How much does an AI receptionist
cost in the UK?
It depends on what the assistant actually does, which is why headline prices are hard to compare. FirstReach is priced per business rather than per plan, because every deployment is configured for one business. The illustrative average used in the cost comparison on our homepage is £6,000 a year, against about £36,000 a year fully loaded for one in-house receptionist covering 40 hours a week.
Four things decide your quote.
Volume
Your monthly calls and messages, and how long a typical one runs. A busy two-site clinic and a single treatment room are not the same quote.
Hours of cover
Every call from the first ring, or only the ones your team cannot reach. We suggest starting with the second.
Channels and sites
Phone alone, or phone and inbox. One location, or several that each need their own number and diary.
Integration depth
Phorest or a shared calendar is quick. Anything reached through its own API takes longer to configure and test.
The same job, four ways.
| Option | Typical cost | What that buys |
|---|---|---|
| In-house receptionist | About £36,000 a year fully loaded, for 40 hours a week | Modelled from UK salary, employer National Insurance, pension and overhead assumptions published on our homepage. |
| Answering service | Per call or per minute | Adds up with volume. You are paying for a message rather than a booking. |
| Voicemail | Free | Around 69% of callers hang up rather than leave one. |
| FirstReach | Priced per business, £6,000 a year illustrative average | Covers all 168 hours of the week, with several calls answered at once. |
Setting it up is not a separate product.
- The work before go-live: mapping your services and rules, building the persona, connecting your diary and getting your sign-off.
- The work after it: keeping your hours, prices and services up to date as the business changes.
- Everything the assistant needs to answer properly: live transfer, and transcripts and reporting on what it handled.
- The full list is on the pricing page.
See it answer your phone.
Book a 20-minute consultation. We map your workflow, preview a persona built for your business and show you what a pilot would look like.