AI Communications
Your customers reach out on their terms by phone, by text, during business hours and after. The question is whether your business is there when they do.
A call comes in after hours. A text goes unanswered. A customer gets put on hold and hangs up.
Today, RingCentral is expanding AI Receptionist (AIR), an AI agent that answers calls and texts 24/7, to help businesses handle more of these moments across new channels and workflows, including e-commerce, scheduling, messaging, and overflow handling.
Whether it’s a customer call, a text message, a booking request, or a call that hits an overloaded queue, AIR makes sure every opportunity gets handled. Here’s what’s new.
Summary of what’s new in AIR
- SMS support: AIR now responds to inbound texts 24/7, answers questions, books appointments, and hands off to a live agent when needed.
- Call queue overflow: AIR can serve as a destination in your call queue, stepping in automatically when agents are unavailable.
- Shopify integration: AIR connects to your Shopify store to handle order and product inquiries in real time.
- Calendly integration: AIR can book, reschedule, and cancel appointments using your existing Calendly setup.
- WhatsApp support: AIR will respond to inbound WhatsApp messages, handling questions and bookings across international markets.
- Auto-detection multi-language switching: AIR can detect a caller’s language from their first word and switches automatically, across 10+ languages.
Pricing: Standalone AIR starts at $49/month. RingEX customers can add AIR starting at $39/month. Both plans include 100 minutes.
AIR now responds to inbound SMS, 24/7
AIR now handles inbound SMS, not just phone calls.
When a customer texts your business number, AIR responds automatically 24/7. It answers common questions using your business knowledge base, books appointments directly through text, and hands off to a live team member with context when the conversation needs a human touch.
For instance, a patient can text after hours asking about appointment availability. AIR replies with options, books the slot, and sends a confirmation.
AIR answers calls when agents are unavailable
Sometimes it just gets busy. Your queue fills up. Agents are stretched. Calls get dropped, and those customers don’t always call back.
AIR can now be set as a destination inside your call queue. When agents aren’t available, whether it’s peak demand, after hours, or overflow, AIR steps in automatically. It greets callers, handles common inquiries, routes urgent needs, and logs everything for follow-up.
Think of a busy dispatch line. When staff are on other jobs, AIR captures job details and urgency so dispatch can prioritize callbacks.
Support your Shopify shoppers 24/7
E-commerce businesses spend a lot of time answering the same calls: “Where’s my order?” “Is this in stock?”
With the Shopify integration, AIR connects directly to your Shopify store and handles those calls automatically. It uses real-time store data to answer product and order inquiries instantly.
For example, AIR can retrieve tracking details during a call, so business owners can focus on running their business.
Automate your Calendly bookings
Scheduling over the phone is one of the most common and time-consuming tasks for front-desk teams. With the Calendly integration, AIR can book, reschedule, and cancel appointments in real time, using your existing Calendly setup.
It taps directly into the availability, rules, and workflows businesses have already set up through Calendly.
Reach customers on WhatsApp
AIR is coming to WhatsApp. When a customer messages you on WhatsApp, AIR responds automatically. It can answer questions, schedule appointments and capture what the customer needs, just like it does on voice and SMS.
This is powerful for reaching international customers. A customer can ask about product availability, and AIR responds in real time with details and a purchase link, turning a conversation into a conversion.
Break down language barriers with automatic language switching
Today, if a customer calls and speaks a different language, they typically have to navigate a menu first to select it. Auto-detection multi-language switching removes that friction entirely.
AIR can detect the caller’s language from the very first word they speak and switch to it automatically, across 10+ supported languages.
A hotel can greet every caller in their own language, making it easier to book a room, ask questions, or get help. Or a public service organization can serve residents in their preferred language, helping people get information and access services without added friction.
How businesses are using AI Receptionist: real results by industry
More than 11,800 businesses are now using AIR. And they’re seeing real results:
- Construction: Call wait times dropped 87%, from 12 minutes down to just 90 seconds when Keller Interiors deployed AI Receptionist across 33 locations. Customer satisfaction scores climbed 3 points in just 4 months.
- Healthcare: SpineOne deployed AIR for 24/7 automated intake and intelligent call routing, virtually eliminating call abandonment to just 2% within 30 days and doubling conversion rates.
- Financial services: Maple Federal Credit Union reduced hold times by 90% and streamlined member service across branches. By providing 24/7 self-service for routine inquiries, they got back 1.5 hours of daily capacity per staff member.
- Non-profit: Iron Workers International uses AIR to handle common member inquiries and send follow-up texts automatically. This resulted in 60% of member calls resolved by AIR with a 38% decrease in call handle time.
AIR: Always-on AI across messaging and voice channels
AIR is now a cross-channel AI layer for your business. It handles calls, texts, overflow, bookings, e-commerce inquiries, multilingual conversations, and more.
AIR as a standalone solution is now available at a lower price for businesses, starting at $49/month, which includes 100 minutes. RingEX customers can add AIR starting at $39/month, which includes 100 minutes.
Ready to see it for yourself? Visit ringcentral.com/air to learn more or call our toll-free number 1-844-587-9247 to speak with Natalie, one of our AI Receptionists.
FAQs
What’s new in AI Receptionist as of May 2026? RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR) is expanding across new channels and workflows. New capabilities include SMS support, call queue overflow handling, and integrations with Shopify, Calendly, and WhatsApp. AIR also will soon supports auto-language switching across 10+ languages, detecting a caller’s language from their first word.
Does AI Receptionist now support SMS? Yes. AIR responds to inbound text messages 24/7, answering common questions, booking appointments, and handing off to a live team member with full context when a human touch is needed.
Can AI Receptionist handle call overflow? Yes. AIR can be set as a destination inside your call queue, automatically stepping in when agents are unavailable due to peak demand, after-hours calls, or stretched capacity. It greets callers, handles common inquiries, routes urgent needs, and logs every interaction for follow-up.
Originally published May 07, 2026
