Discover the benefits of an AI virtual receptionist and learn how it works. 

What is an AI virtual receptionist? 

Put simply, a virtual receptionist is an AI that takes on receptionist tasks, automating them and making them available around the clock. This generally includes answering and transferring incoming customer calls and can include collecting account information, taking care of FAQs, booking appointments, and more.

You might find references to virtual receptionists being used to describe human receptionists working remotely, but that’s not what we’re covering here. Today, we’ve covering AI-based virtual receptionists and how they improve customer and employee experience.

We all know the basics of the current AI revolution: people want everything delivered to them immediately, fast, at any hour of the day. Top it all off with the emerging trend of self-service support, and you’ll know why virtual receptionists are becoming increasingly popular among businesses of all sizes. They offer a flexible, cost-effective solution for managing front-office tasks, allowing receptionist teams to focus on their core activities plus playing a crucial role in enhancing customer satisfaction and business efficiency.

How does a virtual receptionist work?

Let’s not get lost in the tech specifics—if you really want to deep-dive into this, it might mean you’re ready to speak with an expert about it 😉 But since I know you’re all curious to know what lies behind your next AI colleague, here’s a quick rundown.

AI virtual receptionists use advanced technologies such as speech recognition and Natural Language Understanding (NLU). These systems are designed to interact with callers like a human receptionist, accurately recording information like names, locations, business details, and reasons for the call. The AI processes this data to effectively provide appropriate responses or route calls within a business setting. 

What does a virtual receptionist do? 6 advantages for customers and employees

Every business is unique, and it would be impossible to list every single benefit of virtual receptionist tech for every vertical. Despite their differences, though, businesses globally can benefit from onboarding an AI virtual receptionist.

Better coverage of peak times

In times of day when call volume gets particularly overwhelming, some (or all) can be dispatched by AI, taking the weight off of human receptionists’ shoulders and freeing them to take care of VIP calls, complex inquiries, or other tasks that might get overlooked otherwise. Moreover, virtual receptionists can stay up and running during coffee or lunch breaks, ensuring human receptionists get the rest they deserve.

Never fear PTO again

On the same wave as the last paragraph, virtual receptionists ensure you don’t worry about being understaffed. Suppose most or even all receptionists are on paid time off, home sick, or for any other reason not working. In that case, your customers will not have to wait in line or be forced to hang up because no one answers their call — virtual receptionists will be there, working overtime to make sure every call is taken care of.

Never let customers wait

You might have picked up this by now, but why would an AI let a caller wait in line for an answer? A virtual receptionist immediately picks up any incoming call and connects the caller with the information or person they need. Considering how little patience customers have, this can make the difference between an excellent and a terrible review.

Office hours? A virtual receptionist doesn’t know them

Why would a virtual receptionist not be available when the office is closed? Sure, a virtual receptionist might not find a live agent to forward the call to, but it can still take care of frequently asked questions and inform customers of opening and closing times—which is still better than leaving customers hanging until the next morning.

Automatic yet human

I know what you’re thinking—this virtual receptionist will surely sound like a staticky robot. That’s not good for my business. Let’s not lie—a product’s output is only as good as its overall quality. There is some crooked AI out there, but the right technology will ensure a human approach and a great customer experience. 

Unify your brand voice in multiple languages

Another interesting benefit of a virtual receptionist is its ability to maintain the same tone of voice across countries and departments. Not only is it truly multilingual and able to break the ever-so-problematic language barrier, but it will 100% of the time keep the brand voice and approach you teach it, making it easy to maintain customer service scripts and a cohesive tone of voice globally.

As stated before, this is a partial rundown of the benefits of onboarding a virtual receptionist onto your business. This is also because every virtual receptionist is unique and can be customized and molded to your unique business needs. By making sure you land a no-code virtual receptionist, you can reduce human receptionists’ stress and ensure a fast, modern, precise service to your customers. 

Want to try a Virtual Receptionist? Turn to Imagicle

If you’ve got to the bottom of the article, it means you’re interested in onboarding an AI Virtual Receptionist onto your receptionist team – look no further! In Summer, Imagicle will release its very own Virtual Receptionist. Fully customizable to your business needs through an intuitive setup, up and running in seconds, multilingual, working 24/7. Sign up here to know more about its features, get notified of the official release, and be the first to get your customer service to a 10.