Compare · Cost analysis
Comparison
emii vs a human receptionist
A full-time receptionist in Australia costs $65,000–$86,000 per year with on-costs. And they still miss calls. Here's the full cost comparison.
emii advantages
- Available 24/7, 365 days
- Fraction of the annual cost
- Zero sick days, leave, or turnover
- Handles multiple calls simultaneously
Human advantages
- Handles complex nuanced situations
- Human empathy for sensitive calls
- In-person presence for walk-ins
- Costs ~$75K/yr all-in
Feature breakdown
Availability
emii
Human
24/7 coverage (including weekends & public holidays)
A full-time receptionist covers ~40 hours/week; emii covers all 168
After-hours call handling
Simultaneous calls
Sick days / unplanned absence
Annual leave
Cost (annual, Australian business)
emii
Human
Base salary
Superannuation (11%)
Required employer contribution
Payroll tax & on-costs
Recruitment cost
Onboarding & training
Setup / upfront cost
Performance & consistency
emii
Human
Same answer every time
Industry knowledge retention
Knowledge lost on resignation
Handles complex nuanced calls
emii escalates complex calls to a human with full context already shared
Capabilities
emii
Human
Inbound call answering
Appointment booking & rescheduling
FAQ answering
Lead qualification
In-person front desk presence
Human empathy on sensitive calls
emii is calibrated for sensitive industries; escalates when needed
CRM logging after every call
Where emii leads
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The true annual cost of a receptionist
A full-time receptionist in Australia earns $55,000–$65,000 in salary. Add superannuation (11%), annual leave, sick leave, payroll tax, and recruitment costs — the real annual cost is $70,000–$86,000. emii costs a fraction of that and never takes a day off.
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After-hours calls are where revenue leaks
60% of business enquiries happen outside business hours. A human receptionist covers 8 hours per day, 5 days per week — leaving 128 hours per week where your phone goes unanswered. emii covers all 168.
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Turnover is the hidden cost
Receptionist turnover in Australia averages 35–40% annually. Recruitment takes 6–8 weeks; training takes another 2–4 weeks. Once configured, emii retains 100% of its knowledge indefinitely and never hands in its notice.
Frequently asked
What does a full-time receptionist cost in Australia in 2026?
A full-time receptionist's average salary is $55,000–$65,000 per year. Once you add superannuation (11%), annual leave, sick leave, payroll tax, and recruitment and training costs, the true cost is $70,000–$86,000 annually — before any overtime or agency fees.
Can emii fully replace a human receptionist?
For inbound call handling, appointment booking, FAQ answering, and lead qualification — yes, emii handles these without human involvement. For complex nuanced conversations or situations requiring human empathy and judgement, emii escalates to a human in real time with full context already shared. Most businesses find a hybrid model works best: emii handles the volume, humans handle the exceptions.
What happens when emii can't answer a question?
emii escalates the call to a nominated human and passes along the full conversation transcript and context so the caller doesn't need to repeat themselves. The human picks up with full context already in hand.
How long does it take to train emii vs a human receptionist?
Training a new receptionist takes 2–4 weeks before they're fully productive. emii is live within 24 hours of setup. You provide your FAQs, pricing, services, and calendar access — emii learns your business, not a generic script.
See it for yourself
Hear emii in action.
Call our live demo line. Ask it anything. Then decide.
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