bOnline is introducing an AI receptionist designed to ensure small businesses in the UK never miss a call. According to consumer surveys, 80% to 86% of callers hang up immediately when reaching voicemail, and 82% of those callers dial a competitor instead. The London-based VoIP provider, serving around 50,000 UK small businesses, will launch the AI Receptionist in October.
Market Context: The 2027 Digital Transition
The launch coincides with a critical shift for Britain’s small business sector. BT and other network operators plan to switch off the UK’s analogue telephone lines by January 2027, pushing businesses toward digital communication solutions. bOnline positions the AI Receptionist as a means to support this transition without requiring an IT department. The product offers a round-the-clock virtual front desk that answers calls, captures caller details, routes enquiries, and escalates to a human when necessary. It is part of bOnline’s broader AI for Business Calls feature, priced at £19.95 monthly and bundled with an unlimited-calling VoIP line.
Read Also: Plumbers needed for urgent home repairs
AI Features and Customer Adoption
The AI Receptionist builds on bOnline’s existing technology, which transcribes and summarizes calls automatically, highlighting follow-up actions and sentiment scores. Roughly half of new bOnline customers now opt for its AI features, a rate the company describes as “incredibly encouraging.” Founder and CEO Anthony Karibian emphasizes that AI should enhance productivity rather than replace human workers. He notes that small businesses typically adopt new technology more slowly due to cost and complexity, but bOnline aims to close this gap by offering AI tools tailored for their market. The company claims over 20,000 five-star customer reviews and positions itself as the UK’s most awarded VoIP provider for small and growing businesses.
Leadership and Company History
Anthony Karibian, a seasoned entrepreneur, co-founded Euroffice, an online office supplies retailer, before launching XLN Telecom in 2003. XLN grew to serve around 130,000 small business customers and generate £60 million in revenue before its sale to ECI. bOnline, established in 2016, is his third venture focused on UK small businesses. The company’s mission has remained consistent: simplifying technology for businesses lacking technical expertise. Karibian argues that AI should remove friction in customer interactions, not create barriers, ensuring the human experience remains central.