How an AI receptionist works: phone, WhatsApp and web chat in one
An AI receptionist answers every call, WhatsApp and website chat straight away with one assistant. It asks the questions that matter, books the appointment or hands over to your team with a summary, and everything lands in one place. Keep your number: your team picks up first and Zatio answers when nobody can.
Watch Sofia answer, qualify and book
What you’ll see in the video
- Busy with a customer?
The phone rings and you can’t pick up. Sofia, Zatio’s AI assistant, answers for you, on the phone, WhatsApp and your website chat, with WhatsApp included rather than an add-on.
- Answered. Qualified
An example call: Sofia introduces herself as an AI assistant and asks for the postcode and timescale, one question at a time.
- Every enquiry, an outcome
An appointment booked, a lead qualified or a handover to your team with a summary. In the caller’s language, switching if they do.
- Everything in one place
Every conversation in the same inbox, and you keep your own number.
- Pricing and free trial
All three channels on every plan, from £69 a month excluding VAT.
What it does with each enquiry
It doesn’t matter how the customer gets in touch. The same assistant answers the phone, WhatsApp and your website chat, using your business information and the rules you give it. It introduces itself as an AI assistant at the start of every conversation.
Every enquiry ends in an outcome: an appointment in your diary, a lead scored hot, warm or cold, or a handover to your team with a summary of what was said. It never makes things up: if it doesn’t know, it says so and passes the case to you.
On the phone
It answers, asks one question at a time, books or transfers the call to your team when it should. Calls are transcribed, not recorded.
On WhatsApp
Full conversations, with photos if the customer sends them. WhatsApp is included in every plan, and the Zatio team sets up the number with you in around 5 business days.
In your website chat
Added with one line of code, WordPress included, with your own colour, photo and greeting. Everything lands in the same inbox.
When it answers, and in which language
Under “When Zatio answers” you choose: only when you can’t pick up, out of hours or always. During your hours your phone rings first, for 10 to 40 seconds, and Zatio answers if nobody does. VIP callers can go straight to your team.
It speaks British English, and your customers’ own languages when they need it: Polish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Spanish. If the caller switches language mid-call, Zatio switches too.
What you see in the dashboard
Home shows what your assistant has done. Conversations is the live inbox for all three channels, with Reply myself to step in at any time and Correct this answer to teach it how you would say it. Leads are scored hot, warm or cold, and the Calendar shows what has been booked.
How to set it up, step by step
Give it your website
Zatio reads your site and drafts your assistant: services, area and common questions. You review everything before it goes live. It takes about 10 minutes.
Teach it how you work
In Tell us how you work you fill in nine short sections: services, area, hours, who handles what, what to ask and answers for specific questions.
Test it
Talk to your assistant from your browser or your mobile before any customer hears it, and correct anything you like.
Connect your diary
Zatio books into Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Cal.com or Microsoft Bookings.
Forward your calls
Keep your number: forward all calls, out-of-hours calls or only the ones you miss. During your hours your phone rings first, for 10 to 40 seconds, and Zatio answers if nobody does.
Publish the chat and add WhatsApp
Paste the chat’s line of code into your website and let the Zatio team set up WhatsApp with you.
Checklist before you switch it on
- An up-to-date website: services, area, hours and common questions
- The details to collect before booking or handing over
- Who handles what in your team
- Which diary it books into, and which slots it offers
- When it answers: only when you can’t pick up, out of hours or always
- Which VIP callers always go straight to your team
- How your business name should be pronounced on the phone
Keep reading
How Zatio works
The full product tour: channels, dashboard, diary and integrations.
Plans and prices
From £69 a month excluding VAT, with 400 voice minutes plus WhatsApp and website chat included.
How much does an AI receptionist cost in the UK in 2026?
How much an AI receptionist costs in the UK: plans, minutes and cost per minute.
Questions
What is an AI receptionist?
An AI assistant that answers your calls, WhatsApp and website chat using your business information. It qualifies each enquiry, books the appointment or hands it to your team with a summary, 24/7 or only when you choose.
How long does it take to set up?
About 10 minutes: Zatio reads your website, drafts the assistant and you review it before it goes live. A WhatsApp Business number takes around 5 business days and we handle the paperwork.
Do I have to change my number?
No. You forward calls to your Zatio line: all of them, out of hours, or only when you don’t pick up. During your hours your phone rings first, for 10 to 40 seconds, and Zatio answers if nobody does.
Does it say it’s an AI?
Yes, always. Sofia says she is an AI assistant at the start of every conversation. Data is stored in the EU and calls are transcribed, not recorded.
How much does it cost?
Zatio is £69, £129 or £259 a month excluding VAT, with 400, 1,000 or 2,000 voice minutes plus WhatsApp and website chat included. Month to month, with no minimum term.
Can I try it first?
Yes. Free 14-day trial with no card, including 30 voice minutes and 100 chat conversations. Your phone number and WhatsApp go live when you add your card.
Hear how Zatio would answer your phone
- Keep your number
- No annual commitment
- 60-day guarantee
Rather talk to a person? Book a 20-minute demo.