AI receptionist vs hiring
a receptionist in Montreal.
Hiring a great receptionist is a real investment — salary, benefits, training, and the hard limit of one person's working hours. An AI receptionist answers every call in English or Quebec French, 24/7, from $699/month. This is an honest comparison: not your receptionist versus a robot, but how the two work best together.
Not a replacement debate — a coverage one.
A skilled receptionist is one of the most valuable people in a small business. They greet clients in person, calm a frustrated caller, handle the judgment calls a script can't, and carry the culture of your front desk. Nothing here is meant to diminish that. The honest question for a Montreal owner isn't "human or machine" — it's "who covers which calls, at what cost, across which hours."
A single hire works roughly 35 hours a week, takes lunch, gets sick, and goes on vacation. The phone, meanwhile, rings evenings, weekends, and holidays — exactly when no one is at the desk. Anova fills those gaps without a second salary, then complements your receptionist during business hours by taking overflow so they aren't choosing between the person in front of them and the line that's ringing.
Anova vs hiring a receptionist.
Free your front desk, don't replace it.
The most common outcome we see in Montreal isn't a receptionist losing their job — it's a receptionist finally getting to do the parts of it that matter. When Anova absorbs after-hours calls, overflow during a rush, and the repetitive "what are your hours" questions, your front-desk person spends their day on clients who are physically in the room and on the work that genuinely needs a human. The phone stops being a tyranny that interrupts every conversation.
And the math is hard to argue with. One bilingual hire in Montreal carries a loaded cost well above their base salary once you add payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off, and the weeks of ramp before they're productive. Anova is live in about a week, costs less than that hire across the year, and never calls in sick during your busiest stretch. See the full breakdown on our pricing page, or find your field on the industries page.
AI receptionist vs hiring, answered.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring?
Usually. A Montreal receptionist runs roughly $40k–$50k/yr plus benefits and taxes; Anova starts at $699/mo, and even Signature ($2,000/mo) stays well under one loaded hire.
Can it really handle French and English?
Yes — natively, in Quebec French and English, on every call. Truly bilingual hires are competitive to find in Montreal; Anova is bilingual by default.
What does it cost?
Essential $699/mo (300 min), Professional $1,599/mo (800 min), Signature $2,000/mo (2,000 min), each with a one-time $800 setup and ~$0.40/min over your included minutes.
Will it replace my receptionist?
It doesn't have to. Most clients use Anova for nights, weekends, lunches, and overflow so their receptionist can focus on in-person service and complex work.
How fast can it be set up?
About a week — no recruiting or interviewing. A new hire typically needs several weeks to ramp on your systems and scripts before they're fully productive.
What about the human touch?
That stays your team's strength. Anova handles repetitive and after-hours calls and warm-transfers anything that needs a person to your staff.
Coverage without
a second salary.
Book a private demo and we'll configure a live agent for your business, route a real call through it in English and French, and show you exactly where it fits alongside your team.
Book a private demo