AI receptionist

A receptionist who knows your stock and your prices

Front Desk answers your store's calls and texts like a sharp front-of-house hire — it knows what's on the shelf, what it costs, and when you're open. A flat $49.96/mo, not a salary.

Call Front Desk now · (702) 760-7515

That number is Shophand's Front Desk, live right now. Ask what's in stock, or ask what Batchly does. It's the same AI that would answer your store's phone.

Write the job description for a shop receptionist and it's short. Answer the phone before the caller gives up. Know whether the thing is in stock without walking to the shelf. Quote the right price. Write orders down where the counter will see them. Pass real problems to the owner instead of winging an answer. Most independent stores can't staff that job — the margin isn't there — so the owner does it in fragments, between customers, and the phone loses every tie. Front Desk, the AI receptionist inside Shophand, does that job as a flat monthly line item for a small business.

It starts out knowing the store

An outside answering service starts every shift knowing nothing about your shop. Someone reads your hours off a script, and every stock question ends in "I can take a message." Front Desk starts with the knowledge, because it runs inside your Batchly register: the same live inventory the register updates with every sale, the same prices — cash price and card price, if you run dual pricing — the same hours. Ask it "do you carry X" and the answer is the shelf's answer, current as of that call. That's the difference between a receptionist and a voicemail with manners.

What it handles — and what still routes to you

A good receptionist knows the limits of the role. So does this one:

Every conversation, handled or handed off, leaves a full transcript in your dashboard. You always know what was said in your store's name.

The $49.96 line vs the market

A human receptionist is a payroll line most small retail can't carry. The software market's answer hasn't been much kinder: typical published AI receptionist services run $200–$2,000/mo, and many meter by the minute or the call on top. Front Desk is a flat $49.96/mo on top of the $99/mo Batchly platform, calls and texts included. It's priced like a feature because that's what it is — part of your register, not a second vendor with its own contract and its own invoice. The numbers are all on the pricing page.

It works the text thread, too

Half of front-of-house now happens over SMS, so Front Desk holds those conversations as well. Customers text the store, get a menu, and order for pickup. And The Usual — in the same Shophand bundle — learns each regular's rhythm from their purchase history and texts them when their usual is due; one reply confirms the order. That's a receptionist who also remembers what every regular buys, which no $200/mo phone service is going to do.

Where it stops

Plainly, so there's no surprise later. It doesn't take card numbers over the phone — pickup orders are paid at the counter, on the register. It doesn't run your buying: Shophand's inventory side sends low-stock alerts and reorder suggestions for your core movers, and a human approves every order. It doesn't bluff — an unknown becomes a message, not a made-up answer. And it needs Batchly under it, because live register data is the whole point; it isn't a bolt-on for another POS. If you came here for the missed-call math — what an unanswered phone costs during a rush — that's the AI phone answering page. If you're weighing the register itself, start with the industries pages.

Front Desk is one duty of Shophand; the others are SMS ordering and The Usual.

Questions owners ask

What can an AI receptionist actually handle for a retail store?

Hours and location, stock questions answered from live inventory, price checks, pickup orders with texted confirmations, and full SMS conversations. Complaints, refunds, and vendor calls route to you as a message with a complete transcript.

Why is it $49.96/mo when other services cost hundreds?

Because it isn't a standalone service with its own stack and sales team — it's a feature of the register you already run. Typical published AI receptionist services run $200–$2,000/mo; Front Desk is a flat $49.96/mo with calls and texts included.

Does it handle text messages too?

Yes. Customers can text the store, get a menu, and order for pickup. The Usual, in the same bundle, texts your regulars when their usual purchase is due — one reply confirms the order.

What happens with calls it can't handle?

It says it doesn't know, takes a message, and leaves the full transcript in your dashboard. It never improvises an answer on a complaint or a refund — those decisions stay yours.

Do I need Batchly to use Front Desk?

Yes. The answers come from your live register inventory and prices, so it only exists inside Batchly. The platform is $99/mo with a 21-day free trial; Shophand adds a flat $49.96/mo.

Can I hear it before I sign up?

Yes. Call (702) 760-7515. That line is Shophand's Front Desk, live, answering from the demo store's live inventory. Ask what's in stock or what Batchly does; it is the same AI that would answer your store's phone.