Be transparent and helpful from the start. Use a natural greeting, then mention it’s an automated assistant designed to schedule and answer common questions. Offer an easy path to a human (“If you’d prefer, I can transfer you or take a message”). Focus on solving the caller’s request quickly; people resist deception more than automation.

Often, yes—when it triggers faster confirmations and reminders. An AI receptionist can send instant texts/emails, repeat appointment details, collect a reason for the visit, and offer simple rescheduling links. Answering services may take messages but leave follow-up to staff. No-show reduction depends on your reminder cadence, lead quality, and booking rules.

During spikes, AI can answer every call immediately instead of putting callers on hold or sending them to voicemail. It can triage urgency, capture contact info, and book the next available slot based on your rules. If capacity is full, it can create a callback queue or route emergencies to an on-call number. Quality depends on setup.

Yes, many businesses keep their answering service as a fallback. Common approaches include: AI handles normal hours while the answering service covers nights/weekends; AI answers first and transfers to the service when it detects a scenario it shouldn’t handle; or the service takes overflow when call volume exceeds a threshold. Make sure both share the same scripts and escalation rules.