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AI receptionist or answering service?

An answering service puts a person on the phone, usually to take a message. An AI receptionist answers in your practice’s name and can book patients into your software.

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Start free, no card. Hear it as your clinic first. Reception is A$200 a month, no lock-in.

A receptionist in a yellow top talks on the desk phone in a busy office

Books into

  • Core Practice
  • PracSuite
  • Cliniko
  • Nookal
  • Halaxy
  • Splose
  • + more

Side by side.

We’ve used Ruby Receptionist and OfficeHQ for the human side, because both put their prices online.

A human answering service compared with Terva
What you getHuman answering serviceTerva
Who picks upA person at the service, reading from your scriptTerva. It tells callers it’s your practice’s AI receptionist
What callers getUsually a message. Some plans put calls through to your staffAnswers to the questions you’ve approved. Anything else becomes a callback request
BookingSome plans book into a calendar, like OfficeHQ’s MyDiary (from A$50 a month + GST)On Reception, it books, reschedules and cancels in your practice software, within your rules
What your team getsA message by emailA summary and transcript of every call in your Queue. Urgent calls are emailed straight away
PriceRuby charges A$190 a month + GST (A$209 with GST) for 50 calls, then A$3.99 a call + GSTA$200 a month inc. GST for 100 minutes, then 80c a minute. The free plan covers 30 minutes
Live transferSome plans, like OfficeHQ’s MyReceptionistYes, on Custom plans. Terva tells your team who’s calling and why before they pick up

Sources

Prices checked .

Why practices choose Terva.

  • Calls are booked into your practice software, not turned into messages.

  • One price covers before opening, lunch and after close.

  • Every call comes with a summary and transcript, not just a message.

  • You can try it on your real calls for free first.

Still weighing it up? See what each one costs or how Terva compares with voicemail.

Questions practices ask

Something else? Book a demo and ask us.

Is an AI receptionist cheaper than an answering service?
It depends on how many calls you send and how long they go for. At 50 two-minute calls a month, Ruby’s Virtual Receptionist 50 is A$190 plus GST, which comes to A$209, and Terva’s Reception plan is A$200 including GST. After that, Ruby charges A$3.99 a call plus GST, and Terva charges 80c a minute.
Can we use both?
Yes. Your phone system decides where each call goes. You could send after-hours calls to a person and busy-time calls to Terva, or the other way round.
Will callers know they’re talking to AI?
Yes. Terva answers in your practice’s name and says it’s your AI receptionist. Anyone who’d rather talk to a person can ask your team to call them back.
Does Terva give clinical advice?
No. Terva only handles admin calls. If someone calls in an emergency, Terva tells them to call 000, and it emails urgent calls to your team straight away.
Do we keep our phone number?
Yes. You only forward the calls your team can’t get to, so patients keep calling the number they know.

Not answered here?

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