Real 2026 numbers: AI receptionist plans from ~£60/month, human answering services from ~£300/month, employed receptionists ~£3,000/month — and what missed calls quietly cost you.
UK small businesses have three realistic options beyond hoping they hear the phone. As at July 2026, typical costs look like this:
| Option | Typical UK cost | What you get | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employed receptionist | ~£3,000/mo (salary + NI + pension) | A real person who knows your business, Mon–Fri 9–5 | Covers ~40 of 168 hours a week; holidays and sick days uncovered |
| Human answering service | ~£300+/mo for meaningful volume (quoted per call/minute) | Professional call handlers answering in your name | Often message-taking to a script; 24/7 and overflow can cost extra; pricing usually needs a quote call |
| AI receptionist | From ~£60/mo flat | 24/7 answering, bookings, quotes, lead capture — every call | Not human — though most callers can't tell, and complex calls still reach you |
Most AI receptionists price on one of three models:
| Plan | Price/month + VAT | AI minutes | Extra minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RingOne | £59.99 | 125 | 45p |
| RingOne 500 | £219.99 | 500 | 42p |
| RingOne 1000 | £399.99 | 1,000 | 40p |
| VoIP only (no AI) | £16.99 | — | — |
Every plan includes the UK business number, 24/7 answering, bookings with SMS confirmation, quotes from your price list with one-tap approvals, auto-CRM, recordings and transcripts, and spam screening. Annual billing saves 30% and adds 20% more minutes. Full details on the pricing page.
Price the solution against the problem. If your average job is worth £250, you miss eight calls a week, and 30% of answered calls become customers, missed calls are costing you roughly £30,000+ a year. That's the real comparison: ~£720/year for RingOne against five figures of quietly lost work. Run your own numbers with the missed-call calculator.
For UK micro-businesses in 2026: voicemail is free and loses the lead; a human answering service starts around £300/month and usually needs a quote call; an employed receptionist is £3,000/month for office hours only. An AI receptionist like RingOne answers every call, 24/7, for £59.99 + VAT a month — number included. You can start for £0 and hear it on your own line today.
Number included, 125 AI minutes, no contract — start for £0 with £5 free credit.
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