AI receptionist and answering service in Sydney for small businesses

An AI receptionist in Sydney is software that answers a small business's calls and messages from information the owner has approved, books customers in or collects their details, and hands over to the owner when a person should step in. It is also what people mean by an AI answering service, with two differences from the traditional kind: it covers chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, email and SMS as well as the phone, and it answers from information about your business that you approve, rather than an operator reading a script for many businesses.

Realtiq is a small studio in Sydney run by Jacobo Miranda Baudot. We set up AI receptionists for local businesses, and we are open about what they do well and where they stop.

How an AI receptionist works for a Sydney small business

A customer gets in touch the way they always have: they ring, text, message your Instagram or Facebook page, email, or open the chat on your website. From there:

1. It replies straight away, at any hour, from the information you approved: your hours, services, prices and service area.
2. It works out what the customer needs, asking one question at a time, until it knows whether the enquiry fits what you offer.
3. It collects the details, such as a name, a way to reach the customer and what they are after.
4. It books or records the request. Through an integration it books into your calendar or booking system, and otherwise it records the request for your team.
5. It hands over when a person should take it, with a summary, so nobody has to ask the customer twice.

The customer who messages at 9 pm gets a reply at 9 pm, and you read the details in the morning. It takes the routine, and you keep the conversations that need you.

What it answers

It answers what you have told it, in your tone: your hours and how to find you, your services and prices, whether you cover a suburb, parking, what to bring, and how to book. It takes booking and quote requests on the spot. It does not guess at anything outside what you approved. It says it will pass the question on, and hands over.

When it hands over to a person

Handover is the part to get right, so we agree it with you before go live.

• What triggers it. Complaints, negotiations, anything unusual, anything you have not approved, and any customer who asks for a person.
• What you receive. An alert with the details collected so far, on the channel you actually watch, so the customer does not repeat themselves.
• On the phone. Depending on what you choose, the voice agent transfers the call to you, or takes the details and alerts your team so a person can call back with the context already there.

AI answering service or a traditional one?

A traditional answering service is a call centre that picks up for many businesses, usually from a script, and many cover the phone only. An AI receptionist answers on the phone and on your messaging channels from the information you approve, and can book into your calendar where it is connected. A human service still makes sense if you want a human voice for part of the day. We compare the options, including hiring, in AI receptionist, answering service or hiring in Sydney.

Where it answers

You choose the channels, and the same assistant gives the same answers on each.

• Your website, with a chat bubble on every page
• WhatsApp, through a WhatsApp Business account in your name
• Instagram direct messages and Facebook Messenger
• Email, sorted and ready for your team
• SMS, including missed-call text back: when you cannot pick up, the caller gets a text a moment later and the conversation carries on by text
• The phone, with a voice agent that picks up, answers and books

You can try the live demo on the AI front desk page, or ring 0495 052 154 and hear the voice agent.

Who it suits in Sydney

It tends to fit businesses where the phone rings at the wrong moment and many enquiries are routine.

• Cafés and restaurants: booking requests, dietary questions and opening hours during service. See restaurants and cafés.
• Hair salons and barbers: price and availability messages while your hands are busy. See hair, beauty and barbers.
• Physios and clinics: appointment requests and first-visit questions. See physios and clinics.
• Gyms and studios: trial class enquiries, timetable questions and membership questions. See gyms and studios.
• Retail shops: stock, hours and delivery questions. See retail shops.
• Trades and mobile services: calls that come in while you are on the tools. See AI receptionist for tradies.

How setup works

1. We talk. In a 15 minute call you tell us the questions you get, where they come from and what should happen with each one.
2. A written proposal. Channels, what the assistant handles, included volume and price, clear from the start.
3. We write what it knows. Your answers, prices, hours and handover rules, written in your tone and checked by you.
4. You test it. You try to trip it up before any customer sees it, and we adjust until you are happy.
5. Live, then tuned. It goes live on your channels, and we review conversations with you to keep sharpening it.

It only answers from the information you approve. It does not invent prices, discounts or promises.

What it costs

Two services cover the receptionist job. Prices are in Australian dollars, shown as setup plus a monthly fee, and both run month to month.

The chat assistant covers all of the messaging channels above and missed-call text back. The voice agent covers the phone, with 200 minutes of calls a month included. Half the setup is paid up front and the rest when it goes live. Phone numbers, carrier costs and third-party accounts such as WhatsApp Business are set up in your name and listed in the proposal. Integrations, such as your calendar or CRM, are scoped and quoted separately.

What it does not do

Being straight about limits is part of the service.

• It does not know what you did not tell it, and it should say so.
• It is not a reason to stop reading your messages. Handovers need someone to take them.
• Nobody can promise a particular number of enquiries or bookings. We can promise that it answers from what you approve and tells you when a person is needed.

Frequently asked questions

What is an AI receptionist?

An AI receptionist is software that answers a business's calls and messages from information the owner has approved, books or collects the details, and hands over to a person when one is needed. Realtiq sets one up for chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, email, SMS and the phone.

What is an AI answering service?

It is the job of an answering service done by software: it picks up the phone and answers messages for you, takes the details and passes them on. Compared with a traditional service, it also covers messaging channels and answers from the information you approve.

How much does an AI receptionist cost in Sydney?

Realtiq's chat assistant is A$990 setup plus A$149 a month, and the voice agent is A$1,490 setup plus A$299 a month with 200 minutes included. Both run month to month.

Can an AI receptionist answer my phone?

Yes, with the voice agent. It answers calls forwarded from your existing number, or a new number, books the job or takes the details, and hands over when a call needs a person. The exact setup depends on your phone provider and is agreed in the proposal. You approve the voice and the script before it takes a real call.

What happens when it does not know the answer?

It hands over. Your team gets an alert with the details collected so far.

Will customers know they are talking to an AI?

Yes, if they ask. The assistant says plainly that it is an AI when asked, and it hands over to a person whenever that is the better answer.

Can it book into my calendar?

Yes, with an integration. It can check your calendar or booking system and book straight into it. Each integration is scoped and quoted in the proposal.

Can I try it first?

Yes. The AI front desk page has a live chat and a browser call, and you can ring 0495 052 154.

Do I need a new website?

No. The chat can sit on your existing site. If your website needs rebuilding, websites can be done alongside.