Aroha AI

12 questions to ask before you choose an AI receptionist

A plain checklist for comparing AI receptionists and answering services: booking, urgent calls, your number, texting, privacy, pricing and what happens when it gets something wrong.

Most AI receptionists sound good in a demo. The differences show up on a Tuesday afternoon when a real customer rings with a real problem. These are the questions that separate them. Ask every provider, including us.

On the call

  • Does it book into my real calendar while the caller is still on the line, or only take a message?
  • Does it know my trade? A plumber, a salon and a dental clinic need very different questions asked.
  • Can I read and change everything it is told? If you cannot see the instructions, you cannot fix what it says.
  • Does it recognise returning customers and greet them by name?

When it matters

  • What happens with an urgent call? Does it reach me by text, ring me if I do not reply, and tell the caller my answer?
  • Can it put a caller through to me when I want it to, and take a message when I do not answer?
  • What does it do when it does not know the answer? It should say so and take the details, not make something up.

Your number and your customers

  • Can I keep my current number and forward only the calls I miss? Moving your number or getting a new one should be a choice, not a requirement.
  • Does it text the caller a confirmation and me a summary with the recording?
  • Where do my customers' details live, and can I export them?

Money

  • Is it priced per minute, per call, or as a monthly plan, and what happens when I go over? Our guide to what an AI receptionist costs shows how to compare.
  • Is there a contract, and can I try it before I pay?

One more: can it show me what it got wrong?

Every receptionist makes mistakes. The useful ones tell you. Ask whether you can see calls that could have gone better, and whether the fix is a sentence you change or a support ticket you wait on. Aroha scores every call and shows the ones worth a look each week, with the one change that would fix most of them.

If you want the longer comparison between an AI receptionist and a traditional answering service, read AI receptionist or answering service?. To see how Aroha answers each of these, the features page goes through them one by one.

Questions

Will my customers know it is an AI?

If they ask, a good receptionist tells them. Most callers care more that someone picked up, understood the problem and booked them in.

How long does setup take?

With Aroha, about ten minutes to a receptionist you can ring in your browser. Going live on a phone number depends on whether you forward your own number or take a new one.