Shops can already buy an AI that answers their phone. In a BT survey (vendor data, October 2026), 67% of UK small businesses said they miss at least one call on an average day that they believe costs them business.
What to build
A voice assistant that gives opening hours and prices and books appointments into a free calendar slot. In its first sentence it says it is an AI, and it tells callers if the call is recorded. Start with a browser demo for a made-up shop, no phone number needed.
The prompt
Open Claude Code, an AI coding tool, in an empty folder and paste this:
Build a demo voice AI assistant for a repair shop. The conversation runs in the browser, no phone number. Use Gemini Live through the official API (key in .env, never paste it into the chat). Knowledge comes from one shop file: hours, prices, address. In its first sentence the assistant says it is an AI. It answers questions about hours and prices and offers a free slot from Google Calendar; it repeats the caller's name and time back and confirms them in text. A hard question goes to the owner as a short email summary. Limits: 2 minutes per call and a daily cap, so the demo never overspends. Show me the plan and a cost estimate first, then the code. No medical topics.
Running costs
- Google's Gemini Live voice: about 2.3 cents per minute of conversation (audio in and out).
- A US local number from Twilio: $1.15 a month, plus $0.0085 a minute for incoming calls.
Where to start
- Salons are already served (Treatwell, from £69 a month).
- Try auto shops and driving schools that have no booking system of their own.
- Not clinics: that is medical data.
- Never promise a client zero missed calls.
Market price
My AI Front Desk: $99 a month for 200 minutes ($79 a month billed annually).
Prices are vendors' public prices on Nov 9, 2026. They are not income figures.
Sources: myaifrontdesk.com/pricing, telecomstechnews.com (Oct 2, 2026), ispreview.co.uk (Oct 1, 2026), aistudio.google.com/docs/pricing, twilio.com/en-us/voice/pricing/us, treatwell.co.uk/partners/solutions/ai-receptionist.
We are not affiliated with the companies mentioned.