Your carrier forwards the call
Busy, no-answer, or unreachable — set that at the carrier you already pay. Clients still dial your public number.
Add-on
Missed calls still get a real appointment.
They dial the number they already have. If you are busy or do not pick up, your carrier forwards the call. The receptionist checks the same calendar as your widget, books the opening, takes a message, or texts a pay link if your shop requires a card.
On the call
What actually happens
What actually happens
when someone rings.
The caller hears your greeting. The receptionist works from the live book and the facts you already saved — not a script that guesses hours or invents prices.
It reads the live calendar
Service, staff if you allow it, and a real opening. The same slots your website widget shows.
It books, or takes a message
Confirmed if no card is required. If payment is forced or optional, a hold lasts 15 minutes until they pay by texted link.
You get the record
The call lands in the dashboard. If you turned recording or summaries on, the disclosure played first and the notes are waiting.
What it can do
A receptionist with your book open.
It is not a voicemail box. On a call it can:
- Check live availability on the ML Booking calendar
- Book an allowed service — and a staff member, if you allow it
- Take a callback message when booking is not the right move
- Answer shop facts you already saved: hours, address, parking, amenities, and services from the catalog
- Text a Square or Stripe pay link when the shop is on optional or forced pay
- Speak French if you turn that on, when the caller speaks French
Your number stays yours
Keep the line.
Keep the line.
Forward the misses.
After you buy a minute pack, the dashboard shows a shadow number we provision. Clients keep calling the number on your door and your Instagram. You stay with the carrier you already have. We do not port your DID.
- Open your carrier’s call-forwarding settings, or the desk-phone menu
- Set conditional forwarding — busy, no answer, and unreachable — to the shadow number
- Leave the public line as-is so you still pick up when you can
- When you cancel the add-on, the shadow number is released — remove the forward so missed calls do not hit a dead line
What the shop sets
You decide the rules.
You decide the rules.
The call follows them.
When it answers
Whenever a call is forwarded, only during shop hours, only after hours, or a custom weekly schedule. Calls outside that window are hung up and do not use minutes.
What it may book
Pick the services and staff it is allowed to put on the calendar. Names, prices, and durations come from your Services list — it will not invent a missing price.
Greeting and after hours
Write the greeting. After hours it can book the next open time, take a message, or play a closed line and hang up.
Payment
Optional, forced, or off — the same Square or Stripe setting as online booking. A card is never taken out loud.
Recording and summaries
Shop toggles. When recording is on, a disclosure plays first. Transcripts and a short summary sit on the Calls tab if you keep those on.
French
English is the default. Turn on “Answer in French when the caller speaks French” and it matches the caller. Service names stay as stored.
Minutes
A pack with a hard stop.
You buy a minute pack on Pricing. We pay Telnyx. You are not on a hidden per-minute meter.
- Minutes are rounded up. A 30-second call bills as 1 minute
- Unused minutes do not roll over to the next period
- At 100% used, answering pauses — no surprise overage
- Buy a larger pack, add extra minutes, or wait for the next period
- Cancel the add-on and the shadow number is released
Payments
The card stays off the call.
If the shop is on forced or optional pay, the receptionist texts a link to the number they called from. Apple Pay and cards go through the Square or Stripe account you already connected. If payment is off, the booking is confirmed on the call and they get the usual confirmation.
- Forced: a card is required before the booking is confirmed. The hold drops after 15 minutes unpaid
- Optional: they may pay now by link or book without paying
- Off: book without collecting a card. No payment link is mentioned
Questions
Do I keep my existing number?
Yes. Clients keep dialing the number they already know. After you buy a minute pack, Live Receptionist shows a shadow number. At your carrier or desk phone, set busy / no-answer / unreachable forwarding to that number. You stay with the carrier you have. We do not port your DID.
How do I forward calls?
Open your carrier’s call-forwarding settings (or the desk-phone menu). Choose conditional forwarding — busy, no answer, and unreachable — and enter the shadow number from the dashboard. Leave the public line as-is so you still pick up when you can. Unanswered calls reach the receptionist.
What can it actually do on a call?
Check the live ML Booking calendar, book an allowed service (and staff, if you allow it), take a callback message, and answer shop facts you already saved — hours, address, parking, amenities, and services from the catalog. It will not invent missing details.
How do minutes work?
You buy a pack on Pricing. Duration is rounded up: a 30-second call bills as 1 minute. Unused minutes do not roll over. At 100% used, answering pauses. There is no surprise per-minute overage. Buy a larger pack, add extra minutes, or wait for the next period.
What happens if I run out of minutes?
The receptionist stops answering until the next billing period, you switch packs, or extra minutes are granted. Callers are not billed a hidden per-minute rate.
How does payment work on a call?
Payment follows the shop: optional, forced, or off — the same Square or Stripe rules as online booking. It never takes a card number out loud. If a card is required or offered, it texts a pay link to the caller’s phone.
Are calls recorded?
Recording and post-call summaries are shop toggles. The platform can require recording. When recording is on, a disclosure plays first. Recordings, transcripts, and summaries stay in the dashboard while the account exists.
Can it speak French?
English is the default. In Live Receptionist settings, turn on “Answer in French when the caller speaks French.” Then it may speak French or English to match the caller. Service names stay as you stored them. Hours and other shop facts can be spoken in the caller’s language.
What happens if I cancel?
Canceling the add-on stops answering and releases the shadow number. Remove forwarding at your carrier so missed calls do not hit a dead line.
Do I need 10DLC for this?
No. Live Receptionist is voice. Payment texts use the existing ML Booking SMS From number, not the shadow voice line.
Add a minute pack when you want the line answered.
Buy it on Pricing. Then open Live Receptionist in the business dashboard for the shadow number, forwarding steps, and the French, recording, and booking toggles.
See pricing