AI answering service

An AI answering service callers can talk to.

An AI answering service picks up your business calls and holds a real conversation: it answers the caller's questions, takes their details and sends you the lead. Sayora does it in your business name for £49 a month.

Train your receptionist

No setup call. No contract. Keep your existing number.

Phone menu, person or AI

Menus route calls. AI answers them.

"Automated answering" covers two very different things, and a human service is the third option. Here's what each one does when a customer rings.

A phone menu

The caller

Listens to the options and presses a number.

You get

A call routed to whoever is free, or a voicemail if nobody is.

Best when you have people to route calls to.

A human service

The caller

Talks to a receptionist working from your brief.

You get

A message, and on some plans a call put through to you.

Best when callers need a person, or a transfer.

An AI answering service

The caller

Talks to an AI that picks up in your business name and answers their questions.

You get

A lead summary by text or email, and a booking once your calendar is connected and bookings are set up. Some services can also put the call through to you.

Best when most calls can be answered, booked or dealt with by ringing back.

Sayora is an AI answering service, for a flat £49 a month. Sayora can't put a caller through to you, so if your callers need a person on the line, choose a service with call transfer.

A human service is also the better choice when calls are long, sensitive and personal, or your callers expect a person and always will. Our comparison pages say where each human service is strongest, so you can choose on the work rather than the label.

How it works

What happens when Sayora answers.

Calls reach Sayora through an ordinary divert from your existing number. Your phone can ring you first, or on a mobile you can send every call straight to Sayora. From there, a call goes like this.

  1. Answers in your business name

    In a real, warm British voice. Sayora tells new callers it's AI.

  2. Answers their questions

    From your website and the answers you've added. No answer on file? Sayora is instructed to say so and take the details.

  3. Takes the enquiry

    Name, number and what they need, plus any extra details you've asked for. With your calendar connected and bookings set up, Sayora can book them in.

  4. Sends you the lead

    A summary by text, email or both when the call ends, with the recording and transcript in your Sayora app.

Switching services

What changes. What doesn't.

Already paying a human service? Compare the work as well as the price. Here's what moves when AI answers, and what stays where it is.

What changes

  • The bill Per-call or per-minute charges become a flat £49 a month, with unlimited minutes under fair use.
  • Who keeps it accurate You do, up front. A person can make a judgement call when your brief runs out, but Sayora answers from your website and the answers you add, so fill the gaps before you switch.
  • Transfers Sayora can't put a caller through to you. If your current service does, decide whether you still need that before you switch.

What stays the same

  • Your number Same number, same provider. Switching means changing where your divert points, not moving your number.
  • A warm welcome in your name Callers are greeted in your business name, as they are now.
  • Your hours of cover Sayora answers at any hour, so if your current service covers nights, weekends and bank holidays, you keep that cover.

To compare bills at your call volume, use the telephone answering cost guide or the AI receptionist cost guide.

The switch

Switch with a way back. Decide on evidence.

Check your current notice period and who owns your number first. The two subscriptions may overlap for a while: Sayora's 7-day trial starts when you claim your receptionist and add a card.

  1. Build your receptionist

    Built from your website in minutes, with no card and no setup call. Ring it with the questions your callers ask.

  2. Claim it, then fill the gaps

    When you like what you hear, claim your receptionist. Then add your own answers to anything Sayora didn't know, and the details you want from each caller.

  3. Move the divert, keep the old plan

    Point your calls at Sayora while your old service is still under contract, so you can switch back if you need to. Compare the summaries with the messages you get today.

    Use the trial checklist

  4. Cancel the old one

    When the summaries do the job, end the old plan. Sort out any number it gave you first.

Fair questions

AI answering, in plain English.

What is an AI answering service? +

A service where AI answers your business calls instead of a person. You'll also see it called AI call answering or AI phone answering. It holds a conversation with the caller, answers their questions from your business information and takes their details. Sayora does it in your business name, at any hour, and sends you each lead by text, email or both.

Is an automated answering service the same thing? +

Sometimes. "Automated answering" can mean a phone menu that asks callers to press a number, which routes calls but can't answer questions or take the details itself. It can also mean AI that holds a conversation and takes the details, which is what Sayora does.

How is it different from the human service I already pay for? +

Sayora answers with AI from your business information and charges a flat monthly fee, where many human services charge per call or per minute. A person can make judgement calls and, on some plans, put a caller through to you. Sayora can't transfer calls, so compare what happens to the call that needs you.

Can I switch without missing calls? +

Yes. Build and test Sayora while your current service keeps answering, then change where your divert points. Keep the old service until its notice runs out, so you can switch back if you need to.

Will I save money by switching? +

Compare your current bill with what the same calls would cost. Sayora is £49 a month with unlimited minutes under fair use. At low volumes a pay-per-call human plan can cost less, so include setup fees, overage and anything you'd lose before deciding.

What happens to calls the AI can't handle? +

If there's no answer on file, Sayora is instructed to say so and take the caller's details for you to follow up, rather than guess. AI can make mistakes, so test the questions your callers ask and read the summaries and recordings. Sayora doesn't transfer a live call to a person.

Will callers know they're talking to AI? +

Yes. Sayora tells new callers it's AI. A caller Sayora recognises is welcomed back instead, and every call carries the recording notice.

What about my existing number? +

Nothing moves. Your number stays with your provider and you change where the divert points. If your current service gave you one of its own numbers to advertise, ask whether you can keep it or have it forwarded before you cancel.

Is there a contract? +

No. It's month to month, and you can cancel yourself in your Sayora app or by email.

Keep comparing

AI receptionist

The technology explained from scratch.

 Virtual receptionist

What a virtual receptionist does, and the AI version at one flat price.

 Compare AI bills

Allowances, feature tiers and calculated costs at different call volumes.

 Telephone answering service

What an answering service does, and how human and AI services compare.

Try the work before you switch.

Build a receptionist for your business, ring it with your callers' questions, and compare its summaries with the messages you get today.

Train your receptionist

£49/mo. Unlimited minutes. Cancel anytime.