Your phone rings first
Run it only when you miss a call or after hours. During the day your phone rings as usual, and Operator picks up only if you do not.
The virtual receptionist that answers, books and takes the deposit
A virtual receptionist should do more than take messages. Operator answers your phone in a natural voice, answers questions, books appointments on your calendar and collects the deposit, for a monthly plan instead of a receptionist’s salary.
Free for 14 days · no card to start · keep your number
On the phone
A booking made while you were with a customer
The questions come from the question set for your trade. You decide which ones matter for your prices.
- CallerHi, do you have anything open on Friday afternoon?
- OperatorLet me check. Which service are you looking for?
- CallerA first appointment. I have not been in before.
- OperatorWelcome. Can I get your name? I will text the booking link to the number you are calling from.
- CallerSam. That number works.
- OperatorThanks, Sam. I'm texting you a link with the times open on Friday. Pick one and it's booked.
Built for small businesses
What a virtual receptionist should do for a small business
A virtual receptionist service answers your calls for you. Operator is an AI virtual receptionist that also books the appointment, so the call ends as a booking instead of a message.
Answers like your front desk
Your hours, your services, your location, your policies. Operator answers from what you tell it, in a natural voice, and never invents an answer.
Books appointments itself
It offers times from your hours and your calendar, including events already on it, and texts the caller a link to confirm.
A deposit locks the job
The customer pays a deposit you set, straight to your own Stripe account. Tire-kickers drop off, and a no-show costs them, not you.
Remembers every customer
Callers are saved as contacts with their history, so a returning customer is recognised and their earlier conversations are one tap away.
Hand it off with one tap
Watch a call come in live and take it on your own phone during your hours. After hours the recording and summary wait in your inbox.
Answering service vs Operator
Virtual receptionist, answering service or AI receptionist?
A virtual front desk, not a message pad
Most virtual receptionist services are people in a call centre who answer with your business name and take a message. That keeps the caller from reaching voicemail, but the work still lands on you. Operator acts as your virtual front desk: it answers the question, finds a time on your calendar and sends the caller a link to book and pay, so you come back to appointments, not a list of callbacks.
Every call, at the same time
A human receptionist can take one call at a time and goes home at the end of the day. Operator answers several calls at the same time, around the clock, and never puts anyone on hold. During your business hours, one tap puts a caller straight through to you when a person is needed. After hours, every call waits in your inbox with the recording and a short summary.
Priced like software
A live virtual receptionist usually costs a monthly fee plus a charge per minute or per call, and the bill rises with your busiest months. Operator is a monthly plan with credits included and no booking fee. See our guide comparing answering service, virtual receptionist and AI receptionist costs, with each provider’s own pricing linked.
You pay for what it answers
There is no per-message fee and no booking fee. Each plan includes monthly credits, and a minute of answered call is 25 credits, where one credit is one cent. If the credits ever run out, calls ring your own phone the way they did before. The line never goes dead.
A message is not a booking
Compare the steps an enquiry needs. Answering-service and bot capabilities vary by provider and plan; check the specific workflow before choosing.
| Operator | Live answering service | Voicemail | Message-taking bots | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answers the call | ||||
| Sounds like a person | ||||
| Answers questions | From a script | |||
| Captures the lead | Takes a message | |||
| Quotes a real price | Depends on provider | Depends on provider | ||
| Holds a time | Sometimes | |||
| Takes a deposit | Depends on provider | Depends on provider |
Pricing
Start free. Pick a plan when it answers.
Three plans, no contract. Try Operator free for 14 days; the card is asked for only when you claim your number, and nothing is charged until the trial ends.
Starter
For a solo business or a small shop.
$49
per month · no booking fee
About 200 minutesof answered calls per month, or 500 conversations5,000 credits per month
Start your free trialPro
For a shop whose phone rings all day.
$129
per month · no booking fee
About 600 minutesof answered calls per month, or 1,500 conversations15,000 credits per month
Start your free trialScale
For a busy team, open to close.
$299
per month · no booking fee
About 1,600 minutesof answered calls per month, or 4,000 conversations40,000 credits per month
Start your free trial14-day free trial, card only when you claim your number · switch or cancel anytime
Calls you get a day6
130+
Starter
$49
5,000 credits
Pro
$129
15,000 credits
Scale
$299
40,000 credits
6 calls a day fits Pro. Answering them uses about 9,900 of its 15,000 monthly credits.
6 calls × 3 minutes × 22 working days × 25 credits a minute. Voice only: chats and texts use the same balance.
Questions from small businesses
What is a virtual receptionist?
A virtual receptionist answers your business calls remotely, so customers reach someone instead of voicemail. Many are people in a call centre who take messages. Operator is an AI virtual receptionist that answers questions, books appointments and takes deposits itself.
Can it transfer calls to me?
Yes, during your business hours. When a caller needs you, one tap on the live call puts them straight through to your own phone. Outside your hours the call is recorded and summarised in your inbox instead.
Will it quote prices over the phone?
No. Operator never says a price on a call. The caller gets a text link where the price is built from your own rates, so every quote matches what you charge and nothing is invented.
Can I keep my business number?
Yes. Forward your existing number to Operator all day or only when you do not pick up. Or use the business line Operator gives you.
What does a call look like in my inbox?
Each call arrives as a conversation with the recording, a short summary, the caller’s number and the answers they gave. If they booked, the time is on your calendar and the deposit is in your Stripe account.
Does it work in Canada?
Yes. Operator works for small businesses in Canada and the United States, in your own currency.
How much does it cost?
Operator is free for 14 days with no card to start. Plans start at $49 a month on Starter, which covers up to about 200 answered minutes. There is no booking fee on any plan.
Let Operator be your front desk
Set up takes 5 minutes. Keep your current number.