Triage the shared inbox
Identify whether local business customers need information, a booking, a quote, or a person, then follow the appropriate conversation path.
Chat-first customer assistant
AI Receptionist — Your Chat-First Inbox Across Every Channel
OpenTulpa's AI receptionist is a full-featured chat agent for website, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram — answering messages, booking appointments, and capturing leads 24/7. Phone optional.
Give every configured inbox a consistent first response, gather the reason for contact, and route conversations to the right next step.
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Practical jobs
What this receptionist handles
Repeatable customer-message work with clear boundaries and a defined next step.
Answer routine front-desk questions
Use approved details about your services, pricing, and availability, hours, locations, preparation, and policies to reduce repetitive replies.
Create a useful handoff summary
Pass the customer’s question, contact details, urgency, and conversation context to the responsible person.
The problems this solves
1
Unanswered messages during busy hours or after closing — every slow reply loses a customer
2
Customers waiting hours for a DM reply and booking with a competitor instead
3
Paying for inbox staffing that only covers business hours
4
Lost revenue from weekend and evening inquiries sitting unread
5
Inconsistent replies across staff and channels
6
No way to handle multiple simultaneous chats without delays
How the receptionist supports the workflow
24/7 message & inquiry handling
Your AI receptionist responds instantly across website chat, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram — so you never miss a message.
Intelligent appointment scheduling
Checks real-time availability, books appointments, and sends confirmations and reminders automatically.
Lead qualification and smart routing
Asks discovery questions, captures contact details, and routes qualified prospects to your team with full chat context.
Multi-channel chat coverage
One AI chatbot manages Instagram DMs, website chat widget, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger.
Trained on your business
Knows your pricing, services, availability, and policies — responds the way your team would.
Human escalation for edge cases
Sensitive or complex requests get flagged for your review before the AI acts.
Information collected
What the assistant asks for
Collect only the details needed to answer, qualify, schedule, or hand off the request.
- Name, contact details, and reason for contacting the business
- Relevant service or appointment details
- Preferred timing, location, and urgency
- Information required by the handoff or booking rules you approve
Setup requirements
What your team provides
- Selected messaging or website chat channels
- A reviewed knowledge base covering services, policies, hours, and locations
- Named owners and response expectations for each handoff category
Honest limitations
Where people and configured systems stay in control
- OpenTulpa is chat-first and does not natively replace a phone-answering service.
- It should not make judgment calls beyond the policies and escalation rules you approve.
Human handoff
When the receptionist hands off
OpenTulpa should handle repeatable chat work and give local businesses teams context, not block customers from reaching a person. You define the triggers, owner, and expected response time.
- The customer requests a person
- The inquiry is urgent, sensitive, or outside standard policy
- The next step requires professional or operational judgment
Your ai receptionist in action
A real conversation — not a scripted flow.
Hi, I'd like to book an appointment for tomorrow.
Hi! I'd be happy to help. What service are you looking for, and do you have a preferred time?
A consultation, afternoon if possible.
Checked schedule: 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM available tomorrow
I have 2:00 PM or 4:30 PM available tomorrow. Which works better for you?
2 PM works great.
Appointment booked · confirmation sent
You're all set for tomorrow at 2:00 PM. I've sent you a confirmation. See you then!
ROI Comparison
Inbox coordinator — Staffing costs vary by market.
Your AI chatbot — $79–299/mo, no days off.
See the math: the real cost of a hire, the hours they actually work, and how many leads you lose after hours.
| Metric | Hire | OpenTulpa |
|---|---|---|
| Online hours | 8 / day | 24/7 |
| Concurrent customers | 1–2 | Unlimited |
| Onboarding time | Weeks | A day |
| Sick days & vacation | Happens | Never |
| Channels covered | Manual DMs | All channels |
| After-hours coverage | None | Included |
AI Receptionist by industry
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AI Receptionist for Real Estate Agencies
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AI Receptionist for Spas & Wellness Studios
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AI Receptionist for Home Services & Contractors
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Frequently asked questions
An AI receptionist is a chat agent that handles inbound customer messages — answering questions, booking appointments, and capturing leads — automatically, 24/7. OpenTulpa is messaging-first: website chat, Instagram DM, and WhatsApp. Looking for a dedicated channel? See our WhatsApp AI chatbot and website chat widget pages.
Scripted chatbots follow button trees. OpenTulpa's AI receptionist understands natural language, manages scheduling, and handles multi-turn conversations across channels — like a trained inbox manager, not a FAQ bot.
OpenTulpa is chat-first — website, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Phone integrations may be available depending on your plan; message automation is the core product today.
Instagram DMs, website chat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and SMS. Your AI meets customers in chat — where local businesses get most inquiries.
OpenTulpa uses flat monthly plans listed on the pricing page. Human staffing costs vary by market, hours, and responsibilities, so businesses should compare the published plan price with their own fully loaded staffing cost.
If you want one agent across all channels, start here. If you care most about one channel, use our WhatsApp AI chatbot, website chat widget, or Instagram DM automation product pages directly.
Ready to plan your receptionist?
Give every configured inbox a consistent first response, gather the reason for contact, and route conversations to the right next step.
Configure the workflow before you commit