How much does a virtual receptionist cost in Australia?

Human virtual receptionist services are usually priced by the call, the minute or the hours of cover you buy. Aussie AI Agency's AI virtual receptionist is a flat monthly plan from $149/mo ex GST with 100 voice minutes included, covers 24/7 on every plan and is month-to-month with no lock-in contract.

What is the difference between an AI and a human virtual receptionist?

A human virtual receptionist is a real person answering remotely, usually in set hours, and is strongest on sensitive or complex calls. An AI virtual receptionist like Aussie AI Agency's Steve answers every call 24/7, takes several calls at once and costs a flat fee, but handles routine calls rather than judgement-heavy ones.

What do virtual receptionist services include?

Our virtual receptionist service includes 24/7 call answering in your business name, message-taking sent by SMS and email, appointment booking, call transfers by your rules, spam screening, call transcripts and summaries, and a website chatbot run by the same agent. We build and maintain it for you.

Can a virtual receptionist book appointments?

Yes. Ours books callers straight into Google Calendar while they are on the phone, so the appointment is there when you look. Google Calendar is built in; for other booking systems it works alongside them, sending your team the details by SMS and email within seconds so they can add the booking. A direct integration is quoted on request.

Is a virtual receptionist suitable for a medical practice?

Yes, for front-desk work. Aussie AI Agency's medical virtual receptionist books, reschedules and takes messages for clinics, but never gives clinical advice or triage. Callers describing an emergency are told to hang up and call 000, following rules agreed with the practice, and patient details are handled under the Privacy Act 1988.

Is an outsourced receptionist better than hiring one?

It depends on the work. An in-house receptionist also does admin, greets visitors and knows your regulars. An outsourced receptionist, human or AI, only handles the phones but costs far less than a salary. Aussie AI Agency's AI receptionist covers calls 24/7 from $149/mo ex GST, including when your own staff are away.

Can a virtual receptionist transfer calls to me?

Yes. You choose which calls are transferred live, to which number and at what times. Everything else becomes a detailed message sent to you by SMS and email the moment the call ends, so you can call back with the answer ready instead of playing phone tag.

Is it an Australian virtual receptionist?

Aussie AI Agency is an Australian business based in Bundoora, Victoria, and Steve answers in a natural Australian voice using Australian phrasing. Because Steve is AI rather than a person, there's no offshore call centre. Your callers talk to the agent we built and tuned for your business.

Will callers know the receptionist is AI?

Steve, Aussie AI Agency's AI virtual receptionist, answers in your business name and sounds like a natural Australian receptionist, so plenty of callers won't give it a second thought. He never claims to be human: if someone asks, he says he is an AI assistant, and you can have him say so at the start of every call.

What is an AI virtual receptionist?

An AI virtual receptionist is a virtual receptionist run by software instead of a remote employee. It answers your business line in a natural voice, follows the rules you set for each type of call, and sends you the details by SMS and email within seconds. Because there is no roster, it covers every hour of every day at a flat monthly price.

Is a 24/7 AI receptionist really answering at 3am?

Yes. A 24/7 AI receptionist answers at 3am on a Sunday the same way it does at 10am on a Tuesday, and it can take several calls at the same moment. You choose what happens out of hours: take a message, book the next free slot, or put genuinely urgent calls through to your mobile.

By Niel Bennet, Founder, Aussie AI Agency · Last updated: 10 November 2026

Virtual Receptionist for Australian Businesses, Answering 24/7

You need the phone answered properly, but a full-time receptionist doesn't make sense, or yours can't cover every hour. A virtual receptionist answers your calls from somewhere else. Ours is AI, so it answers every call, day and night, and hands over to you when a person is needed.

Quick Answer

Aussie AI Agency's virtual receptionist is an AI receptionist called Steve. He answers every call to your business 24/7 in a natural Australian voice, books appointments into your calendar, takes detailed messages sent to you by SMS and email, and transfers callers to you by your rules. Plans start at $149/mo ex GST, month-to-month.

It's not a person working from home. If you want a human on every call, a human virtual receptionist service will suit you better, and we're upfront about the trade-offs below.

Book a free 30-minute demo with NielBook a free demo with Niel

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Or call Steve (AI) now: 03 4328 3434

Hear Steve answer: 03 4328 3434 Ask our AI a question

What is a virtual receptionist?

A virtual receptionist is a receptionist who answers your business phone remotely, either a person working from another location or an AI voice agent. Both answer in your business name and take care of callers. The difference is who is on the line, the hours they cover and how you pay for it.

An AI receptionist is the AI kind of virtual receptionist. It doesn't take breaks or go home at 5pm, and it can answer several calls at the same time. That's why it suits small teams: the ABS counted 2,814,778 actively trading Australian businesses at 30 June 2026, and about 65% of them had no employees to pick up the phone.

AI virtual receptionist vs a human virtual receptionist

A human virtual receptionist brings judgement and a personal touch; an AI virtual receptionist brings 24/7 cover, no queue and a flat price. Neither is right for everyone, so here is how they typically compare with each other and with hiring in-house.

Virtual receptionist options compared (typical)

	AI virtual receptionist (Steve)	Human virtual receptionist	In-house receptionist
Who answers	AI voice agent in an Australian voice	A remote person, often shared across clients	Your own employee
Hours covered	24/7 on every plan	The hours you pay for	Their working hours, minus breaks and leave
Calls at once	Several	One per receptionist	One
Pricing	Flat from $149/mo ex GST	Usually per call, per minute or per block of hours	Salary, super and leave
Bookings and messages	Books into your calendar; SMS and email after each call	Yes, depending on the service	Yes
Admin work	No (phones and website chat only)	Sometimes, at extra cost	Yes
Best for	Routine calls, after hours and busy periods	Sensitive or complex calls	Front desks with walk-in visitors

An AI virtual receptionist suits you if

Calls come in at all hours, including nights, weekends and lunch breaks
Most calls are enquiries, bookings, messages or simple questions
Several calls can land at once and some get a busy tone today
You want one flat monthly price instead of paying per call or per hour

A human virtual receptionist suits you if

Most calls need empathy or judgement that can't be written down as rules
You need someone to also do admin: invoices, email, diary juggling
Callers expect to speak to the same person every time
Your calls are few and only in business hours

The full comparison, including hybrid set-ups where AI covers after hours and overflow while a person covers the day, is in AI vs virtual receptionist in Australia. Weighing up a hire instead? Read AI or a human receptionist.

What do our virtual receptionist services include?

Every plan includes the whole receptionist job, built and looked after by us:

24/7 answering: after hours, weekends, lunch breaks
Answers several calls at once, so nobody gets a busy tone
Takes the caller's details and sends you a summary
Books appointments into your calendar
Your own branded booking page, linked to Google Calendar
Call transcripts, summaries and recordings
Website chatbot run by the same agent
Transfers to a real person when it matters
Set up and looked after by us, not a login and good luck
Privacy Act 1988 & APP-aligned, encrypted in transit and at rest
Month-to-month, cancel any time

If you already have a receptionist, the same agent can give you cover while your receptionist is on leave, lunch break phone cover and after-hours call answering for Australian businesses, so they never have to watch the phone alone.

Can a virtual receptionist work for a medical practice?

Yes. Our medical virtual receptionist handles front-desk calls for clinics: new bookings, reschedules, cancellations, opening hours and messages for the team. It never gives clinical advice or triage. A caller who describes an emergency is told to hang up and call 000, following the rules we agree with your practice.

Patient details are handled in line with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. See the AI receptionist for medical practices page for how we set it up, and AHPRA-aware call handling for the advertising rules.

Virtual receptionist set-ups by industry

Medical virtual receptionist: bookings, reschedules and messages for clinics; never clinical advice
Dental practices: new patients, recalls and emergency-appointment rules
Law firms: new-matter intake and consult bookings, no legal advice
Tradies: jobs captured while you're on the tools
Real estate agents: buyer, tenant and appraisal enquiries
Accountants: tax-time overflow and client messages

Not listed? See every industry we set up for.

Real result: a Melbourne law firm

Fogarty Oliver and Rothschild, a Melbourne family law and conveyancing practice, has used an AI receptionist since 28 May 2026. To 28 September 2026 it answered 95 calls, 28 (29%) of them outside 9–5 on weekdays, and captured 44 callers' details, all sent to the principal by email and SMS. Read the case study.

How much does a virtual receptionist cost?

Aussie AI Agency's AI virtual receptionist costs from $149/mo ex GST, month-to-month, with 24/7 answering on every plan. You pay for voice minutes used above your plan, and that usage is capped at the gap to the next plan.

AI virtual receptionist plans

Plan	Price / month	Voice minutes included	Then per minute
Starter	$149	100	$0.85
Business	$299	250	$0.65
Growth	$499	700	$0.45
Enterprise	From $1,299	3,000	$0.29

All prices in AUD, excluding GST. Your Australian phone number and call charges are included. Month-to-month, cancel any time. One-off setup $550 (normally $990) for a standard setup with no CRM integration, until 30 November 2026. It covers building your receptionist, training it on your business, connecting your number and calendar, and testing. CRM integrations are quoted separately. Your monthly plan covers ongoing tuning and improvements.

Compare plans on the pricing page, or work out what unanswered calls cost you with the AI receptionist ROI calculator.

Virtual receptionist FAQs

: A virtual receptionist answers your business calls remotely instead of from a desk in your office. It can be a person working from elsewhere or an AI voice agent. Aussie AI Agency's virtual receptionist is AI: Steve answers 24/7 in an Australian voice, books appointments, takes messages and transfers callers to you.
: Human virtual receptionist services are usually priced by the call, the minute or the hours of cover you buy. Aussie AI Agency's AI virtual receptionist is a flat monthly plan from $149/mo ex GST with 100 voice minutes included, covers 24/7 on every plan and is month-to-month with no lock-in contract.
: A human virtual receptionist is a real person answering remotely, usually in set hours, and is strongest on sensitive or complex calls. An AI virtual receptionist like Aussie AI Agency's Steve answers every call 24/7, takes several calls at once and costs a flat fee, but handles routine calls rather than judgement-heavy ones.
: Our virtual receptionist service includes 24/7 call answering in your business name, message-taking sent by SMS and email, appointment booking, call transfers by your rules, spam screening, call transcripts and summaries, and a website chatbot run by the same agent. We build and maintain it for you.
: Yes. Ours books callers straight into Google Calendar while they are on the phone, so the appointment is there when you look. Google Calendar is built in; for other booking systems it works alongside them, sending your team the details by SMS and email within seconds so they can add the booking. A direct integration is quoted on request.
: Yes, for front-desk work. Aussie AI Agency's medical virtual receptionist books, reschedules and takes messages for clinics, but never gives clinical advice or triage. Callers describing an emergency are told to hang up and call 000, following rules agreed with the practice, and patient details are handled under the Privacy Act 1988.
: It depends on the work. An in-house receptionist also does admin, greets visitors and knows your regulars. An outsourced receptionist, human or AI, only handles the phones but costs far less than a salary. Aussie AI Agency's AI receptionist covers calls 24/7 from $149/mo ex GST, including when your own staff are away.
: Yes. You choose which calls are transferred live, to which number and at what times. Everything else becomes a detailed message sent to you by SMS and email the moment the call ends, so you can call back with the answer ready instead of playing phone tag.
: Aussie AI Agency is an Australian business based in Bundoora, Victoria, and Steve answers in a natural Australian voice using Australian phrasing. Because Steve is AI rather than a person, there's no offshore call centre. Your callers talk to the agent we built and tuned for your business.
: Steve, Aussie AI Agency's AI virtual receptionist, answers in your business name and sounds like a natural Australian receptionist, so plenty of callers won't give it a second thought. He never claims to be human: if someone asks, he says he is an AI assistant, and you can have him say so at the start of every call.
: An AI virtual receptionist is a virtual receptionist run by software instead of a remote employee. It answers your business line in a natural voice, follows the rules you set for each type of call, and sends you the details by SMS and email within seconds. Because there is no roster, it covers every hour of every day at a flat monthly price.
: Yes. A 24/7 AI receptionist answers at 3am on a Sunday the same way it does at 10am on a Tuesday, and it can take several calls at the same moment. You choose what happens out of hours: take a message, book the next free slot, or put genuinely urgent calls through to your mobile.

Hear your virtual receptionist before you decide

Call Steve now and talk to him like a customer would, or book a free 30-minute demo with Niel to see how he'd answer for your business.

Book a free 30-minute demo Call Steve (AI): 03 4328 3434 Chat with our AI