Hey there - Chris here, from Aeva AI Receptionist
This week I had a very interesting call booked with me.
I expected it to be another clinic owner looking for an AI receptionist.
But this time, it wasn’t a clinic owner. It was the owner of a call centre.
His team manages calls for medical centres across Australia, and he wanted to chat. He’d been following what we were doing and said he was genuinely impressed.
We talked about where phone answering is heading, and we both agreed: AI receptionists now serve a clear, necessary purpose.
They pick up calls more affordably than any human ever could.
Instead of saying “AI could never replace us,” he said the opposite: He sees the vision of AI receptionist handling calls more effectively and affordably. And he’s fine with that.
Because it’s already happening. And the logic is hard to ignore.
He suggested offering Aeva’s receptionist service to his customers so they could access a more affordable phone-answering solution alongside his current admin staff who could help with the tasks that AI could not handle.
We’re now exploring whether we can build a partnership that makes that possible.
The real price difference
If the phone rings and no one picks up, you may as well be telling your customers you don’t want them.
But the cost of doing it is getting harder to justify.
Most virtual reception services in Australia charge from $350+ AUD per month for 100 calls, while in the UK, pricing typically starts from around £200+ for the same volume.
Need after-hours, weekend, or overflow support? It adds up fast.
Some cheaper plans charge $3.79 per call, on top of a monthly fee. For clinics with steady volume, that quickly becomes $300–400 per 100 calls and that’s just to stay afloat.
Now compare that to an AI receptionist handling the exact same calls, booking requests, FAQs, message taking at less than half the price, and available 24/7 with no penalty for time of day or day of the week.
The math speaks for itself.
But beyond the money, there’s something else: the silent cost of missed calls.
That’s the real risk.
And it’s why AI reception is being adopted so quickly. Not because it’s trendy, but because it solves a real operational problem.
Phone answering is essential. But having a human answer every single call? That’s becoming unnecessary.
This is what’s worth looking at:
How many of the calls coming into your practice actually need a person?
How much of you/your staff’s time is being burned on routine admin over the phone?
And what’s the real cost when no one answers?
This isn’t about replacing people. It’s about making sure every call gets picked up, without draining your time or blowing out your budget.
This conversation reminded me that the shift is already happening. Quietly, practically, and led by those who see the writing on the wall. Clinic owners don’t need convincing. They need options. They need systems that actually work for the realities of running a busy practice. If we can help bring that to more clinics through partners or directly we’re going to. Because this isn’t just a tech upgrade. It’s a smarter way to run.
P.S I’d love to hear what you think about my weekly updates. What else would you like to hear about moving forward? Hit reply and let me know.
Keep innovating 💪,
Chris Baxter
Founder, Aeva AI Receptionist for healthcare
www.aevaai.com
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