Getting callers to accept an after-hours AI receptionist

Getting callers to accept an after-hours AI receptionist - insights?

I’ve recently deployed an AI receptionist (“Ellie”) for a local company to handle after-hours calls. During the day, they’re still on RingCentral, but the long-term vision is to replace RingCentral altogether and let the AI system handle calls 24/7. For now, the idea is to give customers an immediate engagement opportunity rather than just hitting voicemail after hours.

Here’s what I’m seeing so far:

Some callers are caught off guard when they realize they’re talking to AI, and they hang up or ask for a human. So I’ve set Ellie to capture the basics (name/number/reason) and kick out a callback request when that happens so no warm lead is lost.

The owner is okay with her handling a few more calls before deciding, but he is talking of re-evaluating the whole thing.

I’m considering making Ellie more transparent upfront, e.g.: “Hi, this is Ellie, your after-hours virtual receptionist for [Company Name]. I’m here to make sure you’re taken care of right away—whether that’s scheduling a visit or passing your message to the team first thing tomorrow.”

You get the picture.

I’m also thinking about updating the website/Google profile to set expectations that after-hours calls go to a virtual receptionist.

Has anyone else run into this adoption hurdle? How have you “sold” the idea to both business owners and customers so it feels like an upgrade instead of a surprise? Like an enhancement. Would love to hear how others are framing and rolling out AI receptionists in similar situations. THX!

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