An AI receptionist is software that greets and handles customers on your business's behalf — over the phone, on website chat, or both — 24 hours a day. It answers configured questions, books suitable appointments, captures lead details, and follows your rules for forwarding calls to a human. Nexwin AI covers both front doors to your business: Nexwin AI Receptionist handles phone calls, while Nexwin AI Chatbot handles website enquiries.
Nexwin AI Receptionist starts at $249/month +GST and includes Nexwin AI Chatbot: Business includes unlimited chat messages for normal business use; Fair Use Policy applies to both Business and Pro. Standalone Nexwin AI Chatbot is $129/month +GST.
"AI receptionist" is also the umbrella term people use for a handful of related products — AI phone receptionist, AI virtual receptionist, AI answering service, AI chatbot — that all solve the same core problem in slightly different ways. This guide explains what an AI receptionist actually does, how the terminology maps to real products, what it costs in Australia, and which option fits your business.
7 days · 100 call minutes included · card required · no charge until the trial ends; paid plan starts on day 8 · cancel anytime
Nexwin AI Receptionist and Nexwin AI Chatbot cover different customer entry points. Nexwin AI Receptionist is the phone-receptionist product; Nexwin AI Chatbot is the website-chat product. Every Nexwin AI Receptionist plan includes Nexwin AI Chatbot, while Nexwin AI Chatbot is also available on its own.
| Customer contact point | Nexwin AI product | Main job |
|---|---|---|
| Phone calls | Nexwin AI Receptionist | Answer, qualify, book and transfer according to configured rules |
| Website enquiries | Nexwin AI Chatbot | Answer, capture and run configured booking flows |
They're almost always the same underlying technology — an AI that answers customer contact 24/7 — marketed under different names depending on what problem the buyer is trying to solve. "AI receptionist" is the broadest term. The others are the same category, described from a specific angle: replacing a phone system, replacing a human virtual reception service, replacing voicemail, or replacing a website contact form. Here's how the terms map to what businesses actually search for and what Nexwin offers:
| Term | What it usually means | Nexwin page |
|---|---|---|
| AI receptionist | Umbrella term — any AI that handles front-of-house customer contact | This page |
| AI phone receptionist | Specifically answers and manages phone calls | Nexwin AI Receptionist |
| AI virtual receptionist | Positioned as the AI alternative to a human virtual reception service | AI virtual receptionist Australia |
| AI answering service | Positioned as the AI alternative to voicemail or a call centre | AI Phone Receptionist Australia |
| AI chatbot / chat widget | Handles enquiries on your website instead of the phone | Nexwin AI Chatbot |
Not sure which fits your business? If most enquiries come by phone, consider Nexwin AI Receptionist. If most come through your website, consider standalone Nexwin AI Chatbot. Nexwin AI Receptionist already includes Nexwin AI Chatbot: unlimited chat messages for normal business use; Fair Use Policy applies to both Business and Pro.
Weighing an AI phone receptionist against a human virtual reception service specifically? See AI phone receptionist vs virtual receptionist for the availability, concurrency and cost breakdown.
An AI receptionist uses conversational AI — the same underlying technology as tools like ChatGPT — paired with natural-sounding text-to-speech (for calls) and trained on your business's own information. In practice, setup follows the same pattern regardless of which product you use:
For the full step-by-step walkthrough, see how Nexwin works.
Nexwin's AI receptionist products start at $129/month +GST for Nexwin AI Chatbot (website chat) and $249/month +GST for Nexwin AI Receptionist (phone calls), both with a 7-day free trial, free onboarding, and no lock-in contract. That compares to a full-time human receptionist, who typically costs $60,000–$70,000 a year according to the SEEK salary guide, before superannuation and leave — a cost most small businesses can't justify at all — see our guide to AI receptionists for small business. That matters in Australia specifically: per the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, 97.3% of Australian businesses are small businesses and 63.6% have no employees at all.
See the full breakdown of every plan on our pricing page, or read our guide on how much an AI receptionist costs across the whole Australian market, not just Nexwin.
Any business that misses revenue when a call or enquiry goes unanswered benefits from an AI receptionist. Nexwin is built for:
Plumbers, electricians, builders & HVAC — handle calls routed to Nexwin AI Receptionist while you are on the tools.
Hotels and accommodation providers — handle guest enquiries, booking requests and configured call routing without tying up the front desk.
Physios, chiros, podiatrists & psychologists — answer calls while you're with a patient.
Law firms and accountants — capture new-client intake around the clock.
Salons and beauty clinics — book appointments while staff are with clients.
Vet clinics and real estate agents — route emergencies and capture buyer enquiries fast.
Yes, in almost every case. Both terms describe AI software that answers customer contact instead of a human. "AI virtual receptionist" is usually used when comparing against a traditional human virtual reception service; "AI receptionist" is the broader, more general term. See how Nexwin works as an AI virtual receptionist in Australia, or use the broader virtual receptionist options guide to compare staffed and AI-led models.
A chatbot is one channel — usually website text chat. An AI receptionist is the broader category, which can include phone calls (Nexwin AI Receptionist), website chat (Nexwin AI Chatbot), or both. Nexwin AI Receptionist — Business includes unlimited chat messages for normal business use; Fair Use Policy applies to both Business and Pro; standalone Nexwin AI Chatbot is $129/month +GST.
It depends where your enquiries come from. If phone calls are the priority, consider Nexwin AI Receptionist. If website enquiries are the priority, consider standalone Nexwin AI Chatbot. Nexwin AI Receptionist includes both channels: unlimited chat messages for normal business use; Fair Use Policy applies to both Business and Pro.
Standalone Nexwin AI Chatbot is $129/month +GST. Nexwin AI Receptionist starts at $249/month +GST and includes unlimited chat messages for normal business use; Fair Use Policy applies to both Business and Pro. The 7-day trial includes 100 call minutes, requires a card, and becomes paid on day 8 unless cancelled. Full plan details are on our pricing page.
Start with representative calls and website enquiries from your business: routine questions, a booking request, an unusual request and a situation that needs human help. Review the approved knowledge, booking rules, call records and fallback path, then adjust the configuration before relying on it for more calls.
Hear the live Nexwin AI Receptionist demonstration, test your own configuration during the trial, or discuss a more complex workflow with our team.
7 days · 100 call minutes included · card required · no charge until the trial ends; paid plan starts on day 8 · cancel anytime
Related: AI Receptionist Australia | Virtual Receptionist Guide | AI Chat Widget | Features | FAQ | Pricing
Nexwin's AI phone receptionist (Nexwin AI Receptionist) is rated 4.7 out of 5, based on 127 customer ratings.
“We’ve been using Nexwin AI for the past three months at Illayanar Camp Ground. It checks room availability, manages bookings, and answers guests’ questions about room pricing and enquiries.
It is especially helpful for late check-ins: after verifying a guest’s booking details, it explains key collection and provides the gate security-door code. I used to handle this manually throughout the night. Now Nexwin AI takes care of it.”