An AI receptionist that actually answers complex caller questions — not just “press 1 for sales” — is now live in beta for Intermedia Unified Communications customers. As of August 19, 2026, Intermedia expanded its AI Receptionist with two significant new capabilities: knowledge-based answering and smart call transferring. If your business uses Intermedia’s phone system, here is what changed and why it matters.
What Is an AI Receptionist?
An AI receptionist is an AI voice agent that answers incoming calls, responds to caller questions, and routes them to the right person or department — without a human picking up the phone. Intermedia’s version is available for Unified Communications (UC) and Contact Center (CC) accounts in the United States. It handles multiple calls simultaneously, each with a customizable voice, name, tone, and welcome message that reflects your business brand. Think of it as a front-desk resource that is always available, never puts a caller on hold to look something up, and does not require hiring.
5 Smart AI Receptionist Capabilities Now in Beta
1. Knowledge-Based Answering (New)
The biggest upgrade. The system can now answer complex caller questions by drawing on a knowledge collection you configure — uploaded PDFs, internal documents, website URLs, and other content you specify. Instead of only answering “what are your hours?”, it can handle questions like “do you service Ricoh printers?” or “what is your managed IT response time?” by pulling answers directly from your knowledge base. This turns the AI receptionist from a basic call-handler into a genuine first-contact resource for callers.
2. Smart Call Transferring (New)
The other major addition is intelligent call transferring. The system evaluates what the caller is saying during the conversation and transfers the call to the right destination when the request matches a configured rule. You can define up to five transfer rules, each with a designated phone number. Example: “Transfer to the service team when the caller reports a broken copier.” This replaces the old button-press phone menu with a natural-language routing system that understands caller intent — not just which digit they pressed.
3. Brand-Matched Greeting
The AI receptionist greets callers with a fully customizable voice, tone, name, and welcome message configured to match your business personality. A law firm might set it formal and professional. A local technology company might go direct and conversational. The first voice a caller hears sets the tone for the entire interaction, so this level of customization matters more than it might seem.
4. General Business Information Answers
Out of the box, the system handles the most common inbound questions: services offered, business hours, contact information, locations, and other details you configure during setup. This takes the repetitive call volume off your front desk — the calls that do not need a person but still eat up staff time if someone has to answer every one of them.
5. Escalation to a Live Person
No AI handles every call perfectly. When the system cannot confidently answer a question or detects a caller saying “I want to speak with a real person,” it escalates to a designated phone number — a staff member, a hunt group, or voicemail. This failsafe is non-negotiable. An AI that traps callers in dead ends is worse than no AI at all. The escalation path ensures callers always get to someone who can actually help.
What This Means for Tallahassee Businesses
If you are already an Intermedia UC customer, the AI receptionist beta is worth exploring — especially if your front desk fields a lot of repetitive calls about hours, service coverage, or what you do. The knowledge-based answering feature is the one to focus on: it is the difference between a system that sounds smart and one that actually is. ABS sells and supports Intermedia phone systems in Tallahassee and across North Florida. Call (850) 222-2308 or visit a-b-s.com/phone-systems to see how this fits your current setup.
Note: AI Receptionist is currently in Beta. Features and availability may change before General Availability. Beta access is currently limited to accounts that previously participated in the Intermedia Scheduler Closed Beta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need to be an existing Intermedia customer to use this?
A: Yes — AI Receptionist is available for Intermedia Unified Communications (UC) and Contact Center (CC) accounts only. It is not a standalone product. Current beta access is limited to accounts that participated in the previous Intermedia Scheduler Closed Beta.
Q: How many calls can it handle at once?
A: Each instance handles up to 10 simultaneous calls. An account can configure multiple AI Receptionists for up to 200 concurrent calls total across all instances.
Q: What happens if it cannot answer a caller’s question?
A: The system escalates to a designated phone number you configure during setup — a specific person, a hunt group, or a voicemail box. It also escalates if a caller explicitly asks to speak with a live person.