The Real Cost of Having Your Receptionist Answer Inquiries 24/7
Complete cost analysis of hiring receptionists for round-the-clock inquiry handling vs. AI automation. The numbers don't lie.
“We’d need to hire another person just for WhatsApp.”
We hear that constantly from SMB owners. And they’re right—the volume of inquiries via WhatsApp, email, and social media is overwhelming.
But how much would it REALLY cost to have someone available to handle those inquiries 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
Let’s do the math. Then let’s compare it with automation.
Scenario 1: Extended business hours (8AM - 10PM)
Many businesses receive inquiries from early morning until late at night. Let’s say you want coverage from 8AM to 10PM (14 hours daily), 7 days a week.
Staff needed:
- 2 full-time receptionists (7-hour shifts each)
- Shift 1: 8AM - 3PM
- Shift 2: 3PM - 10PM
Monthly costs (US, 2025):
Gross salaries:
- 2 receptionists × $2,200/month = $4,400/month
Payroll taxes & benefits (25% approximately):
- $4,400 × 0.25 = $1,100/month
Other costs:
- Workspace and equipment: $300/month
- Initial and ongoing training: $150/month (averaged)
- Payroll management: $75/month
MONTHLY TOTAL: $6,025/month
ANNUAL TOTAL: $72,300/year
And that only covers 14 hours a day. What about inquiries that arrive between 10PM and 8AM? Lost.
Scenario 2: True 24/7 coverage
For real 24/7 attention, you need:
Staff needed:
- 3-4 receptionists (rotating shifts)
- 8-hour shifts
- Weekend and holiday coverage
- Backup staff for vacations/sick days
Monthly costs:
Gross salaries:
- 3.5 receptionists (average) × $2,200 = $7,700/month
Payroll taxes & benefits:
- $7,700 × 0.25 = $1,925/month
Other costs:
- 24/7 space and equipment: $600/month
- Night shift differential (30%): $1,100/month
- Management and coordination: $450/month
MONTHLY TOTAL: $11,775/month
ANNUAL TOTAL: $141,300/year
Scenario 3: The hidden opportunity cost
But wait, there are more costs that don’t appear on payroll:
1. Inconsistency in responses
A tired receptionist at 9PM doesn’t give the same quality as a fresh one at 9AM.
Estimated cost in lost customers: 5-10% of conversions
- If you generate $75,000/year in sales from inquiries
- Loss: $3,750 - $7,500/year
2. Management time
Someone has to:
- Make rotating schedules: 2 hours/week
- Manage absences: 1 hour/week
- Resolve conflicts: 1 hour/week
- Train and supervise: 2 hours/week
If your time is worth $40/hour:
- 6 hours/week × $40 × 52 weeks = $12,480/year
3. Staff turnover
Reception positions have high turnover (30-50% annually):
- Recruitment cost: $750/position
- Training cost: $1,200/position
- Productivity loss during transition: $1,800/position
With 1-2 turnovers per year:
- $3,750 - $7,500/year additional
4. Limited scalability
What happens in high season when you receive double the inquiries?
- Hire temporary: $3,000 - $4,500/month for each month of high season
The REAL total cost
Adding everything for 24/7 coverage:
| Concept | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Salaries and taxes | $141,300 |
| Inconsistency (lost sales) | $5,625 (average) |
| Management time | $12,480 |
| Turnover | $5,625 (average) |
| High season (3 months) | $10,500 |
| TOTAL | $175,530/year |
Or $14,627/month on average.
And you still have:
- Human errors
- Sick days
- Vacations
- Inconsistency in tone and messages
The alternative: AI Agent
Now, let’s compare with an AI agent like Guiaria:
Monthly costs:
- Service subscription: $59 - $249/month (depending on volume)
- Initial setup: $0 (self-service)
- Maintenance: 1 hour/month of your time
MONTHLY TOTAL: $59 - $249/month
ANNUAL TOTAL: $708 - $2,988/year
What you get:
✅ Real 24/7 availability - Never sleeps, never gets sick
✅ Perfect consistency - Same quality at 3AM as at 3PM
✅ Instant response - 0 seconds wait time
✅ Multichannel - WhatsApp, web, email, all centralized
✅ Infinite scalability - 10 or 1,000 simultaneous inquiries, same price
✅ Analytics included - Know exactly what your customers ask
✅ Zero personnel management - Set up once, works forever
ROI analysis
| Metric | 24/7 Receptionists | AI Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | $175,530 | $1,800 |
| Annual savings | - | $173,730 |
| Setup time | 2-3 months | 10 minutes |
| Scalability | Linear ($) | Unlimited |
| Real availability | ~85% | 99.9% |
| Consistency | Variable | Perfect |
”But a robot will never replace…”
Wait. Nobody’s saying fire your team.
The AI agent handles:
- Frequent questions (80% of volume)
- Outside hours (100% automatic)
- Simple inquiries (schedules, prices, location)
Your human team handles:
- Complex inquiries
- High-value sales
- Situations requiring empathy
- Exceptional cases
It’s not replacing—it’s optimizing.
Real case: Language Academy in Barcelona
Before AI:
- 2 receptionists (9AM-9PM hours)
- Cost: $6,300/month
- Lost inquiries outside hours: ~40/month
- Average response time: 15 min
After AI:
- 1 receptionist (9AM-6PM hours) for complex cases
- 24/7 AI agent for frequent inquiries
- Total cost: $2,400/month (receptionist) + $149/month (AI) = $2,549/month
- Lost inquiries: 0
- Average response time: 30 seconds
Monthly savings: $3,751
Annual savings: $45,012
ROI on AI investment: 2,917%
When does hiring more staff make sense?
There are cases where you DO need humans:
- Ultra-premium service where personal attention is part of the product
- High-value consultative sales (>$15,000/transaction)
- Highly regulated sectors with specific requirements
- When your volume is SO low it doesn’t even justify AI (< 50 inquiries/month)
Conclusion: The numbers don’t lie
24/7 coverage with receptionists: $175,530/year
24/7 coverage with AI: $1,800/year
Savings: $173,730/year (99% cost reduction)
And you get better service:
- Faster
- More consistent
- More scalable
- With analytics
For an SMB, that difference can be the line between growth and stagnation.
It’s not about whether you can afford to automate. It’s about whether you can afford NOT to.
Ready to run the numbers for your business? Try Guiaria free for 14 days and see the real savings.