Guide
AI receptionists in India: a guide for small businesses
Short answer
An AI receptionist is a computer voice assistant that answers your business phone when you can't, talks with callers in their language, gives the information you have approved and sends you what each caller wanted. For an Indian small business, check the languages, whether you keep your existing number, how callers reach a person, where call data is stored and what the full monthly cost is in rupees. Ask Myna is one such service, made in Gujarat, from ₹2,999 a month for 100 answered minutes, excluding GST.
What an AI receptionist is
An AI receptionist answers phone calls by voice. The caller speaks normally, as they would to a person. The assistant understands what they say, replies in speech and writes down what they want. That makes it different from:
- an IVR menu, which plays recordings and asks the caller to press keys;
- voicemail, which records a message and leaves all the follow-up to you;
- a chatbot, which works in text on a website or a messaging app.
A good AI receptionist answers, gives the information the owner has approved and passes anything that needs a decision to the owner. It can make mistakes, so the owner should be able to read a summary and a transcript of every call. Our guide to AI phone answering services compares it with IVR, voicemail, staff and human answering services in more detail.
Why Indian small businesses use one
In many small businesses the business number is the owner's own mobile. It rings while the owner is serving the customer in front of them, driving or closing up for the night, and a caller who gets no answer may simply call someone else.
Calls also bunch up at the busiest moments, such as festival weeks in a sweet shop, and customers in one city may call in Gujarati, Hindi, English or Marathi. An AI receptionist answers at those moments, in the caller's language, and leaves the decisions with you. To put a rupee figure on your own missed calls, try the missed-calls calculator; it uses only the numbers you enter.
Languages: what to check
- List the languages your callers actually use before you compare services.
- Check that the assistant answers in the caller's language from the start, and can switch if the caller does.
- Test it with your own price list, product names and local place names.
- Listen to real recorded calls, not only a scripted demo.
Ask Myna speaks Gujarati, Hindi, English and Marathi today, any three per number. Myna answers in the language the caller starts with and can switch mid-call; other Indian languages are added on request. You can hear recorded calls on our home page.
How it connects to your phone
You usually don't need a new number. Mobile networks offer call forwarding when your line is busy, when nobody answers and when your phone is off or out of coverage (Vi's help page lists all three). With those settings, your phone still rings first and only the calls you miss go to the AI receptionist. Your operator may charge its usual rate for forwarded minutes.
With Ask Myna, we set up forwarding with your operator's codes on Jio, Airtel or Vi, and cancelling it (##002# on Vi or Airtel, *413 on Jio) brings every call straight back to your phone. If you'd rather have a separate number for Myna, we provide one. How Ask Myna works has the details.
What an AI receptionist costs in India
When you compare prices, add up every part, not only the monthly figure:
- the monthly price and how many minutes or calls it includes;
- how minutes are counted: by the second, or rounded up to the next minute;
- what happens when the minutes run out: the service stops, or extra charges start;
- any setup fee, and the rent for a new phone number if you need one;
- your operator's charge for forwarded calls;
- GST.
Here is how Ask Myna's prices break down.
- Starter
- ₹2,999 a month for 100 answered minutes
- Growth
- ₹9,999 a month for 500 answered minutes
- Minutes
- Every answered call counts, rounded up to the next minute
- Setup
- Free in the builder, or ₹1,999 one time with us on a call
- GST
- Not included in the prices above
The pricing page covers which plan fits, what happens when minutes run out and how to estimate the minutes you need.
What to check before you choose
Ask these of any provider. Here are Ask Myna's answers.
| Question to ask | Ask Myna's answer |
|---|---|
| Does it tell callers it is a computer? | Yes. Myna's first sentence says she is the computer assistant for your business and that the call may be recorded. |
| Can a caller reach a person? | Yes. During your hours Myna transfers the call to the staff mobile you choose, after saving the caller's details. |
| Can it promise things you haven't approved? | No. Myna notes requests and you confirm them. She never promises a price, a slot or an order you haven't approved, and never takes payments. |
| How fast do you hear about a call? | A WhatsApp summary within a minute of the call ending, with e-mail as backup. |
| Where is call data kept, and for how long? | On our servers in India. Recordings are deleted after 30 days, and any call's details are erased within one working day when you ask. |
| Is there a lock-in? | No. Month to month, no contract, and cancelling call forwarding (##002# on Vi or Airtel, *413 on Jio) takes every call back to your phone. |
Your customers' data and the law
An AI receptionist hears your customers' names, numbers and requests, so treat it like any other service that handles personal data. India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 calls the business that decides how personal data is used a Data Fiduciary, and says it may have another company (a Data Processor) process that data on its behalf only under a valid contract (section 8(2)). It also says personal data must be erased when consent is withdrawn or once the purpose is no longer served, unless a law requires keeping it, and that the business must have its Data Processor erase it too (section 8(7)). The Act comes into force on dates the Central Government notifies, and different provisions can start on different dates (section 1(2)), so check which of these duties already apply when you choose a provider.
So ask any provider, in writing, where recordings are stored, how long they are kept and how a caller's details are erased. Ask Myna's answers are in our privacy policy. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Where Ask Myna fits, and where it doesn't
Ask Myna is built for small and medium businesses in India whose phone rings when nobody can answer it.
- Sweet shops and retailFestival orders, bulk enquiries and prices by the kilo.
- Restaurants and tiffin servicesTable requests, takeaway orders, menu questions and delivery areas.
- Clinics and dentistsAppointment requests, timings, fees and which doctor is in today.
- GaragesService bookings, pickup times and service-due reminder calls.
- Real estateAvailability, price and site-visit requests, even at 10 pm.
- Hotels and guest housesRoom enquiries, booking requests, check-in times and directions.
- Salons and spasSlot requests, service prices and timings while your hands are busy.
It is not the right choice if:
- callers must pay during the call: Myna never takes payments;
- you want bookings confirmed with nobody checking them: Myna notes requests and you confirm;
- your business is outside India: Ask Myna is live in India only for now;
- your callers mostly use another language: ask us first, as other Indian languages are added on request;
- more than two people often call your number at once: ask us for more lines.
Questions about AI receptionists
What is an AI receptionist?
A computer voice assistant that answers your business phone, talks with callers in ordinary speech, gives the information you've approved and sends you what each caller wanted. Unlike an IVR menu, callers speak normally instead of pressing keys.
How much does an AI receptionist cost in India?
It depends on the provider, so compare the monthly price, the minutes included, how minutes are counted, setup fees and GST. Ask Myna costs ₹2,999 a month for 100 answered minutes or ₹9,999 a month for 500, excluding GST.
Can an AI receptionist speak Gujarati, Hindi or Marathi?
Ask Myna speaks Gujarati, Hindi, English and Marathi today, any three per number. She answers in the language the caller starts with and can switch mid-call. Other Indian languages are added on request.
Do I need a new phone number?
No. Your phone company forwards calls to Myna when your line is busy, unanswered or your phone is off, so your customers keep calling the same number. If you'd rather have a separate number for Myna, we provide one.
Do my customers know they're talking to a computer?
Yes. Myna's first sentence says she is the computer assistant for your business and that the call may be recorded. Callers can ask for a person at any time.
Sources
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (No. 22 of 2023), Gazette of India, 11 August 2023; copy published by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Sections 1(2), 8(2) and 8(7). Checked 5 November 2026.
- How to Use Call Forwarding Code to Activate and Deactivate Call Forwarding, Vi. Forwarding when busy, unanswered or unreachable, and
##002#to cancel all forwarding. Checked 5 November 2026. - How can I deactivate call forwarding?, Jio.
*413to switch off all forwarding, and the MyJio app setting. Checked 5 November 2026. - Important Info For International Roaming, Airtel. Tells Airtel mobile users to dial
##002#to switch off call diverts. Checked 5 November 2026.