Virtual receptionist
A virtual receptionist without the virtual queue.
Sayora is the AI kind: she answers every call herself, first ring, 24/7, trained on your business and nobody else's. No call centre, no per-minute meter, one flat £49 a month.
No contract. Keep your existing number. She tells callers she's AI.
"Virtual receptionist" now means two different things.
For twenty years it meant a person in a call centre answering in your business name. Since conversational AI got good, it increasingly means software doing the same job. Both are real options, and they suit different businesses.
The remote human
A person in a call centre answers in your business name, takes a message, and emails it over. You pay per call or per minute, and the same team handles many businesses at once.
The AI receptionist
Software answers in a natural voice, trained on your business alone. It works around the clock, never queues a caller, and costs a flat monthly price.
What they share
Both exist so you never miss a call without hiring a receptionist. The difference is who answers, how well they know your business, and what a busy month does to the bill.
Human or AI? Depends on the job.
Here's the comparison the brochures skip. If your callers need long, delicate conversations, pay for humans. If you need every call answered instantly, around the clock, by someone who knows your prices, AI wins on every line that follows.
| Human virtual receptionist | Sayora (AI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | A team of operators handling many clients from a brief | One AI receptionist, trained on your business, every call |
| Availability | Office hours by default; 24/7 usually costs extra | 24/7 including bank holidays, as standard |
| Price | Per minute or per call; typically £150–400/mo at real volumes | Flat £49/mo, unlimited minutes |
| Business knowledge | Works from the brief you wrote at onboarding | Reads your website, learns your prices, services and areas |
| Consistency | Depends who picks up | The same receptionist on every call |
| After the call | A message relayed by email or callback | Structured SMS within seconds, plus recording and transcript |
Pricing reflects published UK plans and independent reviews as of June 2026; details and sources are on our provider comparison pages and in the cost guide. If you'd rather start with the basics, read what an AI receptionist is.
Everything a receptionist does. Nothing she forgets.
Answers in your business name
A real, warm British voice that greets callers properly, tells them she’s AI, and gets on with helping.
Handles the receptionist work
Answers questions from your knowledge base, screens cold sales by your policy, and takes complete job details.
Books straight into your diary
She offers slots you actually have free, books mid-call, and texts the customer a confirmation.
Texts you the lead in seconds
Name, number, job, urgency: a structured summary lands on your phone the moment the call ends.
One price. Every month.
Human virtual receptionist services bill by the call or the minute, so the price follows your call volume. At realistic small-business volumes, published UK plans typically land between £150 and £400 a month, and round-the-clock cover is often an add-on.
Sayora is £49 a month flat. Unlimited minutes, 24/7 cover, diary booking, call recordings: all included. A busy month costs exactly what a quiet one does, and there's no contract to escape.
Virtual receptionists, answered.
What is a virtual receptionist?
A virtual receptionist answers your business calls without sitting in your building. Traditionally that meant a person in a call centre working from a script for many clients at once. Increasingly it means an AI receptionist: always available, trained on one business, and a fraction of the price.
Is a virtual receptionist a real person?
It can be either. The established UK services (Moneypenny, AnswerConnect, alldayPA) use human operators. Sayora is AI, and says so at the start of every call. This page compares the two honestly, because they suit different businesses.
How much does a virtual receptionist cost in the UK?
Human virtual receptionist services typically land between £150 and £400 a month at realistic call volumes, billed per call or per minute, with 24/7 cover often extra. Sayora is £49 a month flat with unlimited minutes and round-the-clock cover included.
When is a human receptionist service the better choice?
If your callers routinely need long, sensitive conversations, or your industry expects a person to handle intake from the first hello, a good human service earns its price. Our alternatives pages compare the leading UK providers honestly, trade-offs included.
Can a virtual receptionist book appointments?
Sayora can. She sees your real availability, books the job mid-call, and texts the customer a confirmation. Human services can often book too, though diary access is sometimes a higher tier.
Do I need new equipment or a new number?
No. You keep your number and your phone. You divert calls to Sayora when you can't answer: when busy, after hours, or around the clock. She also comes with her own dedicated UK number if you want one.
Does Sayora sound like a robot?
No. She speaks in a real, warm British voice, asks the questions you would ask, and handles interruptions and tangents the way a person does. She also tells every caller she's AI upfront, and callers get on with it just fine.
Meet the receptionist who never rings out.
Fifteen minutes with Jacob. Hear Sayora take a real call for a business like yours, then decide whether she earns the job.
£49/mo. Unlimited minutes. Cancel anytime.