Hiring a front desk receptionist in 2026 costs a small business between $35,000 and $55,000 per year — and that covers only business hours. For nights, weekends, and holidays, businesses either pay for an answering service or leave calls going to voicemail. Emma by Workky changes the economics entirely.
What is an AI Receptionist for Business?
An AI receptionist for business — like Emma — is a voice-based AI agent that answers inbound phone calls, handles structured conversations, collects information, and takes action (like booking an appointment) without any human involvement. Unlike a chatbot on a website, Emma handles real phone calls with real callers, in real time.
The Workky AI receptionist platform is built for businesses where phone calls are the primary source of new client relationships: law firms, real estate agencies, home services, salons, and any appointment-based service business. Medical offices, dental practices and pharmacies join once our health-privacy agreement (BAA) is signed.
Why Businesses Are Moving to AI Receptionists
- 24/7 availability — Emma answers at 2am on a Sunday as reliably as 10am on a Monday
- Zero hold times — every caller is answered within one ring
- Consistent quality — Emma follows the same intake script every time, with no bad days
- Scalable — Emma answers several calls at the same time: up to 4, 10 or 20 depending on your plan, and 40 or more on Enterprise
- No HR overhead — no sick days, no turnover, no training cycles
- Complete records — every call is transcribed and logged automatically
How Emma Compares to a Human Receptionist
A human receptionist is excellent at nuanced relationship-building — and Emma is not trying to replace that. What Emma replaces is the routine, repetitive call-handling work: answering the same questions, collecting the same intake details, booking the same types of appointments. Emma handles all of that automatically, so your human team can focus on higher-value work.
Industries Emma Serves
Law Firms
Emma handles legal intake for personal injury, family law, immigration, criminal defense and estate planning firms — collecting firm-directed case details, qualifying leads, and booking consultations 24/7. Workky's default Emma script begins with AI disclosure; customers control the final script/configuration and remain responsible for required notices and consent.
Pharmacies
Emma is built to take prescription refill call-backs, answer patient questions, and book pharmacist consultations — reducing hold times and freeing pharmacy staff for direct patient care.
Emma for pharmacies opens once our health-privacy agreement (BAA) is signed. Talk to us to get on the list.
Medical & Dental Offices
Emma is built to handle new patient intake, appointment scheduling, and after-hours calls for medical and dental practices — capturing every patient inquiry even when the office is closed.
Emma for medical and dental practices opens once our health-privacy agreement (BAA) is signed. Talk to us to get on the list.
Real Estate
Emma qualifies buyer and seller inquiries, collects property details, and books showing appointments for real estate agents who can't be available around the clock.
Getting Started With the Workky AI Receptionist
You set Emma up yourself in Workky: sign up, let Workky read your website, check what Emma knows, connect your calendar and forward your calls. Your free week starts when setup is done.
Ready to see Emma in action for your business?