--- title: "AI Receptionist for Phone and WhatsApp, 24/7 | Natalia" description: "AI receptionist that answers, routes and transfers your calls and replies on WhatsApp 24/7. No on-site reception, no calendar. From €99/month excl. VAT." url: https://getnatalia.com/en/ai-receptionist lang: en --- # AI receptionist: your front desk on the phone and on WhatsApp, 24/7 Natalia answers your customers' calls, understands what they need, handles common questions and transfers to the right person with the context. If the caller would rather type, the conversation carries on over WhatsApp. On-site visitors and the executive's calendar stay outside its scope. [Book a demo](https://getnatalia.com/en/contact) [See pricing](https://getnatalia.com/en/pricing) **24/7** on the phone and on WhatsApp **€0** setup fee **48 h** to pilot on your calls ## What is an AI receptionist? An AI receptionist, also called a virtual receptionist or AI front desk agent, is a voice agent that answers the company phone in place of a front desk person and handles routine requests on its own. It greets the caller, understands the request in natural language, answers simple questions, then transfers the call to the right team or takes a complete message. At Natalia, the same agent also replies on the company's WhatsApp number. It suits companies whose front desk is swamped at peak times, or that have nobody to answer in the evening and at weekends. It does not replace in-person reception: it does not greet visitors and does not manage the executive's calendar or inbox. Published October 22, 2026. Updated October 22, 2026. ## What the AI receptionist does, and what it doesn't Its scope is greeting your customers on the phone and on WhatsApp. The rest of the front desk job stays with you. ### What it does - Answer inbound calls at any hour, including when several customers call at once - Understand the request and answer common questions from your information: opening hours, address, services, documents - Transfer the call to the right person or number, with a summary of the conversation - Take a complete message and alert the right person by email, SMS or WhatsApp - Carry the conversation over to WhatsApp when the caller would rather type - Log the request in your CRM or business tool, if it has an API ### What it doesn't do - Greet visitors on site: no kiosk, no badges, no visitor log - Manage the executive's calendar, inbox or personal tasks - Act as an internal executive assistant - Create content: no posts, no visuals, no articles - Settle a sensitive complaint or a negotiation: it hands over to someone on your team For calendar management and executive support, a personal assistant or a dedicated person is still the right choice. Natalia focuses on what your customers ask you on the phone and on WhatsApp. ## A call with the AI receptionist, step by step 1. 1 ### It picks up The caller hears the first message you wrote, in the voice chosen in the console. No keypad menu. 2. 2 ### It listens and asks The caller explains in their own words. It asks what matters: name, reason, urgency, callback number. 3. 3 ### It answers or routes Common question: it answers. Request for a team: it transfers the call to the right number, or offers to continue on WhatsApp. 4. 4 ### Your team gets the request Summary, transcript and recording are in the console. The right person is alerted by email, SMS or WhatsApp. ## The front desk tasks it takes on The ones that keep a receptionist busy all day, on the phone and on WhatsApp. - ### Answer without a wait At peak times, every call is picked up instead of ringing out. The plan puts no limit on simultaneous calls. - ### Route to the right team Sales, after-sales, accounts, on-call: you describe who does what, it transfers based on the request and your hours. - ### Take messages When nobody is available, it notes who called, why and when to call back, then alerts the person concerned. - ### Reply on WhatsApp The same agent replies on the WhatsApp number Natalia provides, with no Meta account to create. A call can move to WhatsApp without the customer repeating the request. - ### Cover evenings and weekends After hours, it takes requests and passes them on. The next morning, the console's Home shows what it handled. - ### Keep you in control From the console, you can take over a call in progress: the agent stops and transfers the call to the number you chose. ## Receptionist, voicemail or IVR, AI receptionist: what's the difference? Three ways to run a phone front desk. Each has its place. Receptionist, voicemail or IVR, AI receptionist: what's the difference? | Criterion | Receptionist | Voicemail or IVR | Natalia AI receptionist | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Availability | Working hours | 24/7 | 24/7 | | Several calls at once | One call at a time | Queue or voicemail | Yes, no limit in the plan | | Understands the request | Yes | No: keypad or recorded message | Yes, in natural language | | Answers common questions | Yes | No | Yes, from your information | | Transfers with context | Yes | No | Yes, with a summary | | WhatsApp | Depends on your setup | No | Yes, same agent | | Greets visitors on site | Yes | No | No | | Sensitive complaint, negotiation | Yes | No | No: transfer to a person | The AI receptionist does not replace the person who greets visitors on site. It takes the calls that person cannot take, and the ones that come in when nobody is there. ## Which businesses is it for? Wherever the phone rings while the team is busy elsewhere. - ### Real estate agency Calls from buyers and tenants during viewings, requests passed to the right agent. - ### Accountants Client questions in tax season, messages for the right colleague. - ### Home renovation Quote requests taken while you're on site, with the address and the job. - ### Insurance Routing between claims, policies and sales, without a keypad menu. - ### Restaurants The phone answered mid-service: the request is noted and passed on, without replacing your booking tool. - ### Travel and tourism Travellers' questions at any hour, in French or English. ## How much does an AI receptionist cost? Natalia's public prices, excluding VAT, with no setup fee. Voice agent, Essential plan €99 excl. VAT/month 700 minutes of conversation (about 350 two-minute calls), 1 number, unlimited simultaneous calls, 20 WhatsApp handoffs included. Chat agent, Essential plan €49 excl. VAT/month For written reception on WhatsApp: 50 WhatsApp conversations included, then €0.30 per conversation. Setup €0 No installation fee. 12% off with an annual commitment. Public prices excluding VAT, checked on October 22, 2026. Beyond the Voice plan: €0.20 per minute. Pro (€249) and Enterprise (€499) plans for higher volumes. [See plan details](https://getnatalia.com/en/pricing) ## Setup: a pilot on your calls within 48 hours 1. 1 ### Your number You keep your usual number and forward it to the agent, or Natalia provides one. No change of phone carrier. 2. 2 ### Its instructions You write its first message and instructions, pick its voice and say who to transfer to for each kind of request. 3. 3 ### The pilot You try it in the console, then on real calls. You widen its scope once you're happy with the results. ## AI receptionist FAQ ### Can an AI receptionist replace a front desk person? It takes over the phone and WhatsApp part of the job: answering, routing, handling common questions and taking messages, at any hour. It does not replace in-person visitor reception or executive support. Sensitive cases go to someone on your team, with the context of the call. ### How much does an AI receptionist cost? At Natalia, the voice agent starts at €99 excluding VAT per month with 700 minutes of conversation and 1 number, with no setup fee. WhatsApp-only reception starts at €49 excluding VAT per month with the Chat agent. These are the public prices as of October 22, 2026. ### Can I keep my phone number? Yes. With “Garder mon numéro” (Keep my number), your customers still call your usual number, which you forward to the agent. You can also ask for a new number reserved for the agent. ### What happens when a request is beyond the AI? It transfers the call to the person or number you set, with a summary, so the caller does not have to repeat themselves. When nobody can take the call, for example after hours, it takes a complete message and alerts the right person. From the console, you can also take over a call in progress. ### Does the caller know they are talking to an AI? You write the agent's first message in the console: it can introduce itself as your company's AI assistant from the start of the call. We recommend saying so clearly. ### Which languages does the AI receptionist speak? French and English. Other languages can be added to fit your needs. ### Can it book appointments? It collects your customer's appointment request and passes it to your team, or logs it in your booking tool if that tool has an API. It does not manage the executive's personal calendar. ### How is this different from automated phone reception? The technology is the same. This page describes the role: what the AI receptionist takes on and what it leaves to your team. Our automated phone reception guide compares a classic switchboard, IVR, outsourcing and AI in detail. ### What happens to the conversations? Every call is transcribed and recorded, then available in the console with its summary. AI processing is entrusted to specialised subprocessors, under contract (DPA, GDPR Article 28). ## Learn more - ### AI secretary Phone and WhatsApp secretarial cover for small businesses: messages, callbacks, urgent calls - ### Automated phone reception guide Classic switchboard, IVR, outsourcing or AI: the detailed comparison - ### AI voice assistant Everything the Natalia voice agent does - ### AI WhatsApp agent Answer your customers on WhatsApp, 24/7 - ### Pricing Voice, Chat, Mail and Analytics plans ## Try the AI receptionist on your calls A 30-minute demo on your cases, then a pilot on your real calls within 48 hours. [Book a demo](https://getnatalia.com/en/contact)