Title: What Is Front Desk Automation? Definition | Keres AI URL: https://www.keresai.com/glossary/front-desk-automation Updated: 2026-10-12 Description: Front desk automation uses AI to answer calls, book appointments, qualify leads and answer questions, replacing or supplementing human receptionists. Source: https://www.keresai.com/glossary/front-desk-automation (HTML). This is a Markdown copy of the page's main content for AI agents and LLM tools. --- # What is Front Desk Automation? Front desk automation uses AI to perform the core tasks of a business's front desk without human staff: answering every call, greeting callers, booking and rescheduling appointments, qualifying and routing leads, answering common questions, collecting intake information, and escalating emergencies. It runs 24/7 and costs a fraction of full-time front desk staffing. How Keres AI handles it: Remi answers, qualifies and books calls in two rings, 24/7, and Found keeps your website and Google profile current, each billed month-to-month. ## What does front desk automation replace? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median wage for receptionists and information clerks at $38,010 a year ([BLS OEWS, May 2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes434171.htm)), before payroll taxes and benefits, for about 40 hours of coverage a week. A person also handles one call at a time and takes vacations. Front desk automation covers routine call handling continuously, including nights, weekends and emergencies, at a predictable monthly cost. It doesn't replace the human judgment calls; it takes the routine calls so staff can handle the ones that need a person. See the [staffing cost use case](https://www.keresai.com/use-cases/reduce-staffing-costs) and the [staffing savings estimator](https://www.keresai.com/tools/staffing-savings-estimator). ## Industries where front desk automation delivers the most value Any business with high inbound call volume: [HVAC](https://www.keresai.com/ai-receptionist-for-hvac) and home-services contractors, [dental practices](https://www.keresai.com/industries/dental-med-spa), [med spas](https://www.keresai.com/industries/dental-med-spa), [real estate teams](https://www.keresai.com/industries/real-estate), and [law firms](https://www.keresai.com/industries/law-firms). In each case, every missed or delayed call is a revenue leak that automation closes permanently. See the product behind this concept ### Want to see Front Desk Automation working in practice? See how Keres puts it to work for your vertical and workflow. ### How much is this costing your business? Plug in your call volume and average job value to see the monthly revenue at risk. ### [AI Receptionist](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/ai-receptionist) An AI receptionist is software that answers your business phone automatically, 24/7. The software greets callers in a na… ### [Appointment Booking Automation](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/appointment-booking-automation) Appointment booking automation is software that schedules, confirms and reschedules appointments without staff going bac… ### [Lead Response Time](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/lead-response-time) Lead response time (also called speed to lead) is the time between a prospect first reaching out — calling, submitting a… ### [After-Hours Answering](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/after-hours-answering) After-hours answering is a service that handles inbound calls outside normal business hours — evenings, weekends, and ho… [← Back to the full glossary](https://www.keresai.com/glossary) ## Front Desk Automation — FAQ ### Does front desk automation replace human receptionists? It replaces the routine tasks — answering calls, booking appointments, capturing leads, answering FAQs — and handles them better at scale. Most businesses use it alongside a human team, freeing staff for higher-value work. ### What is the ROI of front desk automation? Use the [staffing savings estimator](https://www.keresai.com/tools/staffing-savings-estimator) to calculate how much you could save compared to a full-time or part-time front desk hire. Last updated October 12, 2026 · [Reviewed by the Keres AI team](https://www.keresai.com/editorial-policy)