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The Smart Receptionist is an AI-powered phone answering service that handles every inbound call to your business — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It answers with your company name, holds a natural conversation with the caller, books appointments, captures job details, detects emergencies, and sends SMS and email confirmations automatically. It's not a phone menu or a voicemail system — it's a real conversational AI that sounds like a well-trained front desk employee.

It sounds natural. The Smart Receptionist uses conversational AI — not a phone menu or IVR system. Callers speak normally and it responds the same way. Most callers don't realise they're speaking with AI until they're told. We have multiple real-world testimonials from GTA business owners confirming their customers thought it was a real person.

The Smart Receptionist is purpose-built for GTA small businesses that rely heavily on phone calls — plumbers, HVAC companies, auto mechanics, salons, barber shops, moving companies, cleaning services, accountants, clinics, and contractors. It's ideal for any business where the team is too busy working to answer the phone — and where missed calls mean missed revenue.

No. We set up free call forwarding through Twilio. Your customers keep dialling the same number they always have — nothing changes on their end. The transition is completely invisible to callers. You keep your existing number and your existing carrier.

At any point during the call, a caller can say "speak to someone" or press a designated key. The AI immediately and gracefully transfers the call to your designated number — whether that's your mobile, your front desk, or an on-call team member. The transition is smooth and the caller never feels frustrated or dismissed.

Yes — unlimited simultaneous calls. Whether you get 2 calls or 20 calls at once during a seasonal peak or busy Saturday morning, every caller gets answered within 2 rings. There are no busy signals, no hold music, and no callers sent to voicemail because someone else is on the line.

Most businesses are live within 24 hours. We handle the full setup — voice customisation, calendar sync, industry-specific intake scripts, emergency protocols, and call forwarding. You just tell us about your business: your services, hours, service area, booking rules, and any special instructions. We build and configure everything — you don't touch any technical settings.

No hardware, no apps to install, and no technical knowledge required. The Smart Receptionist works through your existing phone number via call forwarding. There's nothing to download, nothing to configure on your end, and no IT department needed. If you can receive a phone call, you're ready.

We'll ask you about your business name, the services you offer, your hours of operation, your service area, your booking rules (same-day vs. advance booking, etc.), and any emergency escalation contacts. If you have an existing calendar or scheduling software, we'll connect to that too. The onboarding conversation takes about 20 minutes.

Setup is included on all plans — there's no setup fee. We handle everything: call forwarding through Twilio, calendar integration, custom greeting, intake scripts, and confirmation message templates. The Business plan also includes free custom industry scripting for the first 6 months.

Yes, anytime and with no penalty. To pause, click the Pause button in your dashboard or dial #72 from any phone — the service stops immediately. To resume, click Resume in your dashboard or dial #71. To cancel, click Cancel in your dashboard — no phone calls to us, no cancellation fees, no questions asked. There are no long-term contracts on any plan.

The AI is trained on urgency language specific to each industry. For plumbing and HVAC, it listens for phrases like "burst pipe," "no heat," "furnace dead," "flooding," "AC not working," and "frozen pipes." For auto shops, it listens for "car won't start," "overheating," "brake failure," and "check engine flashing." When it detects urgency, it immediately shifts into emergency mode — booking the priority slot, capturing the situation and address, and sending your designated on-call contact an SMS alert within seconds.

Yes. On the Business and Enterprise plans, the AI recognises returning callers by phone number and personalises the experience accordingly. It might say "Welcome back, Mrs. Chen — you had your furnace serviced last October. Are you calling about that?" This speeds up the intake call and makes repeat customers feel genuinely valued.

Yes. On Business and Enterprise plans, every call is recorded, automatically transcribed, and summarised in your dashboard. You can listen to any recording, read the transcript, or review the AI-generated summary. Recordings auto-delete after 30 days for privacy compliance — but you can download any call before deletion at any time.

The AI is designed to handle ambiguity gracefully. If it can't confidently route a call, it asks a clarifying question rather than guessing. For calls that genuinely require a human — complex negotiations, complaints, or highly unusual situations — it smoothly transfers to your designated team member and sends them a summary of what was discussed so far, so they're not starting from scratch.

Canadian English is included on all plans. French and Spanish are available as add-ons for $20/month each. When a caller speaks French or Spanish, the AI detects the language and responds naturally in that language for the entire conversation. This is a genuine differentiator for GTA businesses serving diverse communities — not just translated menu options.

The AI connects directly to your live calendar — Google Calendar, Outlook, or your scheduling software. When a caller books an appointment, it checks real-time availability before offering any slots, and writes the booking directly to your calendar the moment it's confirmed. Because it reads and writes in real time, double-booking is impossible as long as your calendar is kept up to date.

Yes. Callers can reschedule or cancel at any time. The AI cancels the existing slot, checks your live availability, offers the next available options, and books the new time — all in a single call. The freed-up slot becomes available for other callers immediately. If you're on Business or Enterprise, the cancelled slot can also trigger a notification to waitlisted clients.

24 hours before every appointment, the AI sends an automated SMS reminder to the client. They reply C to confirm or R to reschedule. If they reschedule, the AI handles the whole rebooking automatically. If they confirm, you'll see it updated in your dashboard. Businesses using reminders typically see no-show rates drop 30–50% within the first month.

Yes. The AI can book recurring appointments — weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly — and set up the full schedule in a single call. For industries like cleaning services and HVAC maintenance, this means a caller can book their entire year's service schedule in one conversation, with each appointment confirmed and reminders set automatically.

Yes. On Business and Enterprise plans, we configure your service area during setup — by city, postal code, or radius. The AI asks for the caller's location and politely declines to book if they're outside your coverage zone. This prevents wasted quotes, callbacks, and site visits for jobs you can't take.

Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook are included on all plans. On Business and Enterprise plans, we also integrate with Jobber, Housecall Pro, Jane App, Cliniko, ZenMaid, Buildertrend, CoConstruct, Calendly, OSCAR EMR, and more. All bookings sync in real time — no manual entry, no delays, no out-of-date calendars.

The Premium CRM Integration add-on ($29/mo) unlocks direct sync with QuickBooks Online, Karbon, TaxDome, Practice Ignition, and other specialised CRM platforms. For trades businesses, we integrate with Jobber and Housecall Pro on the Business plan. For health clinics, Jane App and Cliniko are available. We are constantly adding new integrations — contact us if you don't see your platform listed.

Yes. The Smart Receptionist works with any phone number — mobile, landline, or VoIP — through standard call forwarding. You don't need to change your carrier, your plan, or your hardware. We set up the forwarding through Twilio on your behalf, and it's completely transparent to your callers. If you already use a PBX or multi-line system, we can work with your IT team to configure the forwarding appropriately.

Yes. On Enterprise plans, multi-location and multi-team routing is available. Calls can be routed based on what the caller needs, which location they're calling about, or which team handles their type of service. For example, a plumbing and HVAC company can route plumbing emergencies to the plumbing on-call tech and HVAC emergencies to the HVAC on-call tech — automatically.

There are three plans: Individual at $49.99/mo (up to 50 calls/bookings, 7-day free trial), Business at $149.99/mo (up to 150 calls/bookings, 14-day free trial), and Enterprise at $399.99/mo (unlimited calls/bookings, 30-day free trial). No credit card is required to start any trial. See the full Pricing page for a complete feature comparison.

Correct — all three plans include a free trial with no credit card required. Individual gets 7 days, Business gets 14 days, and Enterprise gets 30 days. You only need a payment method when you decide to continue after the trial ends.

Each inbound call handled by the AI counts as one call. Each appointment booked counts as one booking. A call that results in a booking is counted once — not twice. Outbound reminders, SMS confirmations, and follow-up messages do not count toward your monthly limit.

We'll notify you when you're approaching your limit and make it easy to upgrade to the next plan. We won't cut off your service mid-month without warning. If you regularly exceed your plan limit, we'll recommend upgrading to avoid any interruption to your business.

Yes, anytime. You can upgrade or downgrade from your dashboard with no penalties. Upgrades take effect immediately. There are no long-term contracts and no lock-in on any plan.

Yes. If you sell to trades businesses, service companies, or clinics, you can resell the Smart Receptionist under your brand. Our wholesale price is $99/mo per customer — you set your own retail price and keep the margin. Resellers typically mark up to $149–$199/mo. White-label options are available at the Enterprise tier. Contact us to learn more about becoming a partner.

Yes. All customer data — names, contact details, call recordings, transcripts, and booking information — is encrypted end-to-end both in transit and at rest. Data is stored exclusively in Canadian data centres. We never store unencrypted customer information at any stage of the pipeline.

Yes — fully. We are compliant with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) on all plans. This is especially important for businesses handling sensitive information such as health clinics, accounting firms, and legal professionals. All data is stored in Canada and never transferred to foreign servers.

Never. We do not sell, share, rent, or monetise your customer data in any form — ever. Your client list and call records are yours and yours alone. We are not an advertising platform. See our Privacy Policy and PIPEDA Compliance page for full details.

Call recordings auto-delete after 30 days for privacy compliance. Before deletion, you can download any individual recording from your dashboard at any time. Transcripts and call summaries are kept longer and are also available for download. You can request early deletion of any recording at any time.

This depends on your preference and your jurisdiction's disclosure requirements. We can configure the greeting to include an AI disclosure (e.g., "I'm a virtual assistant for [Company Name]") or to use a branded persona without explicit disclosure. We recommend discussing this with us during setup so we can configure the experience that best fits your business and stays compliant with applicable regulations.

Yes. One Smart Receptionist handles both plumbing and HVAC calls seamlessly. We configure separate intake scripts for each trade during setup. The AI identifies which service the caller needs and follows the correct flow — booking the right team, capturing trade-specific details, and routing to the correct on-call tech for emergencies. You can also configure separate on-call contacts for plumbing vs. HVAC, and for different times of day.

Yes. During setup we configure each stylist's or barber's name, services, and availability. When a client says "I always book with Sarah" or "I want whoever does balayage," the AI checks that person's schedule and books accordingly. It handles preferred-stylist requests naturally in conversation, exactly as a front desk person would.

The AI captures: customer name, phone and email, vehicle make, model, year, approximate mileage, the problem description in the customer's own words, whether the vehicle is currently driveable, preferred drop-off date and time window, and whether a loaner car or shuttle is needed. All delivered to you as a clean job summary before you call back or the vehicle arrives.

The AI captures: customer name, phone and email, move date and preferred time window, origin and destination addresses, approximate home or office size (1BR, 2BR, house, office, etc.), floor level and elevator access at each location, special items like pianos or safes, parking or building restrictions, and how they heard about your company. Your crew gets a complete brief before every job.

Yes. The Smart Receptionist is fully PIPEDA-compliant and all data is stored in Canadian data centres — meeting the privacy requirements for most Canadian healthcare contexts. We configure clinic-specific intake scripts that capture the reason for visit, preferred practitioner, and whether the call is urgent or routine. For regulated health professions with additional privacy obligations, we recommend confirming specific requirements with your compliance advisor.

Absolutely — that's one of the strongest use cases for accounting firms. The AI handles unlimited simultaneous calls, so the March and April surge doesn't overwhelm your team. It qualifies new leads, books consultations, captures what the client needs help with, and sends document checklists automatically. Your team spends tax season focused on files, not fielding incoming calls.