The real question is rarely "AI or human". It is which calls each one should take, and what happens at 6:01 p.m. when your one receptionist has gone home. This page gives you a call-by-call way to decide, plus the wage numbers to compare against.
Which of your calls should AI answer and which should a person?
Use the router below. It lists the eight call types most small Canadian offices get. The "AI can handle", "AI plus person" and "Person first" tags are our rule of thumb from how receptionist tools are set up, not a measured statistic. Change the shares to match your own call log, and the tool turns them into a suggested setup.
| Task | AI receptionist | Human receptionist |
|---|---|---|
| Answering at 2 a.m. or on a holiday | Answers every time, including several calls at once. | Needs a shift, an answering service or voicemail. |
| Reading a calm upset caller | Can detect keywords and hand off. Weak at tone. | Better at tone, apology and judgment. |
| Greeting people at the front desk | Not possible. | Only a person can do this. |
| Collecting the same five details every time | Consistent, and writes them to a form or calendar. | Accurate when trained, but varies with workload. |
| Sick days and vacation cover | No gaps. | Needs cover or a temp. |
| Unusual requests and judgment calls | Should pass these to a person. | Handles them. |
How much does a human receptionist cost in Canada?
Job Bank, using Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey data, lists receptionists (NOC 14101) in the Ottawa region at a low of $17.60, a median of $20.00 and a high of $28.62 per hour. The reference period is 2023 to 2024, last updated November 19, 2025. Ontario's general minimum wage is $17.95 per hour from October 1, 2026.
| Figure | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa region receptionist, low | $17.60 per hour | Job Bank |
| Ottawa region receptionist, median | $20.00 per hour | Job Bank |
| Ottawa region receptionist, high | $28.62 per hour | Job Bank |
| Ontario general minimum wage | $17.95 per hour | Ontario.ca |
Those are wages, not what a hire costs you. Payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off and training sit on top, and the amount depends on your business. Use the hire vs AI calculator to put your own numbers in.
How many hours does one receptionist actually cover?
A week has 168 hours. A full-time person working 40 of them covers about 24 percent of the week, before sick days and vacation. Your callers do not only phone in those hours. Evenings, lunch hours and weekends are when many people have time to call a local business, so the uncovered hours matter.
That is the strongest case for pairing the two. A person owns the front desk and the hard calls. AI takes the rest of the 168 hours. See answering service vs AI receptionist in Ottawa for the third option, and AI receptionist vs voicemail for the baseline most offices start from.
Do callers hang up on AI receptionists?
Some do, especially when the greeting is slow or the AI cannot answer a plain question. We cover what to fix in do callers hang up on AI receptionists. Two design rules help most: tell the caller it is an assistant in the first sentence, and always offer a way to reach a person.
If you want a sense of what the price range looks like before you pick, read AI receptionist: $50 tool vs $1,000 service. For our own plans, see the published pricing.
AI Receptionist vs Human Receptionist in Canada: FAQ
Can an AI receptionist replace a human receptionist?
It can replace the phone-answering part of the job, such as after-hours calls, bookings and routine questions. It cannot greet people at your door or use judgment on sensitive calls, so most small offices keep a person for those.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human receptionist in Canada?
It depends on your quote and your hours. Job Bank lists the Ottawa region median receptionist wage at $20.00 per hour before payroll costs, and a person covers about 24 percent of the 168 hours in a week. Compare the cost per covered hour, not just the monthly total.
What calls should a person always take?
Complaints, billing disputes, sensitive or urgent matters and anything that needs judgment. Set the AI to transfer these to a named person instead of trying to resolve them.
What is the Ontario minimum wage in October 2026?
Ontario's general minimum wage is $17.95 per hour from October 1, 2026, according to the Ontario government's Employment Standards guide.
Can I use both an AI receptionist and a human one?
Yes. A common setup is AI answering first or after hours, with warm transfer to a person during business hours for the calls tagged person-first in the router above.
Sources
- Job Bank: Wages for Receptionist, Ottawa Region: NOC 14101, Labour Force Survey 2023 to 2024, updated November 19, 2025
- Ontario.ca: Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, minimum wage: $17.95 per hour from October 1, 2026
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