AI Receptionist vs. Full-Time Receptionist: How Much Could Your Business Save?

Every call to your business could be a new customer, a new appointment, or a new sale.

But making sure someone is always available to answer the phone can get expensive.

Hiring a full-time receptionist means paying a salary plus payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off, and other employment costs. And even with someone at the front desk, there are still nights, weekends, lunch breaks, sick days, and busy periods when calls can go unanswered.

That’s one reason businesses are turning to AI receptionists.

With Press8’s Preston AI Receptionist now starting at just $49 per month, businesses have another way to make sure their phones get answered—without adding another full-time employee.

How Much Does a Full-Time Employee Really Cost?

The cost of hiring an employee goes well beyond their paycheck.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, wages for office and administrative support employees averaged $25.00 per hour in private industry as of March 2026.

Once benefits are included, the average employer cost for these positions rises to $36.42 per hour.

At 40 hours per week, that can represent tens of thousands of dollars in annual employment costs.

And you’re still generally staffing the phones for only a portion of the 168 hours in a week.

An AI Receptionist Starts at $49 a Month

Preston, Press8’s AI Receptionist, now starts at just $49 per month.

That’s just:

$588 per year.

For businesses that need help answering calls but aren’t ready to add another employee, the difference can be significant.

And Preston doesn’t just take messages.

Depending on your setup, Preston can:

• Answer calls 24/7
• Answer common customer questions
• Capture new customer or lead information
• Schedule appointments
• Transfer calls to your team
• Send callers SMS text messages
• Filter spam and sales calls
• Record, transcribe, and summarize conversations
• Email your team a summary after calls
• Create help desk tickets
• Integrate with business applications and workflows

That means your business can stay responsive even when your employees are busy doing something else.

AI Doesn’t Have to Replace Your Receptionist

For many businesses, the best comparison isn’t AI or a receptionist.

It’s AI plus your existing team.

Your receptionist, office manager, or front-desk staff probably does far more than answer phones. They greet customers, handle paperwork, solve problems, coordinate schedules, and perform countless other tasks throughout the day.

Constantly stopping to answer the phone can pull them away from all of that.

Preston can work alongside your employees by answering calls when your team is busy, after hours, or simply unable to pick up.

Your employees can focus on the customers and work in front of them while Preston makes sure callers aren’t being ignored.

What About After-Hours Calls?

A full-time employee can’t be available 24 hours a day.

Preston can.

If someone calls your business after you’ve closed for the day, they don’t necessarily have to hear:

“Please leave a message after the tone.”

Instead, Preston can answer the call, find out what the customer needs, answer common questions, collect their information, and help with tasks such as scheduling an appointment.

Your team can then receive a summary of the conversation.

Your business may be closed.

Your phones don’t have to be.

What Happens When Everyone Calls at Once?

Even during normal business hours, there are times when your team simply can’t answer every call.

Maybe your receptionist is already on the phone.

Maybe an employee is helping a customer.

Maybe several people call within a few minutes of each other.

And every unanswered call creates another opportunity for someone to hang up and call the next business on Google.

An AI receptionist gives businesses another layer of coverage so fewer callers end up waiting for someone to become available.

Is an AI Receptionist Right for Your Business?

An AI receptionist can make particular sense for businesses that:

• Miss calls while employees are busy
• Receive calls outside normal business hours
• Spend too much staff time answering repetitive questions
• Need help capturing new leads
• Schedule appointments over the phone
• Want phone coverage without hiring another full-time employee
• Want their existing employees to spend less time managing routine calls

It isn’t about removing the human element from your business.

It’s about using AI for the calls and repetitive tasks it can handle so your employees have more time for the work that actually requires a person.

$49 a Month vs. Another Full-Time Hire

For many small and growing businesses, hiring another employee solely to make sure every phone call gets answered simply isn’t practical.

At $49 per month, Preston gives businesses a much more affordable way to expand their phone coverage.

No sick days.

No lunch breaks.

No nights or weekends off.

Just an AI receptionist ready to help answer your customers’ calls 24/7.

Meet Preston, Your AI Receptionist

Never miss another opportunity just because someone couldn’t get to the phone.

Preston starts at just $49 per month and can work alongside your existing team to answer calls, capture leads, schedule appointments, answer customer questions, and keep your business available 24/7.

Hear Preston answer a real customer call and see what an AI receptionist could do for your business.