AI receptionist on iMessage: answer customer texts after hours

Who uses an AI receptionist on iMessage?

ZeroSettle's AI receptionist on iMessage suits a gym, yoga studio, local shop or service business with no developer, whose customers text after closing: “Are you open Sunday? How much is a drop-in? Can I bring my kid?” Left until morning, some give up and go elsewhere. ZeroSettle is an iMessage API: a real phone number on real iMessage, running on Apple hardware we operate for you, that your code texts customers from and hears back on through a bearer token and signed webhooks. For a receptionist, the hosted agent takes the place of that code.

The same agent runs a hotel's guest line, an event help line and a creator's text line; more jobs are on the use cases hub.

How an iMessage AI receptionist works, step by step

You write a business context once and switch the line group to Managed by AI Agent; from then on, ZeroSettle's hosted agent answers each text as it arrives.

1. In the console's Messaging tab, switch the line group to Managed by AI Agent (Beta). There is no server or webhook to build.
2. Write the business_context, pick a personality, and leave the goal off or set it to trial_start or demo_booked with your booking link.
3. Publish the number on your website, Google Business Profile and front door.
4. A customer texts at 8:47 PM. The agent shows the typing bubble and answers everything they sent since its last text in one go, as up to three texts, or sends nothing when a reply would add nothing.
5. Each text it sends uses one AI credit.
6. Staff read every thread live in the console, but their own sends are refused while the agent manages the line. Handoffs go to people through a phone number or booking link you put in the business context, or you switch the group back to Managed by API.

Example conversation: an AI receptionist on a Saturday evening

A fictional studio, Bramblewood Yoga, answers from the business context shown in the setup section. The customer texted first, so the booking link is tappable; iPhone shows links from an unknown sender as plain text until the recipient replies or saves the number.

Setup: switch the line group to Managed by AI Agent

Setting up ZeroSettle's AI receptionist takes a business context and four settings in the console's Messaging tab. The business context is the receptionist's only source of facts about your business: up to 40,000 characters, used exactly as written. Replace ZeroSettle's default first, because it describes a made-up software business, and give your hours with their time zone.

You are Bramblewood Yoga's automated assistant, answering texts after the
front desk closes. Say so in your first reply to anyone new.
Hours (Pacific time): Mon-Fri 6:30am-8pm, Sat 8am-4pm, Sun 8am-1pm.
Drop-in $25. First class free if booked at https://book.example.com/bramblewood.
Mats: bring yours or borrow ours free. Kids 12+ with a parent.
Never promise a spot in a class (you can't see bookings), give injury
advice or offer unlisted discounts. Anything else: call (415) 555-0134
when we open.

If staff answer texts during opening hours, flip the line group between Managed by API and Managed by AI Agent at opening and closing, in the console or from a scheduler. Agent-managed lines never call your webhook, so these two calls are the only code a receptionist needs, and they are optional. The AI agent docs and how ZeroSettle's hosted AI agent works cover every setting.

BASE=https://portal.zerosettle.io
# at closing: the hosted agent answers
curl -s -X PUT "$BASE/api/imessage/agent" -H "Authorization: Bearer $ZEROSETTLE_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"managed_by": "zerosettle"}'
# at opening: staff answer from the console again
curl -s -X PUT "$BASE/api/imessage/agent" -H "Authorization: Bearer $ZEROSETTLE_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"managed_by": "api"}'

On your website, an sms: link opens Messages on iPhone but the SMS app on Android, so keep email beside it. Google Business Profile takes up to two numbers besides the primary; keep your calling number primary, because ZeroSettle's number exists only for iMessage. Getting customers to text first covers links and QR codes.

Limits and consent for an AI receptionist

On a ZeroSettle receptionist line, customers text first, so inbound is never limited; the limit that matters is AI credits, one per text the hosted agent sends.

Credit math. Pro's 1,000 credits cover roughly 330 to 1,000 answers a month, depending on whether each takes three texts or one. The Bramblewood Yoga thread used four, so 1,000 covers about 250 threads like it, around eight a day. A refused or failed text gives its credit back.

At zero the agent goes quiet. ZeroSettle texts your sign-in number at 20% left and again at zero, with a console banner. Texts still land in the inbox, but the agent doesn't catch up on them once credits refill or you buy a pack; it answers a customer again only when they text again. Answer the waiting ones yourself under Managed by API.

Consent. Replying to someone who texted first is expected. If you also start conversations with POST /api/imessage/agent/start, text only people who gave you their number for that purpose, send nothing promotional before 8 am or after 9 pm in their time zone, and know that each person who hasn't texted you before counts toward Pro's 5 new contacts a day per number. ZeroSettle's terms require AI disclosure unless it is contextually evident; the agent points anyone who wants no more texts to STOP. This isn't legal advice.

When ZeroSettle is not a fit for an AI receptionist

ZeroSettle's hosted agent answers texts from a written brief, so it is the wrong tool when the job needs calls, live data or staff in the same thread.

• You need calls answered. The number exists only for iMessage.
• Staff want to reply in the agent's threads. A group the agent manages refuses your own sends with 403 managed_by_zerosettle; switch it back to Managed by API.
• Answers depend on live data, such as class spots or a booking time. The agent answers only from its business_context and connected files, and can't look things up without an MCP server you connect; run your own model on the webhook instead.
• Most customers use Android. There is no SMS fallback.
• Intake involves health information. ZeroSettle's terms don't allow protected health information without a Business Associate Agreement with ZeroSettle. This isn't legal advice; check your HIPAA obligations with counsel.

How much does an iMessage AI receptionist cost?

An AI receptionist on ZeroSettle costs the plan price, plus credit packs if a month runs past its included credits.

Included credits reset each billing month and don't carry over. Credit packs add 1,000 for $50 or 5,000 for $200, paid once, and never expire. Pro is self-serve, with unlimited messages with people who message you first, no setup fee and a 30-day money-back guarantee on the subscription (not packs); Growth starts with Book a demo. See ZeroSettle pricing, the plans and the API docs, or get a number.