Blog · Business
A receptionist in a UK city costs £1,500–2,500 a month, covers roughly 40 of the week's 168 hours, takes holidays, and can handle one conversation at a time. An AI Chat Agent costs a small fraction of that, covers all 168 hours, and handles unlimited simultaneous conversations. That's the comparison in one paragraph — but it deserves nuance.
Humans win at judgement, empathy in difficult moments, and physical presence. That's why the right architecture isn't either/or: the AI handles volume — the same twenty questions, the routine bookings, the 2 AM enquiry — and hands hot or sensitive conversations to your team live.
Owners who deploy this hybrid report the same pattern: their people stop being interrupted by the phone and start doing the work only people can do, while the agent quietly fills the diary.
The honest conclusion: don't replace your best person. Give them a tireless colleague.