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AI receptionist for barbershops

You're mid-fade. We'll get the phone.

When you can't pick up, it answers in your business's name, asks the service they want and when they would like to come in, books the appointment straight into your calendar through Cal.com, and sends you the job written down. Set up for you, on the number you already have.

Urgent, or it can wait

You can't answer the phone with clippers in your hand, and a missed call is usually someone who books somewhere else that afternoon.

Marked urgent

  • Wanting to be seen today

It takes their number first and tells them it's marking the call urgent. Your email arrives with URGENT in the subject. Anything you add to your own urgent list is treated the same way.

Can wait for your call back

  • A cut later in the week
  • A question about what you offer
  • A group booking for a wedding

These come through as an ordinary lead with the details written down, for when you're off the job.

On price

It won't quote prices or say which barber is free. It gets the service they want and when they'd like to come in, and you confirm it.

A call it might take

A sample call for Eastside Cuts, a made-up barbershop run by Dre. The receptionist's lines follow the rules the real one runs on.

Watch one play out on the homepage

  1. Receptionist

    Thanks for calling Eastside Cuts. Calls are recorded so we get your details right. How can I help?

  2. Caller

    Hey, can I get in for a cut today?

  3. Receptionist

    Let me take your details for Dre. What are you looking to get done?

  4. Caller

    Skin fade and a beard trim.

  5. Receptionist

    Got it. What time would work?

  6. Caller

    Any time after three. Who's free?

  7. Receptionist

    Dre will let you know. What's the best number to reach you?

  8. Caller

    512-555-0182. Marco.

  9. Receptionist

    Thanks. I'm marking this as urgent so Dre sees it first. Anything else?

  10. Caller

    Nope, that's it.

  11. Receptionist

    Thanks for calling Eastside Cuts, have a good day.

What it does on a call

The same five things every time, in the order a good receptionist would. Each line here is one it's told to say.

  1. It picks up in your name

    Every call opens in your business's name, or with a greeting you write, and always with the recording notice, so nobody is surprised by it later.

    The receptionist says: Thanks for calling Eastside Cuts. Calls are recorded so we get your details right. How can I help?

  2. It answers what it can

    Your hours as you publish them, the towns you cover, your services, and up to 15 questions you've answered yourself. Anything else, it says you'll cover when you call back. It never guesses and never quotes a price.

    The receptionist says: Dre will go over that when they call you back.

  3. It asks what you'd ask

    One question at a time, the way a person would. For barbershops: the service they want; when they would like to come in. Then a name, the best number to call back on (read back once), the address, and whether it's urgent.

    The receptionist says: Let me take your details for Dre. What are you looking to get done?

  4. It flags the urgent ones

    If it sounds urgent, it gets the number first, then marks the call urgent so it's the first thing you see. Urgent means things like wanting to be seen today, plus anything you add to the list.

    The receptionist says: Thanks. I'm marking this as urgent so Dre sees it first. Anything else?

  5. It wraps up and sends you the job

    It asks if there's anything else, once, says goodbye and hangs up. When the call ends, the job is emailed to you and saved in your Lead Inbox with the recording.

    The receptionist says: Thanks for calling Eastside Cuts, have a good day.

What lands in your inbox

Every real call becomes a lead, emailed to you and saved in your Lead Inbox. This is the email the call above would send.

From Buildrok Leads

Subject URGENT: Marco needs a callback

Urgent lead

Urgent call taken for you

Eastside Cuts

Marco called and could not reach you, so the receptionist took their details.

Name
Marco
Phone
(512) 555-0182
Service
Skin fade and beard trim
Details
Wants to come in today. Asked who's free.
Best time to call
Today, after 3 PM
Urgent
Yes

Call them back as soon as you can. The recording and transcript are in your leads.

Open in Leads
  1. The subject says if it's urgent

    So the one that can't wait is the one you open first.

  2. Everything you'd write on a job sheet

    Who, where, what's wrong and when to call. Trade questions it asked land in the details.

  3. Tap the number to call back

    It's the number the caller gave, read back to them once on the call.

  4. The recording and transcript

    In your Lead Inbox, if you want to hear exactly what was said.

Its rules for barbershops

On top of never quoting a price and never pretending to be a person, it's told this, word for word.

  • Never say which barber will be free.

What do missed calls cost you?

Put in your own numbers. The ones here are only an example.

$3,033 a month

in work that goes to someone else. About $36,396 a year. The receptionist is $49 a month.

5 calls x 52 weeks / 12 months x 40% x $350

A flat monthly price for the receptionist.

The calls are included, with no per-minute bill. Set up for you.

$49a month

AI Receptionist, everything included

  • 150 minutes of calls a month
  • If you go over, it switches to taking messages. It never bills you for more.
  • Set up for you, and you hear it before it goes live
  • Every lead emailed to you and saved in your Lead Inbox
  • Books appointments into your calendar (via Cal.com)
  • Recording and transcript of every call
  • Keep your number

For a busier line, Receptionist Plus is $99 a month with 400 minutes.

Websites are separate. Done for you from $499, or build your own for $29 a month.

Need a website as well?

We build websites for barbershops too, designed around how your jobs come in. Leads from your site and your receptionist land in the same inbox.

Questions

Something not covered here? Book a demo

What does it ask your callers?

One question at a time: the service they want; when they would like to come in. Then a name, the best number to call back on, where the work is, and whether it's urgent. You can also give it answers to the questions your callers ask most.

What does it treat as urgent?

Wanting to be seen today, plus anything you add to your own list. It takes the caller's number first, then marks the call urgent, so it's the first thing you see.

Will it give my callers advice?

No. Its rules for barbershops include: Never say which barber will be free.

What does it cost?

$49 a month, with 150 minutes of calls. If you go over, it switches to taking messages instead of charging you more, and answers in full again when your minutes reset, on the same date each month. A busier line can have 400 minutes for $99 a month. Setup is included.

Will callers know it's an AI?

It never pretends to be a person. Every call starts by saying the call is recorded, and if a caller asks whether they're talking to a real person, it tells them straight away that it's an AI assistant taking details for you.

Can it book appointments?

Yes. Link your Cal.com account and it offers callers your open slots and books them straight into your calendar. It asks for the caller's email, because Cal.com needs one to make the booking.

Do I keep my phone number?

Yes. You dial one code on your own phone so the calls you miss go to your receptionist, and another code turns it off. Your number never changes.

Are calls recorded?

Yes. Every call starts by telling the caller it's recorded, and you can play the recording and read the transcript from the lead. Rules about recording calls vary by state, and you're responsible for the ones that apply where you work.

Let it get the next one.

Set up for your business, on your number. It rings you so you hear it before it takes a real call.