What is an AI receptionist?
Last updated · Mars Network Services, Tampa Bay and Palm Coast, FL
An AI receptionist answers your business phone with a natural-sounding voice, any hour of the day. It answers routine questions from facts you approve, takes messages, books appointments, texts your team, and transfers the caller to a person when it should. A good one tells every caller it is an AI.
Mara does all of that on the phone, and she can also greet walk-ins at a countertop kiosk in your lobby, with a face, so the front door is covered too.
How a call works with Mara
- The phone rings. Mara answers in your business's name and says she is an AI assistant.
- The caller asks a question. Mara answers from the facts you approved: hours, services, service area, policies.
- If they want an appointment, Mara checks your calendar and books it, then sends a text confirmation (Phone Plus and up).
- If they need a person, Mara transfers the call live or takes a message, based on your rules.
- Your team gets a text with the caller's name, number and reason, so nobody has to listen to a voicemail.
What it should not do
- Guess. If the answer isn't in the facts you approved, she takes a message or gets a person.
- Pretend to be human. Mara says she is an AI, every time.
- Make promises you didn't approve, like prices, discounts or dates.
- Be your emergency line. Mara is a receptionist, not a dispatcher.
AI receptionist, answering service or voicemail?
| Voicemail | Live answering service | AI receptionist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answers every call | No | Yes | Yes |
| Books into your calendar | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Knows your business | No | From a script | From your approved facts |
| Billing | Free | Usually per minute | Usually a flat monthly |
| Nights and weekends | Message only | Usually extra | Included |
Phone only, or a kiosk too?
If customers mostly call, phone-only Mara is enough: nothing to install, month to month, from $199 a month. If people walk in, a countertop kiosk lets Mara greet them, check them in and text the right person, from $449 a month with the kiosk included. The phone, the kiosk and your website chat can all run on the same Mara, with one set of approved answers.
Questions
Will callers know they are talking to an AI?
Yes. Mara says she is an AI assistant at the start of every call and every kiosk visit. Callers are also told the call is recorded.
What if a caller asks something she doesn't know?
She doesn't guess. She takes a message with the details or transfers the caller to a person, based on the rules you set.
Can an AI receptionist book appointments?
Mara can, on Phone Plus, Phone Pro, Front Office and Everywhere. She books into your Microsoft 365 or Google calendar and sends a text confirmation.
Can it transfer calls to my staff?
Yes. Every Mara phone plan transfers live calls to the person you choose.
Does it speak Spanish?
Yes. Every lobby plan is English and Spanish, and on the phone Spanish is included in Phone Pro.
Does it replace my receptionist?
It covers the desk when nobody is there and takes the routine load off when someone is. Most owners use Mara for after hours, overflow and the front door.