# How does an AI receptionist work for a small business?

- Canonical: https://hellofig.io/answers/ai-receptionist-for-small-business
- Updated: 2026-11-13
- All answers: https://hellofig.io/answers.md
- About Fig: https://hellofig.io/personal.md

**In short.** An AI receptionist answers your business phone and messages around the clock. It answers questions from your own information, such as hours, services, prices and policies, books appointments into open slots in your calendar, takes messages, and reaches you or your on-call person when something is urgent. Every call is logged with a summary.

## What an AI receptionist handles

| Call type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Questions | Answers from your hours, services, prices and policies. |
| Bookings | Books, reschedules and confirms appointments in your calendar. |
| New customers | Collects details and follows up by text or email. |
| Messages | Takes a message and sends you a summary. |
| Urgent calls | Pages you or the on-call person during the call, with the details. |

## Why it pays for a small business

A missed call is often a missed customer. An AI receptionist answers every call, including after hours and during busy periods, and books the work while the caller is still on the line.

## How Fig sets it up

With Fig Agent, you give the agent a voice, a phone number and your business information, connect your calendar, and set what it may do on its own and what needs you. The same agent can also answer in WhatsApp and Telegram.

## Questions

### Should callers know it is an AI?

Yes. You set how the receptionist introduces itself, and we recommend it tells callers they are speaking with an AI.

### Can it reach me for urgent calls?

Yes. It pages you or the on-call person during the call, with the caller's details and the problem.

### Does it work after hours?

Yes, around the clock, every day.