Vendasta launches AI receptionist assistant for SMBs
Vendasta has announced the general availability of Conversations AI, an artificial intelligence-powered receptionist service designed to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) manage communications.
Conversations AI acts as a 24/7 voice and messaging assistant, enabling local businesses to respond to phone calls, SMS, WhatsApp, and chats in a unified inbox. The service utilises each business's data to answer questions, book appointments, and qualify leads, aiming to improve responsiveness without the need for additional staffing.
Functionality
The solution merges AI-driven voice response with messaging channels, enabling businesses to centralise all incoming communications from phone, SMS, WhatsApp, web, Facebook, Instagram, and email. By leveraging a business's internal data for responses, the system seeks to deliver consistent customer experiences and capture every inquiry.
According to Vendasta, Conversations AI allows immediate lead engagement: it can respond to new inquiries in seconds, across different channels and in multiple languages. The AI Receptionist integrates with APIs to perform custom tasks - such as checking inventory, scheduling appointments, or retrieving order statuses in real time. All communications are aggregated within a single shared inbox for team collaboration and follow-up, with details and message history automatically stored in Vendasta's CRM.
Early outcomes
The company reports that businesses deploying the model have reduced their lead response times from up to 48 hours down to under 30 seconds, with some customers noting a 70 per cent increase in return on investment (ROI).
"Conversations AI turns every missed call or chat into a potential sale," said Rylan Morris, VP of Product Marketing at Vendasta. "Whether a customer is calling, using your website chat, or replying to a text, our AI Receptionist responds with friendly, informed, and consistent communication."
Performance data shared by Vendasta includes a 70 per cent increase in ROI after implementation and a reduction in response time to under 30 seconds. The company indicated that no leads are being missed outside of business hours, addressing a longstanding challenge for smaller enterprises.
Next Level Management and Consulting, which adapted the technology prior to this announcement, cited increased efficiency in daily customer engagement workflows.
"We've configured Conversations AI for a retail client that receives a high volume of questions, and their call volume has dropped significantly. The chatbot handles complex inquiries, allowing staff to focus on serving in-store customers," said Mark Huffman, President & CEO of the company.
Conversations AI is capable of answering customer calls with natural-sounding AI, collecting contact details, booking appointments, and sending confirmations.
Concurrently, Vendasta unveiled an AI-powered customer acquisition platform that will help SMBs "scale operation without growing headcount." It will use iAI agents to attract potential customers with messaging, initiate follow-up prompts and schedule appointments.
Vendasta employs more than 600 staff across Saskatoon, Boca Raton, and Chennai, supporting a network of global partners and SMBs. The launch of Conversations AI aligns with the company's stated focus on enhancing customer acquisition and engagement through unified technology.
