ViravanceAI receptionist vs. hiring: compare the real monthly cost
A front-desk employee covers a shift. An AI front desk covers every hour. Put in your wage and your monthly volume to compare what each costs, and how much of the week each one actually covers.
A front-desk employee
Your monthly volume
Excludes setup fees and anything an employee does that an AI can't, like greeting people in person. Many businesses keep their staff and add the AI for the hours and calls staff can't cover.
How this is calculated
- Employee cost = hourly wage × paid hours per week × (52 ÷ 12) × (1 + the burden you enter). Burden is payroll taxes, benefits and equipment on top of wages.
- AI cost = the cheapest Viravance plan for your volume. For each plan we add its published overage for any conversions or voice minutes above what the plan includes, then pick the lowest total.
- Coverage compares paid hours with the 168 hours in a week. One full-time employee covers about 24% of them, before vacation and sick days.
- Neither figure includes the AI's one-time setup fee or a hire's recruiting, training and management time. Add them if they matter to you.
Common questions
Can an AI front desk fully replace an employee?
For answering calls and chats, booking and taking orders, often yes. For greeting people in person or handling unusual situations, no. Many businesses keep staff and let the AI cover after-hours, overflow and repetitive questions.
What burden percentage should I use?
It depends on your state, benefits and equipment. Use the number from your own payroll, or leave the default as a rough placeholder and adjust.
Which Viravance plans are used?
Starter, Growth and Pro, at their published prices and overage rates. The calculator picks whichever is cheapest for the volume you enter.
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