AI receptionist
AI receptionist that answers your calls and asks before it books
An AI receptionist answers your business phone, takes the caller's details, and lines up the next step when nobody can pick up. Omni's AI receptionist is Mia, an AI employee who answers calls on your own number, drafts a text back to each missed call, asks your intake questions, and proposes a time on your calendar. Texts and bookings wait for your approval.
It's built for small service businesses like HVAC, plumbing, property management, and restaurants. The Pilot plan is $497 a month. After hours, Mia keeps answering and leaves her drafts in your approval list for the morning.
Last updated October 2026
How an AI receptionist works, in four steps
Mia works on her own computer inside your workspace. You can watch what she reads and drafts, pause her, and take over at any time.
- You connect your business numberConnect your Twilio number in the workspace, or forward calls from your current carrier line to it. Callers dial and see your number. You set Mia's working hours.
- Mia answers and asks your questionsShe gets the caller's name, address, need, and callback number, plus the intake questions you write. Calls that match your urgent rules go to the top of your list for a person.
- Mia checks your records and drafts the next stepShe reads the customer record, your service area, and your calendar, then drafts the booking and the confirmation text.
- You approve, edit, or skipNothing is sent or booked until you approve. Each call, text, draft, and approval is logged on the customer's record.
Watch AI employee Mia work an evening of calls
After 6 p.m., Riverside Plumbing's line goes to AI employee Mia. Four people reach out before 9:30 p.m. Mia answers, logs each request, and drafts the bookings.
- Answers
- Drafts
- You approve
- Logged
After 6 p.m., Riverside Plumbing's line goes to AI employee Mia. Four people reach out before 9:30 p.m. Mia answers, logs each request, and drafts the bookings.
What AI employee Mia handles at the front desk
Omni's AI receptionist answers calls on your own number, drafts a text back to each missed call, proposes bookings on your calendar, and logs every call on the customer's record. Sending waits for your approval.
Calls
Mia answers on your business number, in your business name, during the hours you set.
Texts
She drafts a text back to each missed call and drafts replies to incoming texts for you to approve.
After hours
Nights and weekends, she logs each request and leaves the drafts in your approval list for the morning.
Booking
She checks your calendar and proposes a time. The booking waits for your approval.
Intake
She asks the questions you write and saves the answers on the customer's record.
Urgent calls
Calls that match your urgent rules go to the top of your list so a person can act first.
What runs alone and what waits for you
Does on its own
- Answers calls and asks your intake questions
- Checks the record, service area, and calendar
- Ranks requests by your urgency rules
- Drafts texts and bookings
Waits for your approval
- Sending a text back to a missed call
- Booking or moving an appointment
- Offering or confirming an arrival window
- Any later text or email to a caller
Never does
- Promise prices, arrival times, or repair outcomes
- Pretend to be a person when someone asks
Sending, spending, and record changes wait for your approval by default. Every decision is logged.
What an AI receptionist costs, next to an answering service or a hire
Omni's AI receptionist is on the Pilot plan at $497 a month, billed monthly. That covers one AI employee with one skill, setup and CSV import help, and AI usage with no credits to buy. Your phone number and message delivery run through your own Twilio account, which Twilio bills you directly. Custom Build starts at $4,500 a month for several AI employees, and Enterprise is priced by quote.
| Omni AI receptionist (Pilot) | Answering service | Hiring a receptionist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $497 a month, AI usage included. Twilio bills phone and text usage directly. | Usually a monthly plan plus per-minute or per-call charges. Varies by provider. | Median pay of $18.27 an hour, or $38,010 a year (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025), plus payroll taxes and benefits. |
| Hours | The hours you set, including nights and weekends | Depends on the plan | Set shifts. Breaks, sick days, and nights need cover. |
| What happens on the call | Asks your intake questions, checks your records and calendar, and drafts the booking | An agent follows a script and takes a message. Some plans book appointments. | Answers, decides, and books within your rules |
| Access to your records | Works inside your customer records and calendar in Omni | Usually none. Messages arrive by email or text. | Full access to your systems |
| Who approves what goes out | You. Texts and bookings wait for your approval. | Set by the script you agree on | Your receptionist, within your rules |
| Where it falls short | Doesn't set prices or give repair advice. Hard calls come to you. | Generic scripts with no view of your customer history | Highest cost, and one person can take one call at a time |
Omni prices as on the pricing page. Receptionist pay from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
AI receptionist by industry
Each page shows the intake questions, urgent rules, and approvals for that trade.
HVAC
Sorts no-heat and AC calls and drafts on-call dispatch or booking windows.
AI answering service for HVACPlumbing
Asks emergency triage questions and drafts on-call dispatch or booking windows.
AI answering service for plumbingRoofing
Answers storm calls, flags leaks, and logs intake before booking an inspection.
AI receptionist for roofingPest control
Answers calls, routes chemical questions to a licensed applicator, and drafts visits.
AI receptionist for pest controlLocksmith
Sends lockouts to your on-call person and drafts rekey bookings.
Locksmith answering serviceProperty management
Answers tenant, owner, and vendor calls and drafts maintenance tickets.
AI answering service for property managementReal estate agents
Answers listing calls and texts and drafts replies and showing times.
AI answering service for real estate agentsRestaurants
Answers calls during the rush, checks tables, and captures catering inquiries.
AI phone answering for restaurantsCoffee shops
Handles hours and parking questions and logs catering or wholesale inquiries.
AI receptionist for coffee shopsAfter-hours calls
Mia drafts a text back to each missed call after you lock up.
After-hours call answeringSmall business
Answering for any small service business, set to your hours and rules.
AI answering service for small businessAI receptionist questions
What is an AI receptionist?
An AI receptionist is software that answers your business phone, takes the caller's details, and sets up the next step. Omni's AI receptionist is Mia, an AI employee who answers on your own number, asks your intake questions, and drafts texts and bookings. Sending and booking wait for your approval.
How does an AI receptionist work?
You connect your business number through Twilio, or forward your current line to it. Mia answers, asks the questions you write, and checks the customer record and your calendar. She drafts the booking and the confirmation text, and you approve, edit, or skip each one.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
Omni's Pilot plan is $497 a month for one AI employee with one skill, with AI usage included. Phone numbers and message delivery run through your own Twilio account, which Twilio bills directly. You can try it free for 14 days on sample data with no credit card.
Is an AI receptionist better than an answering service?
It depends on what you need. An answering service usually takes a message from a script. Mia works inside your customer records and calendar, so she can check the history and draft the booking for you to approve.
Can an AI receptionist book appointments?
Yes. Mia checks your calendar and proposes an open time, then drafts the confirmation text. The booking and the text wait for your approval, and she never promises an arrival time on her own.
Can it answer on my existing business number?
Yes. Mia answers on your own number through Twilio, a phone and text carrier you connect in your workspace. You can also forward calls from your current carrier line to your Twilio number, for example only after hours.
Will callers know they are talking to an AI?
Mia never pretends to be a person when someone asks. Every call and text is logged on the customer's record, so you can read exactly what was said.
What happens to calls after hours?
Mia works the hours you set, including nights and weekends. She logs each request, ranks it by your urgency rules, and leaves the drafted texts and bookings in your approval list for the morning.
Put AI employee Mia on your phones
Try it free for 14 days on sample data. No credit card.