Yes. An AI receptionist should tell callers it is AI at the start of the call and make it clear that they can ask for a person. That is Vallamo's position, and live Vallamo Calls identify the assistant at the beginning. A clear introduction lets the caller understand the conversation, ask routine questions and choose human help without having to work out who or what is answering.
Why should disclosure come at the beginning?
The opening sets the caller's expectations. Someone asking about a price needs to know whether they are speaking to a person who can negotiate an exception or an assistant limited to approved information. Leaving that distinction unclear can create confusion later, even if the factual answer was correct.
A short disclosure need not become a long speech about technology. State the business, identify the assistant and describe its useful scope. Then let the caller speak. The purpose is to make the service understandable, not to ask the customer to learn how an AI system works before getting help.
Do not assume all callers will welcome AI or reject it. Some may want a routine answer; others may prefer a person. Both preferences deserve a clear route. Our AI receptionist versus chatbot comparison explains why scope matters alongside the label. Identifying an assistant is only helpful if the next part of the conversation respects the limits that introduction implies.
What could a clear greeting sound like?
Use everyday language. Avoid pretending to be a human receptionist, choosing a greeting that conceals the assistant's role or claiming it can deal with anything. The examples below use a fictional studio and describe only a limited reception task.
Illustrative example, not a real customer call.
- “Hello, you've reached Willow Studio. I'm the AI assistant. I can answer questions from the studio's approved information or take your details for the team.”
- “Thanks for calling Willow Studio. I'm an AI receptionist. I can help with approved service information and booking requests. You can ask for a person.”
- “Hello, this is Willow Studio's AI assistant. What would you like help with? If your question needs the team, I'll pass it to a person.”
Choose one that matches your business's actual process. If staff cannot take over immediately, do not add a promise that somebody is standing by. For a clinic, prepare a separate short statement for medical questions: the assistant never gives medical or clinical advice.
Read the greeting aloud with the people who handle reception. Remove any wording that sounds like a guarantee of a booking or an invitation to discuss matters outside the approved scope. Keep the identification near the start, even if you shorten the rest.
What happens when the caller asks for a person?
Treat the request as meaningful rather than a problem to work around. The assistant should acknowledge it and follow the agreed human handover process. Do not make the caller repeat the request through several alternative phrasings before accepting that they want human help.
Vallamo passes the call to a person when it should, with a summary and the conversation attached. Your team needs to decide who receives that handover and what happens when the appropriate person is unavailable. Clear expectations matter as much as the route itself: a request for human contact should not be described as an immediate response unless that is realistic.
Consider a caller who begins with opening hours, then raises a complaint about a previous visit. The assistant can answer the hours from approved information, but the complaint needs a person. The fact that the conversation began routinely does not change that boundary. Likewise, a clinic caller asking for reassurance about treatment suitability should reach a practitioner. The assistant should not try to retain the conversation by offering an opinion it is not qualified to give.
How does honesty help with trust and complaints?
Disclosure gives the customer a fair starting point. It does not guarantee trust by itself. Accuracy, a respectful response and a useful next step still matter. An assistant that identifies itself clearly but then invents an answer has not solved the underlying service problem.
When reviewing a complaint, look at what the caller was told and what they expected to happen next. Was a booking request mistaken for a confirmed appointment? Did the assistant explain that a question needed a person? Did the business follow through? These are practical questions you can answer from the handover and conversation, without guessing the caller's attitude towards AI.
Ask staff to report confusing wording so you can improve the approved script. A small change such as “take a booking request” instead of “book you in” can prevent a mistaken expectation. Keep a consistent explanation on the phone and in your other customer-facing information. Honesty is a continuing practice across the conversation, rather than a single sentence that makes every later answer acceptable.
What should UK businesses check before choosing wording?
Do not use this article to decide which legal obligations apply to your business. Check current guidance and, where necessary, ask an appropriate adviser about your own use of AI and personal information. A disclosure sentence does not by itself establish that every part of a service meets all applicable requirements.
The ICO's AI guidance hub brings together material on AI and data protection, including explanations of AI-assisted processes and decisions. Our UK data protection article is another starting point for preparing questions. Keep that review distinct from the practical editorial position here: Vallamo believes callers should know from the start that they are speaking to AI.
Vallamo Calls are live and use business-approved information shared with the chat channels. Approve the greeting, the human route and the answers together. Then review whether a caller can understand each stage without technical knowledge. If the script sounds polished but leaves the person unsure how to reach your team, it needs another revision.Frequently asked questions
Will callers hang up when they hear it is AI?
Some callers may prefer a person, but this article does not claim a measured reaction or a universal response. Review your own enquiries and make human contact clear. Do not conceal the assistant's identity to avoid acknowledging that preference.
Is AI disclosure legally required?
Requirements depend on the circumstances and current rules. Check relevant guidance and get appropriate advice for your business. Vallamo's position is to disclose at the beginning regardless of using this article to reach a legal conclusion about your particular arrangement.
Can an assistant be conversational without pretending to be human?
Yes. Clear, warm wording is compatible with identifying the assistant as AI. The key is to avoid misleading the caller about its role, its knowledge or its authority to make decisions. A useful answer does not require a hidden identity.
What if the caller asks a medical question after disclosure?
The assistant never gives medical or clinical advice. It should explain that limit and pass the question to a practitioner. Saying it is AI at the start does not make a later clinical answer appropriate or replace the human handover.
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