New AI service answers the phone for tradespeople and hairdressers

The company ElevenLabs, known for making computer voices that sound very human, has now created a new service called Reception. It's a kind of digital answering service that uses artificial intelligence to talk to customers on the phone on its own.

The service is intended for small businesses where the phone often goes unanswered because the employee is in the middle of a job. That could be, for example, a plumber in the middle of pipe work or a hairdresser with their hands full.

What the service can do

Reception can answer calls around the clock, answer common questions about the business, book or move appointments in the calendar and then send a text message with confirmation to the customer. The service is built on ElevenLabs' own technology for so-called AI agents, meaning computer programs that can carry out tasks and hold conversations on their own without a human steering everything all the time.

According to ElevenLabs, getting started should be quick. You simply enter your website address, after which the system finds information about prices, services and contact details on its own. The service can speak more than 70 languages and can be connected to calendar programs such as Google Calendar.

Prices and subscriptions

Pricing starts with a 14-day free trial that includes 30 minutes of calls. After that, the cheapest subscription costs $29 a month, equivalent to about DKK 200, and includes 75 minutes of calls. A mid-tier subscription costs $79 with more talk time and three phone numbers, while the most expensive subscription costs $199 a month and can handle ten calls at once. If you use more than what's included, it costs extra per minute.

The service is aimed especially at tradespeople, real estate agents and hair salons, meaning industries where you often have to book appointments. On the other hand, it can't be used in US health clinics because it doesn't meet the strict US rules for protecting patient information.

Uncertain for Danish users

It's still unclear how the service will work for Danish companies. By default, you get a US phone number when you create an account, and there's no public information about whether you can use a Danish number instead. Danish companies considering Reception should therefore contact ElevenLabs directly to find out whether it's possible at all.

Several similar AI services are already on the market, but ElevenLabs has an advantage because the company is already known for making very natural computer voices. With Reception, it packages that technology into a ready-made solution that doesn't require you to be able to program to get started.

What it means for you

If you run a trade business, hair salon or similar where the phone often rings while your hands are full, the service may be worth keeping an eye on. For now, though, you should hold off on creating an account until you've confirmed with ElevenLabs whether you can use a Danish phone number. Write to them and ask directly before you possibly start the free trial.