intake, priority lines

Explore: AI for Dentists • Trades • Salons • Law Firms

Change Management

Brief your team on routing rules and live transfer etiquette. Share example transcripts and outcomes so everyone trusts the system. Gather feedback and update prompts weekly in month one.

Compare strategies: AI vs Human Receptionist.

Downloadable RFP (PDF/Doc)

AI receptionist RFP template (criteria, scoring, references). Replace with your file path.

Email script

Subject: RFP: AI Receptionist for [Sector], UK

Body: Please answer the attached RFP covering call handling, live transfer, booking/CRM, security/GDPR, SLAs, pricing tiers, onboarding, and sector references. We will run live test calls during the demo.

Pitfalls

• Vague escalation rules → callers bounce or drop
• Forgot after‑hours routing → missed urgent jobs
• No test calls pre‑launch → early friction
• Not measuring outcomes → unclear ROI
• Ignoring GDPR paperwork → vendor delays

Best Practices

• Start with a narrow, high‑value script; expand weekly
• Use SMS confirmations and reminders to cut no‑shows
• Log VIPs and repeat callers for priority routing
• Review transcripts to improve phrasing and capture
• Quarterly prompt refresh; seasonal hours

Template scripts: AI receptionist scripts.

When to Add Human Backup

For safeguarding, clinical advice, legal disputes or billing escalations, route to a named person. AI should triage and document; humans resolve.

See also: Virtual Receptionist UK.

Dental Practice (Bristol)

• Missed calls ↓ 78%
• First‑time bookings ↑ 29%
• Admin time ↓ via confirmations/reminders

Plumbing & Heating (Sheffield)

• Emergency live transfers under 20s
• After‑hours qualified quotes captured

Law Firm (London)

• Intake streamlined; repeats ↓ 22%
• Priority routing for VIP callers

Keep IVR

Best for rigid DTMF compliance and simple lookups.

Hybrid AI + IVR

AI front door with temporary keypad fallback to ease adoption.

Full AI

Natural language routing, booking/lead capture, analytics and continuous improvement.

DTMF

Dual‑tone multi‑frequency tones from keypad presses.

Auto‑attendant

Traditional IVR menu that routes via fixed options.

Intent

Caller’s goal (book, reschedule, emergency, quote).

FCR

First‑call resolution without transfers or repeats.