A virtual receptionist is a real person — usually part of a remote team — answering your calls under your business name and taking messages. It's a big step up from voicemail. An AI receptionist answers the same calls, but around the clock, at a flat price, and it books the job itself. Here's an honest look at how the two compare for Australian small businesses.
Virtual receptionist services earned their place: they rescued small businesses from voicemail long before AI could hold a conversation. If you want a human voice at any price, they still deliver that. But most of what a virtual receptionist does — answer, reassure, capture, message — an AI receptionist now does 24/7, without per-call fees, and it goes further by booking the job and chasing the paperwork. AIssie is built in Perth and answers its own phones: call (08) 6800 4000 and judge for yourself.
A virtual receptionist is a real person working remotely — usually in a shared team — who answers calls in your business name, takes messages and transfers calls. You pay a base fee plus per-call or per-minute rates.
Australian virtual receptionist services commonly run $30–$100+ per month in base fees plus roughly $2.50–$4 per call, so 100–200 calls a month can easily reach $300–$700. AIssie is a flat $199/month with 200 minutes of talk time included.
Better at coverage, consistency and price: 24/7 answering, unlimited simultaneous calls, real answers about your business, and live calendar booking at a flat rate. A human service is better when you specifically want a person on the line. Many businesses try both — AIssie has a free trial, so the comparison costs nothing.
AIssie is built in Perth and serves businesses Australia-wide. It answers in natural Australian English, knows WA business hours and time zones, and handles east-coast callers just as well — there's no per-call charge wherever your customers are.