Sandra H.
New lead07700 900176
Would like a valuation for a flat on Park Road. Available for a callback this afternoon.
Valuation requestCallback
AI receptionist UK
The AI receptionist for small businesses in the UK.
An AI receptionist answers your business phone and holds a real conversation: it answers the caller's questions and takes their details. Sayora is one built for UK small businesses. Sayora picks up the calls you can't, day or night, and sends you each lead by text or email. £49 a month, no contract.
No setup call. No contract. Keep your existing number.
Plain English
What is an AI receptionist?
An AI receptionist is software that answers your business phone and talks to the caller, where a traditional telephone answering service uses a person. You'll also see it called an AI phone receptionist. There's no "press 2 for opening hours": callers say what they need in their own words and get an answer there and then.
Whoever does it, a receptionist has three jobs. Keep them in mind and every provider gets easier to judge.
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Answer
Pick up in your business name and deal with the questions callers ask every day: what you do, where you work and when you’re open.
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Ask
Find out what a good receptionist would: who’s calling, what they need and how to reach them.
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Hand over
Get the details to you so you can ring back, or book the caller in if your calendar is connected.
Sayora does all three for UK small businesses. You keep your existing number and divert the calls you can't pick up. Here's what that looks like day to day.
Answers day and night
While you're busy, after hours, at weekends and on bank holidays. If two people ring at once, both get answered.
Knows your business
Sayora learns your services, areas and hours from your website, and you add answers to the questions callers ask most.
Books into your calendar
With Google Calendar or Cal.com connected and bookings set up, Sayora offers a free slot and books it during the call.
Screens cold sales
Sayora ends calls that are selling to your business or playing a recorded message. Test the screening alongside genuine enquiries to check how Sayora tells them apart.
Sends you the lead
Who called, what they need and how to reach them, by text, email or both when the call ends.
Recorded and transcribed
Every call comes with a recording and transcript, so you can hear exactly what was said before you ring back.
How it works
From ring to lead, in four steps.
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Keep your number
Divert the calls you can't pick up to Sayora, busy or after hours, or send every call there from a mobile. You can also hand out the dedicated UK number Sayora comes with.
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Sayora answers as your business
A real, warm British voice and your business name. Sayora tells new callers it’s AI. No hold music, no "press 2".
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Sayora asks what you'd ask
Name, number and what they need, plus up to three extra details you choose, like a postcode.
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You get the lead by text or email
When the call ends, the summary arrives by text, email or both, with the recording and transcript in your Sayora app.
Your Sayora inbox
Every lead in your pocket
See who rang, what they need and when they're free. Your next conversation starts with the details already in front of you.
- Enquiry details together, sales calls screened out
- Summary, recording and transcript on every call
- One tap calls them straight back
See exactly what the Google Calendar integration accesses, and why. Or browse all integrations.
Sample inbox 01 › 02 ›
Inbox
Good afternoon, Alex
This week 14 Calls 9 Leads 2 Spam
2 openPriority first
Priya Shah
New lead07700 900418
Viewing request for Nelson Street. Thursday morning preferred. Time still to confirm.
Viewing requestFollow up
Person or AI?
AI receptionist, human receptionist or answering service?
All three can answer, ask and hand over. Start with what your callers need to happen next, then look at the hours and the bill. Each one has a job it does best.
Compared on A receptionist you employ A human answering service Sayora (AI)
Who answers A receptionist you employOne person who knows your business A human answering serviceA team handling many clients from a brief Sayora (AI)An AI working from your website and the answers you add
Hours A receptionist you employTheir working hours, with cover to arrange for breaks, holidays and sickness A human answering service24/7 services are available; check the plan you choose Sayora (AI)24/7, included
Judgement and handoff A receptionist you employCan use judgement, fetch a colleague and greet visitors too A human answering serviceA person can handle nuance and may transfer calls, depending on the service Sayora (AI)Works from your business information and instructions; no live call transfer
What reaches you A receptionist you employA message, or the call put through A human answering serviceSMS, email and other delivery options, depending on the provider Sayora (AI)A lead summary by text, email or both when the call ends
What you pay A receptionist you employA wage, plus the costs of employing someone A human answering serviceSubscriptions, per-call or per-minute plans; compare allowances and additional charges Sayora (AI)Flat £49 a month, unlimited minutes under fair use
Best when A receptionist you employCallers and visitors need someone who knows the business, all day A human answering serviceCallers need a person on the line, or a transfer Sayora (AI)Most calls can be answered, booked or dealt with by ringing back
Human-service examples checked 6 September 2026: JAM offers 24/7 answering, transfers and SMS or email messages; Virtually There also offers 24/7 cover. Features and prices depend on the chosen service.
Not sure which side your calls fall on? The human, AI or hybrid worksheet sorts them by call type.
Built for the UK
What makes an AI receptionist right for the UK?
AI receptionists are sold all over the world. If your customers are in the UK, four things are worth checking with any provider: the caller ID it presents, whether callers are told it's AI, how their details are handled, and whether it's built and priced for the UK. Here's how Sayora answers each.
Ofcom compliant
Proper caller ID
Sayora presents compliant UK caller ID on every call. Your business shows up as your business, not an 'unknown number' that gets screened.
No pretending
AI disclosure up front
Sayora tells new callers it's AI, right at the start, then gets on with helping them. A caller Sayora recognises is welcomed back.
Plain English
UK GDPR, spelled out
Call recordings, transcripts and caller details are handled under UK GDPR, with retention and rights written in plain English on our data page.
UK native
Built for how Britain phones
UK numbers with local area codes, clear £ pricing, and a real, warm British voice that greets callers the way Britain expects.
Sayora's price is £49 a month with no VAT added. For the detail on recordings, retention and your callers' rights, read how call data is handled.
What it costs
One price. Everything included.
Sayora is £49 a month: unlimited minutes under fair use, 24/7 cover, a dedicated UK number, lead summaries by text or email, sales-call screening, calendar booking, recordings and transcripts. No setup fee, no per-minute meter, no contract.
When comparing providers, use your expected call count and average call length, then include allowances, overages and setup fees. Our AI receptionist cost guide sets out the different pricing models and worked examples.
Try your real questions
Test the calls your business actually gets.
Build a demo for your business and check all three jobs before diverting customer calls: the answer, the questions and the handover. A useful test includes the ordinary calls and the awkward ones. These are suggested checks, not published test results.
- An everyday enquiry. Ask about a service or opening time you supplied. Check the answer against your business information.
- A question without an answer. Ask for a price or policy you have not provided. Check that Sayora captures the question for you instead of inventing an answer.
- An appointment request. With a calendar connected, check the booking lands in the right slot. Without one, check the enquiry reaches you with enough to arrange a time, and that the caller isn't told it's booked.
- A correction. Change the name, number or preferred time mid-call. Review the summary and recording to see whether the final details are right.
- A request for a person. Sayora has no live transfer. Check that the caller understands the callback arrangement and that the message gives your team enough to respond.
- The follow-up. Give the resulting enquiry to the person who would handle it. Can they identify the caller, understand the request and take the next step without repairing the message?
Keep a record of what happened.
Use the same business brief and test calls for each service you try. Write the expected outcome first, then record the result, any correction and the retest. Use invented caller details and a test calendar.
Download the trial sheet (.txt)Free to copy and adapt. Works with any provider. No signup needed.
Sayora handles inbound calls and doesn't offer live call transfer. Your team remains responsible for following up enquiries. Before going live, check the supported calendars and how call data is handled.
Fair questions
The questions people ask.
What is an AI receptionist?
Software that answers your business phone and holds a conversation with the caller, in place of a person, a phone menu or voicemail. An AI receptionist answers in your business name, finds out who's calling and what they need, answers questions from your business information and passes the details to you. Some, Sayora included, can also book appointments into a connected calendar.
Does an AI receptionist work?
An AI receptionist works best on routine calls: answering common questions, taking a new enquiry and booking an appointment, at any hour. Calls that need negotiation, sensitive judgement or a person on the line are a poor fit. AI can also make mistakes, so ring it yourself with the questions your callers ask before you divert real calls.
Is an AI receptionist right for a small business?
It can be, if your calls involve repeat questions and enquiries someone will follow up. Sayora suits small teams who want calls answered while they're with customers. If callers need negotiation, sensitive judgement or a live transfer to a colleague, choose a service that supports those needs. Sayora handles inbound calls and doesn't offer live call transfer.
Is an AI receptionist worth it?
That depends on what a missed call costs you. If an unanswered call usually means a lost job, compare what those jobs are worth with the monthly fee. Put your own numbers into our missed-call calculator to work it out.
How much does an AI receptionist cost in the UK?
Sayora is £49 a month with no VAT added, with unlimited minutes under fair use and 24/7 cover included. Other AI services use subscriptions, allowances or usage charges, so compare the total at your call volume. Our AI receptionist cost guide works through the bills.
Which AI receptionist is best in the UK?
The one that does your callers' most common job well, whether that's a message, a booking or a transfer, at a bill you can predict. We make Sayora, so we're not neutral. Our comparison of UK AI receptionists sets out published prices and what to check before you choose.
Does Sayora tell callers it's an AI?
Yes. Sayora tells new callers it's AI at the start of the call, then asks what they need. A caller Sayora recognises is welcomed back instead.
Can an AI receptionist book appointments?
Sayora can, once you've connected Google Calendar or Cal.com and chosen what callers can book. Sayora checks your availability, offers a slot and books it during the call. Without a calendar connected, Sayora takes the enquiry and you arrange the time when you ring back.
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. You keep your number exactly as it is and divert calls to Sayora whenever you can't pick up, whether you're busy or it's after hours. From a mobile, you can send every call straight there instead. Sayora also comes with a dedicated UK number you can hand out anywhere.
What if two people ring at once?
Both get answered. Sayora isn't one person with one phone, so the second caller doesn't wait for the first to finish.
What happens if Sayora can't answer a question?
Sayora is instructed to say so when the answer isn't in your business information, and to capture the question for you to follow up. You can review the recording and transcript. AI can make mistakes: test the questions and scenarios that matter to your business before diverting customer calls.
How long does it take to set up?
Minutes. Give Sayora your business name and Sayora builds your receptionist from your website. Ring it to test, free and with no card. When you claim it, your 7-day trial starts and you can divert your calls the same day.
Keep reading
AI receptionist costs
Allowances, usage charges and the total bill at different call volumes.
Compare AI receptionistsUK providers, published prices and the features to check before choosing.
Virtual receptionist optionsHow Sayora works and when a human receptionist may suit you better.
AI answering serviceWhat an AI answering service does, how it differs from a phone menu, and how to switch from a human one.
Hear Sayora answer before you decide.
Build a demo receptionist for your business and try the questions your callers ask. Or ring the demo line for a first listen. Check the answers and the follow-up before you decide.
£49/mo. No contract. Cancel anytime.