Hair salon, Saturday 11am
Every stylist is mid-foil. The receptionist takes the three calls that come in during the rush, books two, and leaves a callback note for the colour correction that needs a consult.
Mahi Time for hair salons
AI receptionist
New Zealand and Australia
The AI receptionist for salons that
actually books.
Answers every call in your business name, checks the live calendar, books the appointment with the right person and texts the confirmation. For salons, barbers, clinics, groomers and trades in New Zealand and Australia. Built into Mahi Time, not bolted onto it.
NZ$129 (approx A$119) a month. Up to two locations, unlimited staff, no per-call fee.
7:04 PM · AFTER HOURS
+64 27 ••• 4410
Caller
Hi, is Sam free for a cut sometime next week?
Receptionist
Sam has Tuesday at 2pm or Thursday at 10am for a 45 minute cut. Which suits?
Caller
Tuesday two, under Jess.
Receptionist
Booked. Tuesday 2pm with Sam. I have texted you the confirmation, reply to it if anything changes. See you then, Jess.
0:48
call length1
booking made0
staff interruptedHow it works
Forward the phone. That is the setup.
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Step 1
Forward your number
Point your business line, or just the after-hours and busy-signal overflow, at the number Mahi Time gives you. NZ and AU numbers. Keep your existing number.
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Step 2
It answers as you
Greets callers in your business name, in the voice and accent you pick. It already knows your services, prices, durations, staff and opening hours because it reads them from Mahi Time.
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Step 3
It books in the live calendar
Checks availability for the staff member asked for, offers times, books, reschedules or cancels. Same engine as the admin calendar, so no double bookings and no bookings on a closed day.
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Step 4
It confirms and logs
Sends the SMS confirmation from your local number, writes the call summary and recording to the client record, and hands off to a human if asked.
What it handles
The calls you miss now
Roughly a third of calls to a small service business go unanswered. Each one is a booking that goes to whoever picks up next.
Barbershop, walk-in queue
"How long is the wait?" It reads the live queue and says twenty minutes, or books a named slot for later so the client does not walk to the shop up the road.
Mahi Time for barbersDog groomer, mobile
You are in a van with a wet spaniel. The receptionist books the next full groom, asks the breed and coat condition you told it to ask, and texts the address confirmation.
Mahi Time for pet groomingSkin clinic, after hours
A new client wants a consult before a course. It books the consult only, explains the patch test rule you set, and flags the enquiry as new business in the morning summary.
Mahi Time for skin clinicsTradie, on the tools
A customer rings about a leaking tap. The receptionist offers the next free slot in the right suburb, books it, and texts them what to have ready.
Mahi Time for tradiesMassage, solo therapist
You cannot answer with your hands on a client. The receptionist does, in your name, and the booking is in the calendar before the session ends.
Mahi Time for massage therapistsSame brain, on your website
AI webchat that books
One script tag adds a chat to your site that answers from your real service menu and books appointments in the conversation. Visitors can type or talk. It is the same agent as the phone, with the same knowledge base, so you set it up once.
NZ$49 (approx A$45) a month, needs the phone receptionist. No per-message charge.
How embedding worksFor you, not your clients
MCP server for your own AI
Connect Claude, ChatGPT or your own agent to Mahi Time over the Model Context Protocol and ask it to fill Friday's gaps from the waitlist, list clients who have not rebooked, reconcile the day's takings or issue a voucher. Every tool respects the same role permissions as a staff login.
Included in the plan with the public REST API and webhooks.
API and MCP on the features pageWhat it will not do
- It will not book outside the rules you set. If you require a deposit for new clients, it takes the deposit by SMS pay link or it does not book.
- It will not pretend to be human when asked. It says it is the salon's AI receptionist and offers a human.
- It will not make medical or treatment judgements. Consults, patch tests and contraindications follow the rules you configure, and anything unclear becomes a callback.
- It will not replace the person at your front desk on a Saturday. It takes the calls that person cannot, and all the ones that come in after they go home.
Pricing
Published, flat, no per-call fee
Fresha's AI Concierge with calls is NZ$249.95 per location per month with 200 minutes included, then NZ$1.50 a minute. Mindbody includes its AI front desk only on its A$369 tier. Timely, Kitomba, Setmore and Square do not offer an AI receptionist that books (checked 31 October 2026).
Full comparison tableAI phone receptionist
$129
NZD / month, approx A$119
Up to two locations. Unlimited staff. Unlimited calls. On top of the NZ$109 plan.
AI webchat
$49
NZD / month, approx A$45
Needs the phone receptionist. No per-message charge. MCP server and REST API included in every plan.
FAQ
AI receptionist questions
What is an AI receptionist for a salon?
Software that answers your business phone, understands what the caller wants, checks your live calendar and books, reschedules or cancels the appointment during the call, then sends an SMS confirmation. Mahi Time's is built into the booking system rather than connected to it, so it uses the same availability, services, prices and rules as your front desk.
How much does the Mahi Time AI receptionist cost?
NZ$129 (approx A$119) a month on top of the Mahi Time plan, covering up to two locations and unlimited staff. The AI webchat for your website is NZ$49 (approx A$45) a month on top of that. No per-call or per-booking fee. Prices exclude GST.
Does it work with New Zealand and Australian phone numbers?
Yes. You forward your existing business number (or an after-hours line) to the number Mahi Time gives you, in NZ or AU. Callers hear your business name and your accent choice.
Will it double book or ignore my closures?
No. It calls the same booking actions as the admin calendar, so closures, staff time off, buffers, processing times, pairing rules and skills are all enforced. If a slot is not available to a receptionist, it is not available to the AI.
What happens when a caller wants a human?
It hands off. You choose whether that is a warm transfer to a mobile, a callback request that lands in your inbox with a transcript, or a message. Every call is logged with a recording and summary in the admin panel.
Can it answer questions about prices, parking and products?
Yes. It reads your service menu for prices and durations, and you give it a short knowledge base for everything else: parking, cancellation policy, which stylists do extensions, gift vouchers. Change the price in Mahi Time and the receptionist knows within seconds.
How is this different from Fresha's AI Concierge or a call-answering service?
Answering services take a message. Fresha's AI Concierge books, but it is a NZ$249.95 per location add-on on a marketplace platform that also charges 20% on new clients. Mahi Time's receptionist is NZ$129 (approx A$119), books into a commission-free system, and shares its brain with the webchat and the MCP server.
Can my own AI tools use it?
The receptionist is for your clients. For you, the MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT or your own agents run reports, fill gaps, move bookings and issue vouchers under staff-level permissions. It is included in the plan.
Hear it answer your own phone
Start the 21-day trial, add the receptionist from Settings, forward your number. Ten minutes.