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Act 01AI receptionist vs IVR

An IVR menu, or an AI receptionist that answers?

An IVR plays a menu and routes the call, but a person still has to pick up. In India, cloud IVR plans start around ₹5,000 a month plus GST. Brand Bakery's AI Receptionist answers the caller itself, books the appointment and logs the call, for ₹10,000 a month after a ₹30,000 setup, with 1,000 minutes. No GST is added.

Request a callbackCompare side by side

An IVR menu

Press 1

then someone still has to pick up

AI Receptionist

₹10,000

a month after a ₹30,000 setup, and it answers the caller itself

Act 02Side by side

Same phone, two ways to answer it

The job: pick up every call, answer the common questions, book the appointment and tell your team who called.

The same call, both ways

A short version of the comparison below.
What you compareAn IVR menuBrand Bakery AI Receptionist
Monthly costFrom ₹5,000 a month billed yearly (MyOperator), or ₹9,999 for five months for three agents (Exotel), plus GST₹10,000 a month after a ₹30,000 setup, with 1,000 minutes, then ₹9 a minute. No GST added
What the caller hearsA recorded menu: press 1 for this, press 2 for thatA voice that says it is an AI assistant, then asks how it can help
Questions about fees, timings or stockRouted to a person, who has to be freeAnswered from the material you approve
BookingsYour staff take them once the call reaches themBooked, moved or cancelled in your calendar during the call
After hours and busy linesVoicemail, a callback request or a missed callAnswered day and night, and on Sundays
RecordsCall logs and recordings in the telephony dashboardEvery call logged with who called and why, sent to your sheet or WhatsApp
SetupYou build the menu and keep the routing up to dateSet up for you, and changed when your hours or prices change

Sources: MyOperator pricing, checked 21 October 2026; Exotel business phone system pricing, checked 21 October 2026. IVR plans as each provider publishes them, before GST. They include more than the menu (numbers, users, call recording), so read the plan before you compare.

Request a callbackHear a sample call

Act 03Honest limits

Where an IVR still fits

An AI receptionist answers every call the same way. Some jobs still belong elsewhere, and we will say so on the call.

Keep these for

  • Large offices that only need calls sent to the right department
  • Call centres where a trained team picks up every routed call within seconds
  • Fixed announcements, such as holiday hours, that never change mid-call

Act 04How it fits

Keep the menu, or drop it

Many businesses keep their number and their IVR for staff extensions, and let the AI Receptionist take the calls that would have rung out: lunch, the evening rush, after closing and Sundays. Others replace the menu entirely, so every caller gets an answer on the first ring. We set it up whichever way you choose.

Act 05Clinics

For clinics and doctors

The AI Receptionist is the only service we offer clinics. It is a flat monthly fee, never tied to patients or bookings. It says it is the clinic's AI assistant at the start of every call, gives no medical advice, and never asks patients for reviews or offers discounts, in line with the NMC guidelines of 6 October 2026.

For clinic owners: AI receptionist for clinics

On a clinic line it

  • Says it is the clinic's AI assistant at the start of every call, and again whenever asked.
  • Announces at the start of every call that it is recorded.
  • Never gives medical advice. Symptoms, medicines and reports go to your doctor or staff; emergencies are pointed to emergency services.
  • Never asks patients for reviews, offers discounts or runs promotional messages, in line with the NMC guidelines of 6 October 2026.
  • Handles patient data under the DPDP Act, with a data processing agreement in your contract.

Act 06Sample call

Hear it on the phone

A staged call with synthetic voices and an invented business, run by the same rules a real one is.

Sample callInboundTamil

Books a home blood test in Tamil

Diagnostic lab · Nalam Diagnostics, Chennai (invented)

A son books a full body checkup at home for his father. The receptionist gives the fasting rule and the price, books the slot, and asks a doctor to call about the report instead of reading results itself.

AI demo call

What it did

  • Recording notice given, introduced itself as an AI
  • Fasting instructions given before booking
  • Price quoted from the lab’s rate card
  • Report explanation passed to the lab doctor
  • Home collection booked: tomorrow 7:00 am
  • Address request and technician details sent on WhatsApp

Voice: Sarvam Bulbul, Ritu. Scripted and synthetic: not a recording, not a real customer.

Transcript AI demo call
  1. Hello, Anna Nagar Nalam Diagnostics-க்கு call பண்ணதுக்கு ரொம்ப thanks. இந்த call record ஆகுது. நான் lab-ஓட AI assistant. உங்களுக்கு எப்படி help பண்ணட்டும்?Hello, thank you for calling Nalam Diagnostics, Anna Nagar. This call is recorded. I am the lab’s AI assistant. How can I help?
  2. என் அப்பாவுக்கு வீட்டுலயே ஒரு full body checkup வேணும்.I want a full body checkup for my father, at home.
  3. சரி, நாங்க samples-அ வீட்லயே collect பண்ணுவோம். Test-க்கு முன்னாடி அவர் பத்து, பன்னிரண்டு மணி நேரம் எதுவும் சாப்பிடக் கூடாது. நாளைக்கு காலைல okay-வா?Sure, we collect samples at home. He should not eat anything for ten to twelve hours before the test. Is tomorrow morning okay?
  4. ஆமா, நாளைக்கு காலைல ஏழு மணிக்கு. இதுக்கு எவ்ளோ cost ஆகும்?Yes, tomorrow at 7 am. How much does it cost?
  5. Full body package-க்கு ரெண்டாயிரத்து நானூறு ரூபாய். Home collection free. ஏழு மணிக்கு book பண்ணட்டுமா?The full body package is ₹2,400, and home collection is free. Shall I book 7 am?
  6. ஆமா. Doctor report-அ explain பண்ண முடியுமா?Yes. Can a doctor explain the report?
  7. Report ஒரு நாள்ல WhatsApp-ல வந்துடும். Medical results-அ நானே explain பண்ண முடியாது. அதனால report ready ஆனதும் எங்க doctor உங்களுக்கு call பண்ண சொல்லியிருக்கேன்.The report comes on WhatsApp within a day. I can’t explain medical results myself, so I’ve asked our doctor to call you once it’s ready.
  8. சரி, good.Okay, good.
  9. நாளைக்கு காலைல ஏழு மணிக்கு book பண்ணிட்டேன். Address-அ WhatsApp-ல அனுப்புங்க; technician-ஓட பேரும் அதுல வரும். ரொம்ப thanks!Booked for 7 am tomorrow. Please send the address on WhatsApp; the technician’s name will come there too. Thank you!

Act 07Questions

Before you decide

What is the difference between an IVR and an AI receptionist?

An IVR is a recorded menu that sends the caller to a person or a voicemail. An AI receptionist holds the conversation: it answers questions from material you approve, books appointments and logs the call, then hands anything it cannot handle to your staff.

How much does an IVR cost in India?

Published cloud telephony plans with IVR start around ₹5,000 a month billed yearly, plus GST, and vary by users, numbers and features. Check each provider's current plan page, as these change.

Can I keep my IVR and add an AI receptionist?

Yes. A common setup keeps the menu for extensions and sends unanswered, busy and after-hours calls to the AI Receptionist, so none of them ends as a missed call.

Will callers know they are talking to an AI?

Yes. Every call starts with the AI saying it is an AI assistant, and a notice that the call is recorded.

Does the AI Receptionist make sales calls?

No. It answers the calls and WhatsApp messages people send you. Calling new leads is the AI sales employee, quoted separately after a call.

20 minutes

Hear it answer your phone

Tell us how your calls are answered today and when they go unanswered. Abhishek maps the setup with you on a 20-minute call.

Request a callbackSee the AI Receptionist