The short answer
An AI receptionist for ecommerce brands built on HighLevel Voice AI costs about $0.24 per answered call, or $72 a month for 300 calls averaging 3 minutes, phone line included. Roughly 135 of those calls (45%) would come outside office hours, which is where an AI answering service earns its keep. Emergencies, complaints and anything needing judgment should go to a person.
What the AI should handle
Handle order status calls
Explain your shipping times and how tracking works, and text the order lookup page. Unless you connect it to your order system, it should not claim to know where a specific package is.
Start a return
Explain the return window and conditions from your policy, collect the order number and reason, create a task for support, and text the caller your returns form.
Answer product questions
Give sizing, materials, care or ingredient details from product information in the knowledge base, and suggest items only from your current catalog.
Capture wholesale inquiries
Collect the buyer's store name, location, product interest and expected quantities, create an opportunity, and email the wholesale line sheet.
What to send to a person
- Refunds, chargebacks and payment disputes
- Reports of damaged or unsafe products
- Packages stuck with the carrier for over a week
- Influencer, press and partnership requests
HighLevel's voice agents can transfer a live call, create a task, or trigger a workflow that texts the owner. Set the handoff rules before the agent goes live.
Cost per call and per month
Assumptions for a typical ecommerce brand: 300 calls a month answered by the AI, averaging 3 minutes. Phone minutes are billed per call and rounded up, so each call bills 3 phone minutes at $0.01165.
| Setup | AI cost | Phone line | Per month | Per call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay per use, Standard voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $61.20 | $10.49 | $72 | $0.24 |
| Pay per use, ElevenLabs voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $79.20 | $10.49 | $90 | $0.30 |
| Pay per use, speech-to-speech (OpenAI) | $180.00 | $10.49 | $190 | $0.63 |
| AI Employee Unlimited, $97 flat | $97.00 | $10.49 | $107 | $0.36 |
The breakdown of every Voice AI charge is in our Voice AI pricing guide. Agencies can price this as a monthly service with the calculator's Price a client tab, preloaded for a ecommerce brand.
Compared with staff time
Those 300 calls take about 15 hours of talk time a month. At the US median receptionist wage of $18.27 an hour (May 2025, Bureau of Labor Statistics), that talk time alone is worth about $274, before hold time, breaks, benefits and the calls that come in after hours. An AI receptionist does not replace a good front desk; it catches the overflow and the evenings, and frees staff for the people in front of them.
Sample call
AI AGENTThanks for calling. I'm the store's virtual assistant. Are you calling about an order you've placed?
CALLERYes, I ordered a jacket last Tuesday and it hasn't arrived.
AI AGENTSorry about the wait. Standard orders ship within two business days and take three to five days in transit. Did you get a shipping email with a tracking link?
CALLERI think so, but I can't find it.
AI AGENTNo problem. I'll text you the order lookup page now; enter your email and order number to see tracking. If it shows no movement for three days, reply to the text and our team will open a carrier claim.
CALLEROkay, that helps.
AI AGENTIs there anything else I can help with, like sizing or a return?
CALLERNo, thanks.
Prompt tips
- Tip 1Put your exact shipping, return and exchange policies in the knowledge base and tell the agent to read them as written when a caller asks about deadlines.
- Tip 2Tell the agent plainly that it cannot see live order data unless you connect it, so it points callers to tracking links instead of guessing.
- Tip 3List current promotions with end dates, and tell the agent to pass code problems to a person rather than inventing a replacement discount.
Rules to watch
Shipping promises on phone orders. The FTC's Mail, Internet or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule covers phone and online orders. You need a reasonable basis for any shipping time you state, or for shipping within 30 days if you state none, and you must offer cancellation and a refund when you cannot ship on time. Times given on a call count, so the AI should quote only your written policy.
Marketing texts need consent. FCC rules bar autodialed texts to mobile phones without prior consent, and consent must be in writing when the message is an advertisement. Collect SMS marketing consent separately at checkout, keep a record of it, and honor opt-outs made in any reasonable way.
Reviews. The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule bans fake reviews and incentives conditioned on positive sentiment. A discount offered only to customers who say they loved the product is out; a neutral request sent to every buyer avoids that problem.
General information, not legal advice.
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Questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost for a ecommerce brand?
Can the AI receptionist track a customer's package?
Is it worth answering store calls with AI when most customers email?
Can the AI process returns or refunds?
Can the AI take orders over the phone?
Sources
- HighLevel pricing page
- HighLevel LC Email pricing
- HighLevel Phone System (LC Phone) pricing and billing guide
- HighLevel WhatsApp pricing and billing guide
- HighLevel Voice AI agents overview
- HighLevel AI product pricing
- FTC: Business guide to the Mail, Internet or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule
- FCC: Stop unwanted robocalls and texts
- FTC: Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule questions and answers
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- AI Voice Agents overview
- HighLevel Phone System pricing and billing guide
- BLS Occupational Outlook: Receptionists (May 2025 pay)