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Yes AI - AI Solutions Australia

Receptionist Cost Calculator Australia

Compare your current employment costs with an AI-assisted scenario that keeps the human work your business still needs.

All defaults are illustrative. This tool estimates a budget; it does not calculate award entitlements or promise savings.

Enter your own costs

The model uses 52 paid weeks. Ordinary paid leave is already inside those wages. Other annual costs can include applicable leave loading, replacement cover, insurance, equipment, recruitment allocated to this year, management time and payroll tax. Enter only costs not already counted.

32/hour
38 hours
12%
10000/year
100%
500/month
1500

Retained costs are the share of current spending that continues after adding AI. Keep 100% if staff are reassigned and their wages stay the same. Include any extra human support in the monthly or transition cost inputs.

Your first-year comparison

Ordinary annual wages
$63,232
Estimated employer super
$7,588
Other annual costs entered
$10,000
Current annual cost estimate
$80,820
Existing costs retained with AI
$80,820
Annual AI running cost
$6,000
One-off setup and transition
$1,500
AI-assisted first-year total
$88,320

Modelled first-year cost reduction

-$7,500

A negative result means the AI-assisted scenario costs more. This is not a valuation of service quality, extra capacity or possible new revenue.

All amounts are AUD excluding GST. The comparison assumes unchanged prices and workload over one year, with setup charged once. It excludes inflation, financing, redundancy obligations and a delayed implementation ramp-up.

Current cost = hourly wage × paid weekly hours × 52, plus the selected super percentage and other annual costs. AI-assisted first-year cost = current cost × retained percentage + 12 monthly AI costs + setup and transition.

The 12% super default is a simplified budgeting assumption. Check the applicable earnings basis and your obligations with the ATO super guarantee guidance. Check pay and any leave loading with Fair Work annual leave guidance. Sources reviewed 10 September 2026.

AI inputs are examples, not a quote. See published Yes AI pricing, then confirm integration requirements, usage limits and support for your scope.

Check the work each option will cover

Phone coverage

Agree hours, overflow routing, simultaneous-call limits and what happens during an outage. Test representative calls at expected peak load.

Booking actions

Confirm the actual calendar or practice-system integration and supported actions. Test identification, availability, changes and failed writes.

Human escalation

Keep a route to staff for sensitive enquiries, ambiguity and tasks outside scope. Include the staff time required for review and follow-up.

Records and privacy

Agree whether calls are recorded or transcribed, the required notices, provider access and retention. Do not assume every provider has the same settings.

Measured workload

Record how many tasks complete correctly, time spent checking them, transferred calls and correction work. Compare these with the existing process.

Ongoing costs

Include call usage, software subscriptions, support, retained staffing and periodic maintenance. Confirm exclusions before choosing a plan.

Start with a limited overflow or after-hours pilot. Review incorrect actions and hand-offs before increasing coverage. Agree success measures and a fallback process; a nominal schedule is not a guarantee that every call will complete successfully.

Frequently asked questions

Does the calculator add paid leave on top of annual wages?

No. The 52-week wage estimate already budgets ordinary wages during paid leave. Add only extra costs that apply, such as leave loading or replacement cover, to other annual costs. Check the relevant award, agreement and payroll advice for your employee.

Is the hourly rate an award rate?

No. The default AUD 32 is an illustrative input, not a legal minimum or a measured market average. Use the actual applicable rate. This simplified model does not calculate overtime, penalty rates, casual loading, payroll tax thresholds or employment entitlements.

Why is the default retained cost 100%?

Adding AI does not automatically reduce wages or fixed costs. Start with your existing spending retained, then change the assumption only where you have a practical plan to reduce costs. Reassigning staff to other tasks can release capacity while leaving cash expenditure unchanged.

Does AI replace a full receptionist?

The roles cover different tasks. AI can assist with agreed phone enquiries or booking actions when integrations support them. In-person reception, sensitive decisions, exceptional cases and system failures still need staff. Test the proposed division of work before changing staffing.

Are the AI cost inputs a Yes AI quote?

No. They are editable example amounts. Review published pricing, then confirm the required integration, call volume, concurrent-call capacity, usage charges and support in a written scope. Include the full expected monthly cost and one-off transition costs.

Can the model show higher costs after adding AI?

Yes. If existing costs remain and AI adds a fee, the first-year difference is negative. This does not value possible service benefits, extra revenue or staff capacity; those need separate evidence. A positive difference is still a scenario estimate, not a promised saving.

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Discuss a Scoped Reception Pilot

Bring your workload and cost assumptions to a 30-minute consultation. Free for businesses with 20 or more staff; otherwise AUD 200 including GST.

Book ConsultationCall (03) 9003 0111