Virtual Receptionist — live, AI and hybrid call answering from Vereeniging
Virtual Receptionist is the trading name of Work With Me cc, a telephone answering service that has taken calls for South African businesses since 2001. It now sells three ways to answer a line: trained receptionists in office hours, an AI receptionist that answers around the clock, and a hybrid in which the AI takes over after hours and when the agents are busy. The AI-only Starter plan costs R680 a month including VAT, month to month, and the company lists its office in Three Rivers, Vereeniging.
Key facts
| Who they are | Work With Me cc (registration 2001/038517/23), trading as Virtual Receptionist, a telephone answering service operating since 2001. Its Google business listing is at 5 Caledon Drive, Three Rivers, Vereeniging. The office line is 011 966 8000 and the AI assistant answers on 010 006 9449. |
| What it does | The AI receptionist answers in the company’s name day and night, answers common questions from information the client supplies, takes messages and emails them straight away, transfers callers, books appointments in a linked calendar and sends SMS or email confirmations. Every call is transcribed and transcripts can be downloaded. Live receptionists work Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. |
| Languages | The website says the AI answers in the caller’s language but does not name any languages, so ask for a test call in the languages your callers use. |
| Numbers | Clients get a dedicated number or forward an existing one. The standard terms say Work With Me owns any number it allocates, so a business that wants to keep its number after leaving should forward its own line rather than publish the allocated one. |
| Integrations | Hybrid plans sync notes, bookings and caller details to a CRM (none is named) and book into the client’s calendar. Live Business plans and up include calendar management. |
| Who it’s for | Small firms and practices that want every call answered in their name, and businesses that want a person on the line during office hours with AI covering nights, weekends and overflow. |
| ICASA licence | No ICASA licence reference was found on the pages checked. Virtual Receptionist also sells a Cloud PBX on quote, so ask which licensed network carries the numbers it allocates. |
| Pricing | Published, all including VAT. AI Starter R680 a month with 60 minutes of incoming calls and 60 minutes of transfer time. Live receptionist plans from R790 (200 calls) to R6,125 (2,500 calls), then R3 a call. Hybrid plans R1,270, R1,800, R2,645 and R6,700, each including 60 to 120 AI minutes. Live and hybrid plans carry a R300 once-off registration fee. Rates rise each year with inflation. |
| Listed In | AI Voice Agent Providers |
A 25-year-old answering bureau that added an AI shift
Most AI voice services in South Africa are new software companies. Virtual Receptionist comes from the other direction: it has run a staffed answering service since 2001 and added AI to cover the hours its people do not work. That makes the hybrid plans its most distinctive product. A receptionist answers from 8am to 5pm on weekdays, and the AI picks up after hours, on weekends and public holidays, and when every agent is already on a call, so a caller is greeted instead of waiting on hold. The AI-only plan costs R680 a month including VAT, but its 60 included minutes suit a light line, so price extra airtime before relying on it for a busy one. Two points from the standard terms are worth reading before you sign: the allocated number belongs to Work With Me, and the cancellation wording is not consistent, with one clause running the account to month end and another giving a 30-day cancellation period. The AI can be live within two hours.
Who Virtual Receptionist is a fit for
- Practices and small firms that want a real person on the phone in office hours and nothing missed after hours
- Sole traders who need a line answered in their business name for under R700 a month
- Businesses that want call transcripts and emailed messages rather than a voicemail box
How Virtual Receptionist sits in the AI voice agent category
- 17 verified AI receptionist and voice agent providers on WhichVoIP; 3 carry a Google rating.
- No published Google rating for Virtual Receptionist (3 of 17 in the category have one; median 10 reviews).
Computed from the WhichVoIP provider register; refreshes as ratings and reviews change.
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Call answering in South Africa now ranges from staffed bureaus with an AI night shift to fully automated receptionists billed by the minute. WhichVoIP’s comparison lines up the reviewed services on included minutes, languages, calendar and CRM links, and whether they can answer on the number you already have.
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Compare AI voice agents →Commonly asked questions
How much does Virtual Receptionist cost?
The AI Starter plan is R680 a month including VAT (sampled 23 October 2026), with 60 minutes of incoming calls and 60 minutes of transfer time. Live receptionist plans run from R790 for 200 calls to R6,125 for 2,500 calls, and hybrid plans with AI after hours from R1,270 to R6,700 a month. Live and hybrid plans add a R300 once-off registration fee, and the terms say rates rise each year with inflation. Compare published prices or get up to 3 quotes.
Does the AI receptionist work after hours?
Yes. The AI-only plan answers 24 hours a day. On the hybrid plans, live receptionists answer from 8am to 5pm on weekdays and the AI takes over in the evenings, on weekends and public holidays, and when the agents are all busy.
Which languages does the AI speak?
The website says the AI answers in the caller’s language but does not list which ones. If your callers speak Afrikaans, isiZulu, Sesotho or another language, call the AI line on 010 006 9449 or ask for a trial in that language first.
Can I keep my existing business number?
Yes. You can forward your existing number to the service or take a dedicated number. The standard terms say Work With Me owns any number it allocates, so forwarding your own line keeps the number yours if you move.
Is there a contract?
Plans are sold month to month with no long-term contract and are paid monthly in advance by debit order or EFT. The terms ask for cancellation by email; one clause runs the account to month end and another sets a 30-day cancellation period, so confirm which applies in writing.
Where is Virtual Receptionist based?
Work With Me cc, trading as Virtual Receptionist, is listed at 5 Caledon Drive, Three Rivers, Vereeniging, and serves businesses across South Africa. Its office line is 011 966 8000.
This listing is maintained by WhichVoIP, an independent South African telecoms comparison service running since 2019. Details are verified against the provider’s public website and were last reviewed on 23 October 2026.