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AI receptionist or answering service?
An answering service is a team of people who pick up and take a message, which someone at your venue works through later. An AI receptionist answers the question itself: it knows your rooms, your menu and what is free tonight, and it takes the booking while the guest is still on the line.
What each one actually does
| Answering service | Sorino | |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks up | A person in a call centre | Your agent, in your venue's voice |
| What happens next | You get a message to action | The question is answered on the spot |
| Knows your menu and prices | Only what is on their script | Everything in your knowledge base |
| Takes the booking | Rarely | Yes, while the guest is on the line |
| Out of hours | Depends on the plan | Every hour, same answers |
| Email, chat and social | Usually phone only | All four channels, one knowledge base |
| Priced on | Calls or minutes | Per property, from £299 a month |
When an answering service is the right call
If your enquiries are mostly simple, your volume is low and what you want is a human voice on every call, an answering service does that job well and there is no reason to change. Plenty of venues run happily that way.
When an AI receptionist makes more sense
If the same questions come round every day, if bookings are being lost because nobody could get to the phone, or if the enquiries arrive by email and social as much as by phone, then taking a message is the slow way round. The guest does not wait. They book with whoever answers first.
The cost question
Answering services usually charge by the call or the minute, so a busy Friday costs more than a quiet Tuesday. Sorino is priced per property from £299 a month, with the first month free, so a busy week does not change the bill. See how the pricing works.
Common questions
What is the difference between an AI receptionist and an answering service?
An answering service takes a message and passes it back to you. An AI receptionist answers the question itself using your own information, and can take the booking without anyone at the venue picking it up later.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than an answering service?
It is priced differently. Answering services usually charge per call or per minute, so the bill moves with how busy you are. Sorino is priced per property from £299 a month, so a busy week costs the same as a quiet one.
Can an AI receptionist actually take a booking?
Yes. It works from your live availability and the systems you already run, so it can complete the booking on the call rather than passing a message on.
Will guests know they are talking to an AI?
Some will, and a fair number mind. We wrote about the honest evidence on that in do guests mind talking to an AI.
Does it handle email and social too?
Yes. Voice, chat, email and social all run off the same knowledge base, so the answer is the same whichever way the guest gets in touch.
See how Sorino answers for hotels, restaurants and bars.