What does an AI receptionist actually cost?

For a Melbourne small business, the useful question is not just the advertised setup fee. It is the total cost of running the agreed workflow at your call volume, including what happens when a caller needs a person. Compare the same scope across proposals before choosing a provider.

KproApps currently advertises an introductory A$990 setup, including GST, for one business and one agreed reception workflow. That covers the greeting, business FAQs, enquiry capture, a staff handover path, configuration, testing and a handover session. Monthly support, call or AI usage and third-party subscriptions are additional and quoted separately. Calendar or CRM integrations and extra workflows require their own scope. Confirm the offer and written inclusions on the KproApps homepage before committing; this is not an all-inclusive monthly price.

Build a total-cost worksheet

Ask each supplier to complete the same worksheet. Keep one-off charges separate from recurring charges, and note whether each amount includes GST. Do not assume a call-minute allowance is equivalent to a conversation allowance: long calls, transfers and outbound calls can change how usage is billed.

  • Setup: workflow discovery, greeting, business information, configuration and testing.
  • Connections: calendar, CRM, booking platform, telephone routing and any integration subscriptions.
  • Recurring service: support, monitoring, hosting or account management included in the proposal.
  • Usage: included calls or minutes, overage rates and any separate AI or telephony charges.
  • Changes: the cost of adding a service, updating booking rules or expanding to another location.
  • Exit: cancellation terms, number ownership, data export and removal of the service.

A simple planning formula is: first-year cost equals one-off setup and integration charges, plus twelve months of recurring fees, plus estimated usage and any agreed change work. This is a budgeting method, not a quote. Request low, typical and busy-month estimates using your own call records so the assumptions are visible.

Choose a narrow first workflow

A trades business might start with after-hours enquiry capture rather than automatic job scheduling. A salon might start with answers about services and a booking request for staff confirmation. These are illustrative examples, not reported KproApps customer results.

Write down what the receptionist may answer, what it must not promise and who owns an unresolved request. Confirm whether the proposed integration can actually create or change a booking; sending an email to staff is a different capability from a confirmed calendar reservation. Avoid paying for a wider scope until the first workflow has been tested.

Test the handover, not just the greeting

Before launch, use fictional callers and a test calendar. Try an ordinary enquiry, an unclear request, an unavailable appointment, a request outside business hours and a failed connection. Check that a person can take over and that an unsuccessful booking is not presented as confirmed.

Ask what happens during a service outage, who receives failed-call alerts and how your team can temporarily return to its existing phone process. Agree how information is retained and who can access it; do not put customer records or passwords into a sales brief. Clinic workflows need a separately agreed escalation process and should not be treated as ordinary appointment enquiries when urgent or clinical questions arise.

Measure whether the trial is useful

Record a representative baseline before the trial: missed calls, enquiries captured, completed bookings, staff handling time and the number of corrections required. After launch, compare equivalent days and opening hours. Separate genuine enquiries from spam, repeated calls and your own tests.

More answered calls do not automatically mean more sales. Track which enquiries become qualified opportunities and which ultimately become customers. If staff spend extra time correcting records or chasing incomplete requests, include that time in the review. Do not turn a short trial into a guaranteed annual saving.

Prepare a comparable quote request

Bring your opening hours, call-volume estimate, common questions, current phone and booking tools, and the person who will own handovers. State your budget range and the first outcome you want to test. KproApps works from Narre Warren with Melbourne and Australian businesses; feasibility, support and integrations are confirmed for the agreed project.

Download the automation project brief, review automation implementation options or start a project conversation. For a medical practice, use the dedicated clinic receptionist service to discuss staff handover and workflow requirements.