AI receptionist for New Zealand businesses
FirstVoice answers every call 24/7, books jobs into your calendar and calls new leads back typically within 60 seconds. We set it all up for you.
Live voice demo
Talk to our AI receptionist right now, in your browser. It answers, books, and tells you it's an AI if you ask.
Uses your microphone. Demo calls are recorded and capped at three minutes. It never asks for card details.
Results
For two Wellington garage door companies. More than 1 in 4 calls came outside business hours, and 1 in 8 on a weekend: calls that would otherwise have gone to voicemail.
Inbound calls, March to September 2026
For one of New Zealand's largest solar companies, we called 1,290 new leads within 60 seconds of them enquiring during calling hours, reached 6 in 10 for a real conversation, and booked more than 1 in 4 into an advisor's calendar.
Its AI receptionist also answered 119 inbound calls, 41% of them outside business hours (November 2025 to January 2026).
Outbound lead calls, September 2025 to January 2026
Figures from our own call records. Business hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, NZ time. Appointments are counted only where the booking system confirmed the booking. Client names are withheld.
What is FirstVoice?
The short answer
FirstVoice AI is a New Zealand AI receptionist service that answers business calls 24/7, books appointments into your calendar and calls new leads back typically within 60 seconds, fully set up and managed for you.
Plans start at $297 a month with setup included, no GST added and no lock-in contract. It's run by Digital Waves Limited, a New Zealand company incorporated in 2002.
The cost of a missed call
When you can't pick up, most people don't wait around. They ring the next business on Google.
On the tools, with a client or serving a customer, the phone rings at the worst possible moment.
Callers who hit voicemail often hang up and try someone else rather than leave a message and wait.
Worked example
$35,100 a year
5 missed calls a week × 30% who would have booked × a $450 average job. Your numbers will differ.
Work out yoursWhat FirstVoice does
Picks up on the first ring: nights, weekends and public holidays. Handles up to 20 calls at once, so nobody waits.
Checks your availability, then books, reschedules and cancels. Callers get a text confirmation.
Filters sales calls and robocalls, asks your qualifying questions and sends you a summary of every real enquiry.
Flags urgent calls straight away and, on Growth and Scale, transfers callers live to you or your team.
When someone fills in your Facebook, website or Google Ads form, FirstVoice calls them while they're still interested, qualifies them and books them in, within the calling hours you set.
Hear it work
Or skip the recordings and ring our AI receptionist yourself on 09 888 5159.
A homeowner fills in a Facebook lead form about their roof. FirstVoice calls them back and books an inspection.
A new client calls a cosmetic clinic with questions before booking a treatment.
A buyer calls an agent about a listing they saw online.
How it works
No software to learn and no scripts to write. You tell us how your business works; we build the rest.
A 30-minute call about your services, hours, FAQs, booking rules and what counts as urgent.
We set up the voice, scripts and calendar connection, then run test calls with you until it sounds right.
Keep your number and forward all calls, or just missed and after-hours ones. Or use a new NZ number.
Every call is logged and summarised, and we keep improving the script as your business changes.
Who it's for
Every industry page explains the calls we handle, what gets escalated and the software we work with.
Plumbers, electricians, builders, roofers and home services.
GPs, dentists, physios, chiropractors, vets and allied health.
Salons, barbers, beauty, nails, lashes, brows and spas.
Gyms, personal trainers, yoga, pilates, martial arts and swim schools.
Restaurants, cafes, bars, takeaways, caterers and venues.
Hotels, motels, B&Bs, holiday parks and tour operators.
Real estate agents, property managers and building inspectors.
Lawyers, accountants, brokers, advisers and recruiters.
Mechanics, WOF stations, panel beaters, tyre shops and dealers.
Early childhood centres, tutors and education providers.
Storage, pet care, photographers, IT support and more.
Integrations
Every integration page says exactly how it connects, from booking straight into your calendar to sending you a summary.
AI vs a receptionist
Wages are only the start. Move the sliders to see the yearly cost with KiwiSaver, ACC and leave cover, next to an AI receptionist that answers all week.
Before tax, what you'd actually offer.
40 hours is full time.
Every call that reaches your business number.
An AI receptionist saves you about
$66,264
a year, and it answers 168 hours a week instead of 40.
Receptionist
$75,288 /yr
FirstVoice Starter
$9,024 /yr
Who picks up, hour by hour: receptionist vs AI
White: someone at the desk. Purple: only an AI receptionist would answer.
Full calculator: call length, after-hours share and leave cover
Receptionist cost is wages plus 3.5% employer KiwiSaver, about 1% ACC levy and 16% for cover during leave, public holidays and sick days. Recruitment, training and equipment aren't counted. FirstVoice uses our published prices with no GST added. An estimate, not a quote.
Compare every optionvs an answering servicevs voicemailFirstVoice vs Talkify
Pricing
Every plan is built and managed for you. Pick the one that fits your call volume.
$297/month
For sole traders and small teams that want every call answered.
Extra minutes $0.65 each
$597/month
For busy businesses that want their software connected.
Extra minutes $0.60 each
$997/month
For high-volume teams that want ongoing optimisation.
Extra minutes $0.55 each
All prices are in NZ dollars. FirstVoice isn't GST-registered, so no GST is added. Setup included on every plan · Month-to-month, no lock-in · 7-day free trial.
Who's behind FirstVoice
FirstVoice launched in 2025 and is a service of Digital Waves Limited, incorporated in 2002. NZBN 9429036295562.
Our support line, 021 179 1870, is open 24/7. Script changes are included in every plan, so you never pay per change.
Signed Data Processing Addendum and HIPAA Business Associate Agreement with our voice provider. Export your recordings any time.
Security and privacyAn AI receptionist is software that answers your business phone in a natural voice. It works out what callers need, answers questions, books appointments into your calendar and sends you a summary of every call. FirstVoice sets one up and manages it for New Zealand businesses from $297 a month.
It speaks in a natural, conversational voice and copes with interruptions the way a person would. The best test is to hear it yourself: call our AI receptionist on 09 888 5159, or listen to the recorded demos.
Most businesses are live within a week. We do the work: a 30-minute call to learn your business, then we build the voice, scripts and calendar connection and run test calls with you before it answers real customers.
Yes. You can forward your existing number to FirstVoice for every call, or only when you're busy, don't answer or are closed. If you'd rather, we can give you a new New Zealand number instead.
On the Growth and Scale plans, FirstVoice can transfer the call live to you or your team. On every plan it takes a detailed message, flags urgent calls and sends you a summary straight away.
Yes. FirstVoice answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including public holidays, and can handle up to 20 calls at the same time.
Plans start at $297 a month for 200 minutes (about 65 calls), with setup included. Growth is $597 and Scale is $997. Prices are in NZ dollars with no GST added, plans are month-to-month with no lock-in contract, and there's a 7-day free trial.
Call recordings and transcripts are stored in the United States by our voice technology provider, under a signed Data Processing Addendum and HIPAA Business Associate Agreement. You choose how long recordings are kept, and you can export them at any time.
Book a 30-minute call. We'll set up a sample receptionist for your business so you can ring it yourself.
From $297 a month · Setup included · Month-to-month · 7-day free trial
