The Roster

Receptionist

Answers chats and email

Hire ReceptionistSee it in a sample business

Included in every plan. Solo from $89/mo plus $99 setup. Extra roles $39/mo.

Plan
Every plan
Setup
A few basic questions
Approval
Nothing sends without your OK
Works in
Web chat and email today; texting on request

See it at work

Examples. Names and numbers are made up.

A 9:40 PM chat, answered
Your OK, one tap
Confirmed for Thursday at 10. You add it to your calendar (one-tap booking on request)
Tricky one? It comes to you

Every website chat and email gets a friendly reply in your name, even at night, offering only times that are open on your calendar, held for your OK with a one-tap link. Anything tricky or urgent comes to you right away. Booking onto your calendar and texting are on request.

more

What it handles

  • Website chat and email, day and night
  • Texting on request, from its own line
  • Common questions: hours, service area, payment
  • Offering open times on your calendar (booking onto it on request)
  • Asking for addresses and details before a visit, and for photos by email
  • Your Monday report: messages, replies and what still waits
  • Handing complaints and odd requests to you
  • It does not answer phone calls yet

What waits for your OK

  • Every reply to a customer, every time
  • Bookings outside your normal hours
  • Replies to unhappy customers

What it never does

  • Promise a price, date or time you haven't set
  • Spend your money or agree to a charge
  • Pretend to be a person. If asked, it says it's an AI assistant
  • Guess. When it isn't sure, it hands the question to you
  • Argue with a customer or promise a refund

How businesses use it

Plumbing

Evening website messages sit until morning.

Answered a 9:40 PM leak message, asked for the address, and offered 8 AM for your OK.

Property management

Prospective tenants ask the same questions all day.

Answered a question about pets and offered showing times.

Law office

New inquiries come in after hours.

Took a new-matter inquiry, asked the intake questions, and offered consult times. No legal advice, ever.

Real estate

Weekend buyer leads wait until Monday.

Replied to a Saturday buyer lead and offered showing times.

Salon or clinic

Booking requests arrive while everyone is with a client.

Offered new times when a client asked to move a Tuesday appointment.

Retail shop

"Do you have it in stock?" messages pile up.

Answered a stock question and asked you to hold the item.

Agency

Pricing questions come in while you're on client calls.

Answered a pricing question from your price list and offered times for a discovery call.

How it works

Every step, who does it, and where it waits for your OK. Nothing sends without your OK.

See the full workflow
How it works, step by stepTap to enlarge
Diagram of how the Receptionist works, step by step. 1, the customer: sends a chat or email (text on request); 2, the agent: reads it against your hours, FAQ and prices; 3, your tools: checks your calendar for truly open times; 4, the agent: writes a reply in your name; 5, you: approve, edit or reject the reply; 6, the agent: sends your approved reply; 7, the customer: picks a time or asks more; 8, the agent: drafts the confirmation from the whole thread; 9, you: approve the confirmation; 10, the agent: sends the confirmation; 11, the agent: adds it to your Monday report. Nothing sends without your OK.
When something is offTap to enlarge
Diagram of what the Receptionist does when something is off. Emergency (burst pipe, no heat, flooding): emails your on-call person right away with the message, before the reply is written, and sends you the held reply marked urgent with a one-tap link. Complaint or upset customer: writes a calm reply that does not argue or promise a refund, and holds it for your OK. Question not covered by your sheet, or the agent is unsure: writes a reply saying it will check with you, holds it for your OK, and you answer or edit it. Customer asks whether they are talking to a person (set during setup): says it is an AI assistant for your business and offers to have you follow up. Customer wants a time outside your hours or outside your area: holds the reply for your OK with the next time inside your hours; you can edit it to say yes. Customer goes quiet after the first reply (on request): after a day, holds one polite check-in for your OK, then stops. Customer phones instead of writing (on request): calls ring the way they do now. The visitor leaves the website before you approve the reply: your approved reply shows in the chat box and also goes to the email they gave in the chat.

What you'll provide

Everything it needs to do the job. You add it during setup.

Information

Facts about your business.

  • Your hours and service areaRequired

    So it only books where and when you work.

    Takes about 5 minutes

  • Answers to your 10 most common questionsRequired

    So it answers the way your front desk would.

    Takes about 15 minutes

  • Prices you're OK sharingOptional

    So it can answer "how much" without asking you each time.

    Takes about 10 minutes

Access

Accounts it connects to.

  • Your calendar (Google Calendar)Shared during setup

    So it only offers times that are really open. Booking straight onto it is on request.

    Takes about 5 minutes

  • Outlook calendarOn request

    If you book in Outlook instead of Google.

  • A text line for customersOn request

    Texting is on request today. If you want it, it gets its own line and you keep your number.

  • Chat on your websiteRequired

    So website visitors get answers. You add it during setup.

  • Your business email (Gmail or Google Workspace)Required

    So messages come from your business. It gets its own seat, or you invite it.

    Takes about 5 minutes

Decisions

Your rules. Email us a change any time and we make it.

  • What always needs your OKRequired

    For example, any reply that mentions a price.

    Takes about 5 minutes

  • Who is on call for emergenciesRequired

    Emergencies email that person right away. Complaints come to you for your OK.

    Takes about 2 minutes

You never send passwords by email or chat. You enter any login your roles need on a secure page we email you. It goes straight to your own private setup; we never see it. Each role gets its own work account, with its own email and calendar seat, or you invite it the way you'd invite a new employee. You can remove it any time. Texting is on request: if you add it, you keep your phone number and forward texts to its line.

After you hire

  1. 1Answer a few basic questions about how the job is done
  2. 2You add the items above during setup
  3. 3It starts in shadow mode: it drafts, you watch
  4. 4It goes live with your OK

Information

Provider
AgentRoster.AI
Category
Customers
Plan
Included in every plan. Solo from $89/mo plus $99 setup. Extra roles $39/mo.
Setup
Answer a few basic questions about how the job is done. One-time setup fee $99 to $299 by plan.
Language
English
Works in
Web chat and email today; texting on request
Works with
Your calendar, Your website
Channels
Web chat and email today; texting on request. It does not answer phone calls; call answering on request. The chat box asks for an email, so your approved reply also reaches a visitor who has left.
Approval
Nothing sends without your OK
Support
Email hello@agentroster.ai

Your data

  • Kept separate from every other customer's.
  • Never sold. Never used to train AI.
  • Stored in the United States.
  • Deleted within 30 days if you cancel.

Details in our privacy policy and provider list.

You might also hire

Questions

Can it answer phone calls or texts?

It answers website chat and email today, and calls still ring the way they do now. Texting and call answering are available on request; ask for them during setup. Either way, every reply to a customer waits for your OK.

Will customers know it's AI?

It writes in your business's name and tone, and it never claims to be a person. If someone asks, it says it's an AI assistant for your business and offers to have you follow up.

What if it gets something wrong?

Every reply waits for your OK, so you catch it before a customer does. When it isn't sure, it hands the question to you instead of guessing.

Your next hire doesn't need a desk.

Founding rates for the first 50 businesses.

Hire ReceptionistSee pricing