- AI multilingual receptionists can switch between any language instantly
- They are a much more affordable option compared to hiring an in-house receptionist or outsourcing to a traditional answering service
- For businesses, it becomes much easier to connect and serve a greater audience with an AI multilingual receptionist
Are there any AI virtual receptionists that offer multilingual support? If you want the quick answer: yes, there are.
Several AI virtual receptionist platforms with multilingual capabilities exist on the market today, making it easier for businesses to connect and answer people from diverse backgrounds.
In this walkthrough, we'll examine a few options that are available, what key features you should consider for your business, and how quickly you can get a working multilingual AI receptionist before your head even hits the pillow tonight.
What is a multilingual AI virtual receptionist?
A multilingual AI virtual receptionist does almost everything a human virtual receptionist would do, except that it's artificial intelligence. It's like having an automated phone answering system that picks up your business calls, sounds like a human agent, and speaks with callers in their native language, with the ability to switch on the fly.
For example, when a Spanish-speaking customer calls a business using an AI bilingual receptionist service, the AI voice agent can automatically detect their language preference and continue the entire conversation in Spanish—answering questions about business hours, taking messages, or even scheduling appointments.
Why multilingual support matters for small businesses
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that over 67 million U.S. residents speak a language other than English at home. That's about 20% of the population. That's a pretty large market segment many businesses struggle to serve.
When a potential customer calls your business and encounters a language barrier, several things happen:
- They immediately feel disconnected from your business
- The likelihood of miscommunication increases dramatically
- The probability of conversion plummets
- They're more likely to seek alternatives that serve them in their language
Why do small businesses use AI multilingual receptionists instead of human agents?
AI multilingual agents offer greater affordability for small businesses
One of the hardest things to do when running a business is maintaining affordability so you can stay profitable. So it's no surprise when we see people come to Upfirst's AI phone answering service, leaving behind their traditional answering service.
AI multilingual answering services offer affordable pricing plans, with platforms offering plans that start between $25-50 monthly. Depending on which AI virtual receptionist platform you use, you often get access to all features on top of multilingual capability—24/7 answering, lead capture, appointment scheduling, and more.
Top AI receptionists offering multilingual support
Here are some AI multilingual receptionist options on the market today:
Upfirst - Best for small businesses, customizability, and ease-of-use
Available languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and 90+ others.
Starting price: $24.95/mo
SynthFlow - Best for healthcare and finance centers
Available languages: English, Spanish, and 30+ others.
Starting price: $29/mo
Goodcall - Best for call analytics
Available languages: English, Spanish, and 30+ others.
Starting price: $59/mo
Slang.ai - Best for restaurants
Available languages: English and Spanish (multilingual support expanding).
Starting price: $380/mo
Smith.ai - Best for both human and AI agent support
Available languages: English and Spanish (via bilingual live agents and AI).
Starting price: $97.50/mo for AI caller intake
Features to consider for AI receptionists with language options
When picking between different multilingual AI receptionist solutions, these features make the difference between basic translation and a smooth phone call conversation:
Automatic language detection
The best systems can easily identify the caller's language automatically and instantly switch to speaking that language, rather than requiring callers to select their language preference. Asking callers to “Press 2 for Spanish” sort of defeats the purpose of an AI receptionist, so be sure to pick one that can automatically understand what language is being spoken and can easily switch.
Like with Upfirst, the AI receptionist can switch back and forth between languages on a dime. So, if you get the occasional "Spanglish-speaker", the AI can switch back and forth from English to Spanish, and then back to English again.
Natural conversation flow
Do AI voices sound off-putting to customers?
It definitely can if the AI actually sounds robotic. You might notice during your research that not all AI voices sound the alike, so look for virtual receptionist services that sound as human-like as possible and can hold a natural conversation.
For instance, with Upfirst you can choose from a dozen different human-like voices. You can easily listen to each one and choose the one you feel is best for your business.
Accent capability
You don’t just want an AI receptionist that speaks another language.
You want one that sounds like a native speaker.
All AI voice receptionists use text-to-speech engines to generate their voices. But not all of these engines are created equal. Some deliver natural, native-sounding speech. Others sound like someone reading from a language textbook...technically correct, but totally off in tone, rhythm, and accent.
With a low-quality service, it’s like asking someone who doesn’t speak Spanish to read it aloud. You’ll get something that resembles Spanish, but the pronunciation and cadence will be all wrong — and customers will notice.
At Upfirst, we support high-quality voices designed to sound like native speakers of English, Spanish, French, Russian, Italian, and more.
So if you really want to make your customers feel at home, then find a platform that can speak languages in the proper accent.
To let you in on a little tip: at Upfirst, if you have a request for a specific accent, we can most likely import it for you.
Other receptionist features to look for
Okay, you've found a good AI multilingual receptionist. It can speak other languages well and sound like a native speaker. But what about other receptionist features?
Here's a quick overview of other capabilities you should look for in an AI multiligual receptionist:
- Message taking. The most basic feature that AI answering services can manage. Can it accurately take and relay messages to you?
- Call transfers. Some businesses—like property management or veterinary clinics—need call routing services and transferring. If this is important for your business too, get a service that can handle call transferring.
- CRM integrations. Admittedly, native integrations for AI receptionist services still have a way to go. Services like Upfirst lets you connect to thousands of apps via Zapier, so you can push and update information gathered from calls. (Upfirst has a direct Google Calendar integration coming very, very soon).
- Lead capture. Can you set up the receptionist to ask the questions that you need to ask callers? Can you customize it to ask things like "What's your budget?", "Are you a current customer?", or "What breed is your pet?".
- Appointment scheduling. Setting appointments keeps many service-based businesses afloat. Can your multilingual receptionist also book appointments? Can it be booked right in your calendar?
- Customizability. Avoid platforms with rigid workflow builders. You should find an AI answering service that can be customized to your business.
- Ease-of-use. A good service shouldn't be difficult to get up and running, and most people don't have the time to play around with a complicated setup. Find something that's easy to set up an AI receptionist service in no time at all.
How to get started with Upfirst's multilingual AI receptionist in less than a day
Getting an AI multilingual receptionist is easy. Here's how to get one with Upfirst:
1. Get your account
Sign up with Upfirst, it's free to try for 14-days and there's no credit card required, so you can quickly test it out and see if you like it. You'll then add some information about your business and customize your AI's greeting and voice.
In the greeting, you can write the greeting in your preferred language. If you have mostly Spanish-speaking customers, put in a friendly Spanish greeting. Same with French, Portuguese, Russian, or others.
If you're not entirely sure, no worries. You can start with an English greeting and your AI receptionist will be able to detect if the person is speaking a different language.
2. Customize your knowledge base
This is where you can customize your receptionist to say the things you want it to say and do the things you want it to do. In the Knowledge section, input information about your business and any specific call handling instructions (things like FAQs, pricing info, service details, etc).
How do I get it to become multilingual?
No need to worry about inputting your instructions and business information in all languages. You can put everything in English (or your native language) and your AI can automatically translate it while on the call.
And that's it. No extra work, no need to switch any "on" buttons.
If you want a more direct approach, you can train your AI agent to specifically ask callers "What language would you like to continue this conversation?"
3. Forward incoming calls and go live
Then, after making some test calls and you're happy with how your receptionist responds, just follow your current phone provider's instructions on how to forward calls to your Upfirst phone number.
If you need assistance, feel free to reach out to Upfirst support. We're always happy to help our users.
After you've set up call forwarding, you're live! Your Upfirst multilingual receptionist will start answering every call on the first ring, ready to help your callers and make them feel right at home in their native language.
Ready to try it for yourself? Sign up with Upfirst today!
Wrapping up
A multilingual AI receptionist isn’t just a fancy, nice-to-have feature—it’s a practical way to give every customer a professional, personal experience. When your business can speak someone’s language, it builds trust, makes communication easier, and helps you turn more first-time callers into loyal customers.
FAQs about multilingual AI receptionists
Have a question about multilingual answering services that you don't see here? Get in touch with our team today.
Q: Can callers switch languages mid-conversation?
A: Yes, advanced systems like Upfirst can detect language changes mid-call and adapt accordingly. This is particularly useful for bilingual callers who may feel more comfortable discussing certain topics in one language versus another.
Q: How do multilingual AI receptionists handle industry-specific terminology?
A: Most platforms allow you to build custom scripts or vocabularies for your specific industry. By adding specialized terms to your knowledge base, you can ensure the system recognizes and correctly interprets industry jargon in all supported languages.
Q: Can these systems schedule appointments across language barriers?
A: Yes, modern multilingual AI receptionists can manage appointment scheduling regardless of the caller's language. The system will collect all necessary information in the caller's preferred language, then create calendar entries and notifications in your preferred language.
Nick Lau is a copywriter and content lead for Upfirst.ai. A self-starter at heart, he dove into marketing in 2015 by launching an e-commerce company, selling private-labeled products on Amazon and Shopify. When he’s not crafting copy, you might spot him on a winding road trip to the coasts or through forests, in search of unexplored places.
