An AI receptionist that answers « Bonjour » first, books in French, texts in French, and treats English as an option the caller chooses.
By Aniket Gandhi, AGNT/01 · Last verified October 2026
AGNT/01 builds French-first AI receptionists, missed-call text back, lead follow-up and review requests for businesses in Québec City, Lévis and nearby towns. We work remotely from Ottawa on the same Eastern clock, script every flow for the Charter of the French language, and configure consent, notices and vendor reviews for Law 25.
The Québec census metropolitan area ranks 8th of 41 in Canada, with 26,444 employer locations [1]. Health care leads clearly, and larger employers make up a bigger share than in Winnipeg or Edmonton.
| Measure | Count |
|---|---|
| National rank (businesses with employees) | 8 of 41 census metropolitan areas |
| Business locations with employees | 26,444 |
| 1 to 4 employees | 13,398 (50.7%) |
| 5 to 9 employees | 4,619 (17.5%) |
| 10 to 49 employees | 6,540 (24.7%) |
| 50 to 99 employees | 1,106 (4.2%) |
| 100 or more employees | 781 (3.0%) |
| Top sector 1: Health care and social assistance | 3,942 |
| Top sector 2: Construction | 3,133 |
| Top sector 3: Professional, scientific and technical services | 3,092 |
| Top sector 4: Retail trade | 3,001 |
| Top sector 5: Other services (except public administration) | 2,283 |
| Offices of lawyers (law firms) | 323 |
| Offices of dentists | 305 |
| Building equipment contractors (HVAC, plumbing, electrical) | 523 |
| Restaurants and other eating places | 1,298 |
| Offices of real estate agents and brokers | 228 |
| Personal care services | 444 |
Unclassified locations are excluded from sector rows. Lévis, on the south shore, is part of the CMA. Compare: all Canadian cities ranked.
3,942 health care locations top the list, alongside 2,202 offices of physicians and 305 dental offices [1]. Every one of those booking lines must work in French.
7.1% of locations have 50 or more employees (1,106 plus 781) [1]. Larger teams need routing to the right department, not just an answer.
Construction (3,133) and professional services (3,092) sit almost level [1], with 523 building equipment contractors and 323 law offices among them.
1,298 restaurants, 444 personal care businesses and 228 real estate offices [1], all booking-driven.
Two regimes shape every build: the Charter of the French language, enforced by the OQLF, and Quebec's private-sector privacy act as amended by Law 25, overseen by the Commission d'accès à l'information (CAI).
| Rule | What it requires | What we configure |
|---|---|---|
| Right to be served in French | Businesses that offer goods or services to consumers must respect their right to be informed and served in French [2][3]. | French is the default greeting, booking language and text language. |
| Every channel, comparable terms | OQLF guidance: French service across all channels a business uses, phone and chat included, on terms comparable to any other language [2]. | English is available on request, never faster or better than French. |
| Privacy officer | Under Law 25 the person with the highest authority is responsible for personal information, and the officer's title and contact go on the website [4][5]. | The receptionist's privacy notice names that officer. |
| Transparency at collection | Tell people the purposes and means of collection, their rights, and whether information may be communicated outside Quebec [4]. | A short French notice in the greeting and on web forms. |
| Data leaving Quebec | A privacy impact assessment and a written agreement are required before personal information is communicated outside Quebec [4]. | A vendor map with hosting locations, for your assessment. |
| Incidents | Notify the CAI and affected people when there is a risk of serious injury, and keep an incident register [4]. | Logs, limited access and short transcript retention. |
| Texts and emails | CASL consent, identification and unsubscribe rules still apply [6]. | Every text carries STOP or ARRET. |
Plain-language planning notes, not legal advice. Some duties depend on headcount; check with your lawyer or the OQLF. Recording rules across Canada: call recording consent guide.
A sample flow for a dental clinic. You or your French-speaking staff approve the wording before launch.
| Step | What the caller hears or receives | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Greeting | « Bonjour, vous avez joint la Clinique dentaire Exemple. Cet appel peut être enregistré pour le suivi de votre demande. For English, say English. » | French first, recording notice up front, English offered as a choice. |
| 2. Purpose | « Est-ce pour un nouveau rendez-vous ou une urgence? » | Routes the call before collecting anything. |
| 3. Minimal details | « Puis-je avoir votre nom et un numéro pour vous joindre? Nous les utilisons seulement pour votre rendez-vous. » | Law 25 transparency: purpose stated at collection. |
| 4. Booking | Offers open slots from your calendar, in French. | Same speed and options as the English path. |
| 5. Confirmation text | « Votre rendez-vous est confirmé. Répondez ARRET pour ne plus recevoir de messages. » | French by default, CASL opt-out included. |
| 6. Hand-off | Urgent calls go to staff. | A person stays in the loop. |
| Sector (locations) | Lost call to fix | First build | Next build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance (3,942) | New patient calls while the desk checks someone in | French booking receptionist | Recall texts |
| Construction (3,133) | Homeowner calls while crews are on site | Missed-call text back in French | Soumission (quote) follow-up |
| Professional, scientific and technical services (3,092) | Consult requests after office hours | Intake and consult booking | Document reminders |
| Retail trade (3,001) | Hours and stock questions | Bilingual answers, French default | Review requests |
| Other services (except public administration) (2,283) | Salon and garage bookings left on voicemail | Receptionist with booking rules | No-show reminders |
Counts from Statistics Canada [1]. Template wording to adapt into French: missed-call text back templates.
The city of Québec holds 17,543 locations (66.3%) and Lévis another 4,323 [1]. We serve the whole CMA remotely, north shore and south shore.
17,543 locations
4,323 locations
756 locations
414 locations
382 locations
311 locations
284 locations
266 locations
No. AGNT/01 is based in Ottawa and serves the Québec region remotely on the same time zone. What your customers see and hear is in French. Published Canada-wide prices are on our pricing section, and AI receptionist cost in Canada compares the options. Begin with a free AI audit.