AI front desk receptionist

An AI front desk for the phone, WhatsApp and the appointment book

Most of a front desk's day is the same few jobs: pick up the phone, reply to messages, keep the appointment book and answer the questions everyone asks. NuTalk's AI front desk does that part for phone calls and WhatsApp, in English and Spanish, on the hours and rules you set. When someone needs a person, the conversation reaches your team with a transcript and summary.

It does not greet walk-in visitors, check people in or take payments at the counter. Treat it as the phone-and-messages half of the desk, and decide up front which conversations your staff keep.

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HOW IT WORKSEXAMPLE

Write the desk manual

Add hours, services, the prices you publish, booking rules and who on your team picks up handoffs.

Answer and book

The AI answers calls and WhatsApp, books on your calendar and confirms the time with the customer.

Hand off with context

When a person is needed, your team gets the transcript and summary; every conversation stays on record.

NUTALKVOICE + MESSAGING

Calls + WhatsApp

Channels

Phone calls and WhatsApp messages are answered under the same business rules.

English / Spanish

Languages

Callers and customers can use either language on the same number.

Your rules

Limits you set

You decide when it answers, what it may book and what goes to staff.

Three ways to run a front desk

What typically comes with each option. Receptionist services and staffing costs vary, so confirm the details with any provider or candidate you consider.

Three ways to run a front desk
Criterion	NuTalk AI front desk	Virtual receptionist service	In-house front desk staff
Who answers	An AI agent working from your business information and rules.	Remote receptionists at an outside company, working from your script.	Your own employee, who knows the business firsthand.
Hours covered	The hours you set, including nights, weekends and holidays.	Depends on the plan; confirm evenings, weekends and holidays.	Their shift, minus breaks and time off, unless you arrange cover.
Calls at the same time	Simultaneous-call capacity is confirmed for your package.	Depends on how many receptionists the service has free.	One conversation per person; other callers wait or reach voicemail.
Appointments	Books, confirms and reschedules on Cal.com, Google Calendar or NuTalk scheduling.	Some plans book into your calendar; others take a message, so ask.	Booked in whatever system your office already uses.
Walk-in visitors	Not handled; it works on phone calls and WhatsApp only.	Usually phone-based; ask if you need remote greeting in the lobby.	Greeted in person.
Requests outside the script	Passed to your team with the transcript and summary.	Handled by your instructions; many services can transfer calls live, so confirm.	Decided on the spot, or walked down the hall to the right person.
Pricing model	$299 USD a month for NuTalk SMB on your own landline; pay as you go starts free.	Usually per minute, per call or a monthly plan.	Wages, benefits, training and cover for time off.

Sources reviewed: 2026-09-22. Published by NuTalk. Confirm pricing, limits and integrations with each provider.

NuTalk pricing

/01

The front-desk jobs an AI can take on

Write down what your front desk handled yesterday and most of it repeats: the same questions, the same booking requests, the same reminders. Those are the jobs NuTalk takes on for phone calls and WhatsApp, working from the business information and rules you write. It answers on the hours you choose, so it can cover the whole day or only the hours your desk is closed or short-staffed.

Answers calls and WhatsApp messages about hours, services, location, parking and what to bring.
Books, confirms and reschedules appointments on your connected calendar.
Takes the caller's name, number and reason when a request needs your team.
Follows up on WhatsApp and, with NuTalk clinic scheduling, sends appointment reminders; photos customers send appear in the inbox.
Runs outbound call campaigns, such as calling a list of customers due for a follow-up.

/02

What stays with your people

An AI front desk works from what you've written down. Anything that needs judgment, someone physically present or a live conversation with a specific person stays with your staff. When a caller needs a person, NuTalk passes the conversation to your team with the transcript and summary, so whoever calls back starts with the details instead of asking for them again.

Walk-in visitors, check-in, payments and paperwork at the counter.
Upset customers, complaints and exceptions to your policies.
Medical, legal or financial questions; tell the AI to decline them and pass them to your team.
Callers who must reach someone while still on the line; keep those calls with staff or plan a callback.

/03

An AI secretary for calls and messages, not your email

People who search for an AI secretary mean one of two things. One is a personal assistant that sorts email, drafts documents and manages a to-do list, and NuTalk isn't that. The other is the secretary who answers the phone, keeps the appointment book and takes messages. That's the job NuTalk does, on phone calls and WhatsApp.

Messages arrive with the caller's name, number, reason and a summary of the call.
Appointments go straight onto the calendar you connect.
With NuTalk clinic scheduling, reminders go out on WhatsApp (inside Meta's 24-hour window on the official API) or as a reminder call.
Records sync to HubSpot or Kommo, or to other tools through Zapier or webhooks.

/04

Virtual front desk: AI, remote receptionists or both

A virtual front desk means your front-desk work is handled by someone who isn't in the building: a receptionist service answering by phone, sometimes by video in the lobby, or an AI agent. Remote receptionists bring human judgment and can often put a caller through live. An AI front desk follows written rules and answers up to the capacity in your package (on NuTalk SMB, one call at a time per line). You don't have to pick one; the work splits well.

AI after closing and on weekends; people during business hours.
AI for bookings and routine questions; people for complaints and exceptions.
AI on WhatsApp at any hour; people reply to whatever it passes on.
Your own staff for anyone who walks through the door.

/05

Setting up an AI front desk

Setup is mostly writing down what your best receptionist already knows. Add your business information and booking rules, connect a calendar, then choose how calls reach NuTalk: forward your current number, get a NuTalk number, or connect the NuTalk AiBox to your analog landline after confirming compatibility. Call it yourself a few times before customers do.

Business information: hours, services, locations, published prices and policies.
Booking rules: appointment types, how far ahead people can book and which calendar to use.
Handoffs: which requests need your team, and what callers hear about next steps.
Go live on after-hours calls first, then widen the hours once the records look right.

/06

What an AI front desk costs

A front-desk hire means wages, benefits and cover for breaks and time off; a receptionist service usually bills per minute, per call or by monthly plan. NuTalk SMB is $299 USD a month for unlimited AI calls on your own landline through the AiBox (installation $149 USD one time, billed separately). Simultaneous-call capacity, phone numbers, carrier usage and hardware are confirmed for your package, and premium voices may be billed separately. Fair use applies: we review usage above 5,000 minutes a month per line.

Pay as you go starts free for lower call volume.
Start free, with no credit card on file.
Compare options against last month's actual calls and messages, not an average week.

MEASURABLE OPERATIONS

Every conversation becomes an operating record

Nutalk is not just a voice layer. Every call leaves a recording, transcript, summary, and quality score for sales, support, and management.

APPOINTMENTS

Confirmed times and next steps.

CONTROL

Rules by channel, campaign, and tenant.

EVALS

Quality and outcomes per call.

PRICING

Flat plans from $299 USD a month

Pay as you go: starts free
NuTalk SMB: $299 USD/mo + AiBox installation quoted apart
NuTalk Call Center: from $599 USD/mo, through sales

Fair use applies: we review usage above 5,000 minutes a month per line.

See pricing

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is an AI front desk?

An AI agent that handles the phone and messaging side of a front desk: answering calls and WhatsApp, answering questions from your business information, booking appointments and passing requests to your team. NuTalk does this in English and Spanish, on the hours and rules you set.

Is an AI secretary the same as an AI front desk?

It depends on what you need the secretary for. If it's answering the phone, taking messages and keeping the appointment book, yes, that's what NuTalk does on calls and WhatsApp. If you want help with email, documents or your own schedule, look at a personal AI assistant instead.

Can it greet visitors who walk in?

No. NuTalk works on phone calls and WhatsApp. It can answer what visitors ask before they come, like directions, parking and what to bring, but check-in and anything at the counter stay with your staff or a lobby system.

Will an AI front desk replace my receptionist?

That's your decision. You can let it answer every call, or only after hours and routine requests so your receptionist can focus on the people at the desk. If most of your calls need judgment or a live transfer, keep a person on the phones for those.

What happens when a caller needs a person?

The AI follows your handoff rules: it takes the details, tells the caller what you've approved, such as when to expect a callback, and passes the conversation to your team with the transcript and summary.

Do I have to change my phone number?

No. Depending on your line and carrier, forward your current number to NuTalk or connect the NuTalk AiBox to your analog landline, after confirming compatibility. You can also get a new NuTalk number in the dashboard on pay as you go, for example to try the AI on a new ad first.

How much does an AI front desk cost?

NuTalk SMB is $299 USD a month for unlimited AI calls on your own landline through the AiBox (installation $149 USD one time, billed separately); simultaneous-call capacity, phone numbers, carrier usage and hardware are confirmed for your package, and premium voices may be billed separately. Fair use applies: we review usage above 5,000 minutes a month per line. If your volume is low, pay as you go starts free, with no card.

Is NuTalk the same as My AI Front Desk?

No. My AI Front Desk is another company's product, and NuTalk isn't affiliated with it. If you're weighing the two, our My AI Front Desk alternative page compares pricing and features using each company's own pages.

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Get an AI phone number, or put an AI agent on the number you already have

Get an AI phone number: a business line an AI agent answers in English or Spanish. Pick a local area code or forward your current number to it.

Put an AI agent on your line today.

Configure and test your agent. Confirm the lines, capacity and integrations in your selected plan.

Request a demo See pricing

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