What is a virtual receptionist?
A virtual receptionist answers your business calls without sitting in your office. Traditionally that's a person at a remote call centre. An AI virtual receptionist does the same job with a voice agent: it answers, answers common questions, takes messages, books appointments and passes anything unusual to your team.
How much does a virtual receptionist cost in Canada?
Staffed virtual receptionist services published between about US$250 and US$2,100 a month in September 2026, depending on minutes or calls included, and Canadian AI answering services published from about $99 to $999 CAD a month. Our AI virtual receptionist is a custom build from $750 CAD, plus phone and call-minute costs at cost. See our full cost comparison for sources.
Is an AI virtual receptionist as good as a person?
For structured calls, like booking, rescheduling, hours, prices and taking a message, it's fast and consistent, and it never puts a second caller on hold. For emotional or complex conversations a person is still better, which is why every build includes rules for when to transfer or flag a call to your team.
Will callers know it's AI?
Some will. Modern voices sound natural, but we don't pretend it's a person, and you can have it introduce itself as your virtual assistant. What callers notice most is that someone answered on the first ring and booked them in.
Can it use my existing business number?
Yes. We set up call forwarding, so your number stays the same. You can forward every call, only after-hours calls, or only calls that ring out.
Where are calls and recordings stored?
In your own accounts. We set the system up in your business's name, and call transcripts go to your email, CRM or calendar, wherever your team already works. If you ever stop working with us, the setup stays yours.
How long does setup take?
Most builds go live in two to three weeks: we map your call types, write the scripts with you, connect your calendar and test real call scenarios before switching it on.