What can go wrong with an AI receptionist for a Pilates studio

We sell an AI receptionist, and I still think a studio should read this list before buying anyone's, ours included. A Pilates line carries risks most small business lines don't: callers ask about their bodies, and some of them are hurt.

The evidence is thin. I found no independent test of AI receptionists on UK studio phone lines, and most surveys on AI service are paid for by a seller. What follows is those surveys, read with care, and my own judgement.

Problem 1: Some callers don't want AI

This is the main one, and the evidence is fairly consistent.

Gartner doesn't say which countries it covered in the release I read, and its survey pre-dates today's voice AI. These are opinions, not measures of what callers do.

For a studio, I'd expect this to matter more than for most businesses. A first Pilates class is optional, and the person ringing may be anxious about her body. A warm human voice is part of what she's buying. So I wouldn't put an AI on every call if you can answer them yourself.

But the fair comparison isn't AI against you on a good day. It's AI against nobody while you're teaching the 18:00 class, when just 6% of UK adults would leave a voicemail, according to YouGov for Answer4u.

How to reduce it:

• Open by saying it's an AI. 76% of UK respondents to Five9 rated being told as very or extremely important. A seller paid for that survey, but I'd do it regardless.
• Keep the greeting short.
• Always offer a person: "I can take your details and Kate will ring you after class."
• Read every summary for the first month, and listen to the calls if they're recorded.

Problem 2: It gets a name or number wrong

If the AI mishears a mobile number, you've lost that client, and a client's name wrong in your first message isn't a great welcome. I found no independent figure for this on UK phone lines, and accents and bad signals are the obvious worry.

How to reduce it:

• Have it read the number back.
• Send a text to the number given, so a mistake shows up.
• Test it with people who sound like your clients, on a bad mobile signal.
• Keep the caller ID in the summary, so you can ring back anyway.

Problem 3: It gives a wrong answer on price or class

It's quite likely to be asked "How much is a class?" and "Can I bring a friend?" and "Is there space on Thursday?" A timetable and price list change often, and a studio has lots of products: drop-ins, packs, intro offers and memberships.

I'd expect you to be held to what it says, as if a member of staff said it. Treat that as a business rule, whether or not a court ever tests it.

The risky areas for a studio are:

• Intro offers that ended last month.
• Prices without the joining fee, which the CMA says belongs in the headline price.
• Availability. It doesn't know Thursday is full unless it's connected to your bookings. Ours on its own isn't.
• Cancellation terms. "Don't worry, you'll get a refund" is a promise you didn't make.
• Teacher claims. "All our teachers are physios" isn't something it should ever say unless it's true.

How to reduce it:

• Give it one written price list, and tell us when it changes.
• Have it say "Kate will confirm" on anything about refunds or availability.
• Review summaries each week.

Problem 4: It's asked for health advice

This is where a studio differs most. People ring and ask things such as:

• "I've got a slipped disc. Can I do reformer?"
• "I'm 14 weeks pregnant. Is it safe?"
• "I've just had a hip replacement."
• "Will this help my back pain?"

The AI should never answer these. Not because the answer's always no, but because it hasn't seen the person, and a wrong "yes" could hurt them. A confident "Pilates will fix your back" could also be an advertising problem. It's the sort of treatment claim you can't back up, and CAP's rules on claims about health apply to what you say to promote your studio. I'd treat a phone script the same way.

How to reduce it:

• Give it one line: "That's one for a teacher. I'll take your details, and Kate will ring you back. Your GP or midwife is the best person to ask if it's safe for you."
• Ban it from any advice on exercises, injury or pregnancy.
• Check summaries for those questions, and ring back the same day.

The NHS has its own page on exercise in pregnancy, listed in the Sources. Don't let the AI paraphrase it. The safe answer is always to route the caller to the right person.

Problem 5: Real emergencies

Most calls to a studio are routine. The rare one isn't: a client rings the morning after class and says she can't feel her legs properly, or someone in the studio has collapsed and a panicked friend rings the number on your website.

On a number the AI answers, ours only knows a call is urgent if the caller says so. It then tries to transfer the call to you, and if you can't pick up, it takes details and puts them in your summary. That's why it isn't enough by itself. You're in class. You can't pick up.

So the rule I'd give any AI is plain. You must set this, test it and re-test it. Don't assume any provider, including us, has it right for your studio until you've rung it yourself.

That's as far as I'll take it here. Which symptoms count is a medical judgement, and it isn't one for me or for a chatty AI. Have your own script approved by a qualified person. The NHS pages in the Sources are a sensible place for them to start, covering heart attack, head injury, slipped disc, sciatica and bleeding in pregnancy.

Keep it short and fixed, with no chatting around it. The AI shouldn't diagnose, ask follow-up questions first or reassure anyone. It should give the line, then take a name and number for your summary.

Think about your own studio too:

• Have a person on the premises who knows the first-aid plan. HSE says you may need to consider first aid for the public as well as employees.
• Keep your own emergency line separate. With ours, you can have a separate emergency number and an enquiry number. I'd give the emergency one to teachers, not the public.
• Write down what you'll do with an injury report. If a client says a reformer hurt them, ring them yourself, take the machine out of use and tell your insurer.

Test this before you go live, by ringing it and using the words a frightened person would use.

Problem 6: Privacy, call recording and health information

Lots of AI tools record or transcribe calls. A Pilates call can include health details, which are special category data under Article 9 of the UK GDPR.

• The ICO's guidance says you must tell callers you're recording, and why. It's filed under monitoring workers and it's being reviewed, but I'd still work to it.
• The rest of your privacy detail can sit behind a link or on your site.
• Your privacy notice should mention how AI is used, and who handles the transcripts. Get advice on your lawful condition for health details.
• Keep the AI from asking for health details. It doesn't need them to take a booking enquiry.
• A caller can ask you for a recording that holds her information.

Ours can record calls, and the greeting says so. Fasthosts is among those selling alternatives, so ask any provider what's recorded, where it's stored and how long it's kept.

I found no UK rule that specifically requires a business to say a caller is talking to an AI on an inbound call, but I couldn't check the very latest position, so tell them anyway. Don't use an AI to cold call. Marketing calls have much stricter rules.

Problem 7: The bill grows

Many AI receptionists charge by call or usage. Fasthosts includes 30 calls on its £39 plan and charges 49p a call after that. Timetable season can bring a rush. In January, I'd expect more calls than in August.

• Check what counts as a call, and whether spam is charged.
• Ask what happens when you go over.
• Watch the first three months closely.

Our plans include a monthly usage credit, and any extra goes on your bill.

Problem 8: It takes details, then nobody rings back

This is the failure I'd expect most, and it has nothing to do with AI. A summary that says "wants to try beginners' reformer" is worth nothing if you ring on Friday. By then, she's booked somewhere else.

Set a daily time after your last morning class for call-backs. Use the text templates. And read why Pilates clients don't come back, because the first call is only the start.

Where ours stands

Hold any provider to this list. Ours works like this:

• It says it's an AI at the start of the call.
• It answers from what you've told it about your classes, prices and hours.
• It takes the caller's details, and you get a summary.
• On its own, it doesn't book. You call back and book. The full AI Business Engine adds booking.
• It can record calls, and the greeting says so.
• You can have a separate emergency number and an enquiry number.
• On a number the AI answers, it only knows a call is urgent if the caller says so. Then it tries to transfer the call to you. If you can't pick up, it takes details and puts them in your summary.

The safety wording above is something you must set with us and test. No provider can take a studio's risks away, us included. To decide whether it's worth it at all, read our honest view.

David Bell, founder of Real Business Systems

David helps small UK businesses get found, answer every enquiry and keep customers coming back. We sell some of the services mentioned here, and we say so where they come up.