An AI receptionist and a human receptionist are not the same kind of cost. One figure below is a US wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The other is a software price in Canadian dollars from the Wirevox pricing page. This article does not add them together, and it does not estimate taxes, benefits, overtime, turnover, or revenue from missed calls.
What US receptionist pay was in May 2025
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for receptionists reports these wages for receptionists and information clerks. The handbook was last modified on August 27, 2026. The wage survey month is May 2025.
| Wage fact | Published figure |
|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $38,010 |
| Median hourly wage | $18.27 |
| Lowest 10 percent | Less than $13.83 an hour |
| Highest 10 percent | More than $24.01 an hour |
The median is the middle: half of workers earned more, and half earned less. The handbook also gives median hourly wages for three large employer groups in May 2025:
| Employer group in the handbook | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|
| Healthcare and social assistance | $19.00 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | $18.56 |
| Personal care services | $16.57 |
Healthcare and social assistance employed 42 percent of receptionists. That group includes clinics. It is not a separate wage for dental offices, law firms, or spas.
Most receptionists work full time. Some who work in hospitals and nursing homes work evenings and weekends. The handbook does not say that one person covers nights, weekends, and lunch.
What this wage leaves out
The wage is pay. It is not the employer’s full cost, and it is not a Canadian wage. The handbook does not publish a receptionist total for payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off, overtime, temporary coverage, or the cost of hiring a replacement. This article does not fill those gaps with a guessed range.
Missed calls are also your own number. Count the qualified calls that reach voicemail, then multiply by the value of the job you actually sell. A borrowed “3 to 5 leads a week” figure is not used here, because this site does not have a source for it. The Death of the Missed Call discusses the operating problem without turning it into a revenue promise.
What Wirevox publishes for software
These prices were read from the pricing page on October 17, 2026. They are in Canadian dollars. The page can change, and yearly billing on that page shows a different monthly amount. Usage above the included credits is billed at the overage rate printed on the plan.
| Plan | Published monthly price | Included on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Pay As You Go | $0 CAD per month, plus usage | 0 credits. Phone numbers are $5.00 CAD per month. Overage is $0.03 CAD per credit. |
| Starter | $79 CAD per month | 3,500 credits and 1 phone number |
| Growth | $299 CAD per month | 20,000 credits and 3 phone numbers |
| Enterprise | Custom | Credits, concurrency, and phone numbers quoted for that organization |
A credit is not converted into minutes here. The pricing page is the place to read the current usage rules.
A software bill does not include payroll taxes, paid time off, or a replacement hire. It also does not stand in the office and greet someone who walks in. Many teams keep a person for that and use an AI voice agent for overflow and after-hours calls.
How to compare the two
Do not subtract a US wage from a Canadian software price and call the difference savings. The currency is different, the wage is not fully loaded, and the software total depends on the plan and the credits you use.
Use this check instead:
- Write down the wage and the scheduled hours you actually pay.
- Open pricing and write down the plan that matches your call volume.
- Add only the extra employer costs you can document from your own payroll.
- Decide which hours the person is not at the desk. Those are the hours to test with an agent.
An AI receptionist fits repeatable questions, appointment requests, and handoffs to a person. It is a poor fit when every call needs someone in the room. Wirevox does not currently offer a BAA. Do not process PHI through the platform until an appropriate agreement and reviewed workflow are in place.
What to look at besides the bill
Cost is not the only difference.
- Approved answers. Callers can hear the same hours, services, and booking rules you loaded, instead of a different version from each person.
- A record of the call. Call analytics is where you review what happened after the conversation.
- A person for the hard calls. Warm handoffs stay available. Integrations shows which connections are available now and which are still coming.
- Busy hours. A promotion can add calls without adding a second person to the phone for that week.
A one-week test
- Send overflow or after-hours calls to an agent, and keep the person who is in the office.
- Load the answers you approve into a knowledge base.
- Connect only a tool marked available on the integrations page.
- Read the transcripts for a week.
- Compare the calls that were answered with the software bill and with the wage you pay. Do not treat a test week as a savings guarantee.
For the setup steps, use how to set up an AI phone agent, or book a demo.
Bottom line
A human receptionist is still the person at the desk. In May 2025, the US median wage for that occupation was $38,010 a year. An AI receptionist is a software plan priced in Canadian dollars, and that plan does not include the employer’s taxes, benefits, or a replacement hire.
The practical question is which calls should be answered when that person is not available. Start with the live numbers on Wirevox pricing, or try the AI receptionist workflow.
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