AI receptionist FAQ: the questions every owner asks

The same dozen questions come up in every conversation with a business owner considering an AI receptionist. Straight answers, no hedging.

"Will it sound like a robot?"

No — modern voice synthesis is natural enough that callers routinely don't notice anything unusual, especially when the conversation is useful. It pauses naturally, handles interruptions, and doesn't sound like satnav. But it does say it's an AI — deliberately.

"What if it gets asked something it doesn't know?"

It says so and takes details: "I want to make sure you get the right answer — let me take your number and Sam will call you back." It's instructed never to improvise facts. The knowledge base is your truth; anything outside it goes to humans.

"Can it transfer to me?"

Yes — set a handoff number and the call transfers live when a caller needs a human (or asks outright). No number set? It takes a prioritised message instead. You choose the escalation policy.

"What about angry or upset callers?"

It stays calm — AI doesn't take things personally — and moves to capture-and-escalate fast. A ranting caller gets "let me get Sam to call you about this right away" plus a flagged message to you. For anything emotionally sensitive, handoff is the design answer.

"Can it do cold calls / outbound sales?"

No — deliberately. Agentric is inbound-only: it answers calls and chats that come to you. No unsolicited outbound, which keeps you well clear of PECR direct-marketing rules.

"What happens in an emergency?"

You define the rules: "no heating + winter = escalate to my mobile", "gas smell = advise 0800 111 999 and escalate". Emergencies get the escalation path you configure, not a generic message.

"Does it work with my existing number?"

Yes — conditional call forwarding ("when busy / unanswered") is the common pattern, taking seconds to set up with dial codes. Or forward all calls, port the number, or take a new local number from us.

"What if it books a bad slot?"

It can't — it only offers slots verified against your hours, existing bookings and Google Calendar busy time, with lead time you control. And every booking can be review-first (approve from the dashboard) if you prefer.

"How do I know it's working?"

Every call and chat produces a transcript, a summary, and a booking or enquiry record — visible in the dashboard with counts of calls answered, chats handled, bookings made. Try it yourself anytime from the test console.

"What does it cost?"

Free plan for web chat on your landing page; phone receptionist from £29/month — typically less than the value of a single recovered booking.