Answering Service vs. AI Receptionist vs. In-House: The Real Cost

Option 1: An in-house receptionist

A dedicated front-desk hire gives you a human who knows your practice — but it’s the most expensive option and the hardest to scale. A part-time receptionist runs roughly $2,000–$3,500+ per month once you include wages, payroll taxes, and benefits, and they can only answer during their shift. Nights, weekends, lunch breaks, and sick days are uncovered, which is when many new-patient calls arrive.

Option 2: A traditional live answering service

A live answering service gives you after-hours human coverage, but two things catch practices off guard. First, pricing is usually per call or per minute, so your bill spikes in your busiest months — the opposite of what you want. Second, most services take a message and pass it back to your team; they rarely book the appointment, so you still play phone tag the next morning.

Option 3: An AI receptionist

An AI receptionist answers every call instantly, 24/7, and completes the task — booking the appointment and confirming it by text — for a predictable flat monthly rate. Rinovo starts at $99/month with 200 included minutes, $249/month for 600 minutes, and $499/month for 1,500 minutes, with overage at $0.35/minute. There’s no overtime, no scheduling, and no per-call surprise.

The one thing a human still does better is genuinely complex or sensitive conversations — which is why a good AI receptionist can transfer to a live person when a caller needs one.

Which should your practice choose?

If you have high, steady daytime volume and the budget for it, an in-house receptionist plus an AI receptionist for overflow and after-hours is the gold standard. If you’re a smaller or growing practice watching costs, an AI receptionist alone covers the routine calls — booking, FAQs, and messages — for a fraction of the price, with human transfer available for the exceptions.