An AI receptionist for a small business in Australia can run on your own Twilio number. It answers every call, sends each caller the right link or takes their message, and costs about A$12 a month for the number plus a few cents a call. You can keep your personal mobile private, and the calls about the same few things no longer reach you in the middle of a job.
Can AI answer your business phone?
Yes. It answers every call, finds out what the caller needs, and either texts them the right link or takes a message for you.
The caller hears a short greeting and a few options on the keypad, built around the reasons people actually ring you. Where a link can finish the job, like booking in, moving a booking or sending the details for a quote, the line texts that link straight to the caller's mobile, so the right page is already on their phone. Someone calling from a landline hears the web address read out slowly instead, because a landline cannot receive a text.
Anything that needs you becomes a message. It is converted from voice to text automatically and sent to your phone and your inbox with the caller's number attached, and the caller gets a text telling them when to expect your reply. You do not have to check a voicemail.
Could your business run a line like this?
Yes, and the menu is built around the calls you actually get.
For a plumber or an electrician, press 1 for a new quote and the line texts the link to your quote request form. Press 2 about a booked job, key in the job number, and the caller's message reaches you typed out and matched to that job, ready to read between jobs. For an allied health clinic, press 1 to book or move an appointment and the line texts the booking page, and anything else becomes a message for the front desk to read when there is a gap. Each text message is worded once and approved by you before it is used.
It runs on your own number and your own small piece of hardware in the cloud for a small monthly fee, under accounts in your name. We run the same kind of line for our own business and for the free local business guides we look after.
How much does an AI receptionist cost in Australia?
On your own Twilio number, the phone charges start at about A$12 a month for the number, plus a few cents a call.
| Item | Twilio's published price | About, in Australian dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Australian mobile number, per month | US$8.25 | A$11.82 |
| Incoming call, per minute | US$0.01 | 1.4 cents |
| Text message sent | US$0.0515 | 7.4 cents |
Source: Twilio's published Australian rates, read 1 October 2026, converted at the Reserve Bank rate for 30 September 2026 (A$1 = US$0.6977). Twilio bills in US dollars, so your bank may add a fee on top.
A month of 100 calls at 2 minutes each, with a text sent to half of them, comes to about A$18 for the calls and texts. Twilio bills you directly, and we never mark it up. One Australian AI receptionist service publishes plans from A$99 a month. On your own number, after the one-off build, there is no subscription. You pay the phone charges plus the small monthly fee for your own server.
What does Twilio do?
Twilio is the service the line runs on. It supplies the Australian number, carries the calls and sends the text messages.
Your own system decides what happens on each call. Twilio hands the call over, and your system plays the greeting, reads the keys the caller presses, sends the texts and turns any message into text. Because the number and the account are in your name, you keep both, whoever you work with.
Are AI receptionists worth it?
Yes, when the details they collect are right the first time.
An AI receptionist listens to the caller, converts what they say into text and works from that. It copes well with what the caller wants. Names, phone numbers and email addresses are where it goes wrong. A surname gets spelled the way it sounds, one digit of a phone number is missed, an email address comes through unusable, and someone still has to ring the caller back to check, which takes the time the system was meant to save. A caller who is asked to repeat themselves to a phone system often hangs up.
The fix is to let the caller enter their own details. They key in something that belongs to them, like a job number, a booking reference or the mobile number on their account, and digits pressed on a keypad arrive exactly as pressed. The line checks them against your records, which matches the call to the right booking or job. Then it texts a link to the right page on your website, and the caller types the rest on their own phone, so every name and email address arrives as they typed it.
What reaches you is what the caller typed, so there is nothing to ring back and check. It is quicker for the caller, and nobody is asked to repeat themselves.
Is an AI receptionist safe to run on your business line?
Yes, as long as a phone call cannot change anything by itself.
Caller ID can be faked, and a voice on the phone proves nothing about who is calling. A cancellation, a change of address or a refund request should reach you as a message, or go through a link with its own check, like a confirmation emailed to the address you already have on file. The line only texts the number that called, and only in answer to that call.
Where to start
Write down every call you get for one week, and next to each one, what the caller wanted. If the same few reasons cover most of the list, those are your menu options, and each one needs either a link or a message. If you miss calls while you are on the tools, our piece on getting every quote out the same day for tradies covers what to do about it.
An AI receptionist is one example of what automations can do. Every business is unique, so what we build for yours is customised to how you work, and the only limit is your imagination. The Engine is $3,500 and each element pack is $950, listed on the automations we build for small business.
We are based on the Sunshine Coast and work Australia-wide by screen share. Answer a few short questions and we will provide a free custom audit of your business. If we can help, the next step is the 60 minute consult, $295, credited toward every build except the Starter Pack.
Sources
Twilio Australian voice and phone number pricing and Twilio Australian messaging pricing, read 1 October 2026. Reserve Bank of Australia exchange rates, 30 September 2026. Australian AI receptionist subscription plans from a published pricing page, checked 1 October 2026.