The 48-Hour Seat · leave cover
Your office manager is out for twelve weeks. The work isn’t.
Maternity leave, surgery, a family emergency. You know the return date; you don’t have a plan for the phones, the confirmations and the invoices in between. We’ll have an AI seat trained on your business and covering the routine work in 48 hours, and you switch it off the day they’re back. Or keep it.
Set up cover before they go Or call (704) 741-3141 nowThat number is answered by our AI Front Desk. Interview it. If it can’t handle you, don’t hire it.
Why leave cover is the easiest AI decision you’ll make
A temp costs $25–$40 an hour, learns your business for three weeks, and leaves the week your person comes back. You paid for the ramp twice.
The person on leave is the one who knows how things are done. The AI is trained from their notes and your last 90 days of calls and calendar, so the rules don’t leave with them.
You already know the end date. Month-to-month with no ramp cost is built for exactly this: a known gap, a known return.
What to do in the two weeks before they go
Whether or not you call us. This is the handoff we walk owners through.
- Week -2Have them write down the ten things they do every day and the ten questions callers ask most. That list is the training set.
- Week -2Decide what must keep running (phones, booking, reminders, invoices) vs. what can wait for their return (vendor negotiations, HR, big-account calls).
- Week -1Set up the AI seat with them still in the building. They test it. They catch the edge cases you’d never think of.
- Day 1 of leaveGo live. Their voicemail says the desk is covered, because it is.
- Return weekDecide together: does the AI keep the phones and the reminders while they take on higher-value work? Most do.
What the AI Front Desk does from day two
- Answers every call 24/7 in your business name, books and reschedules appointments.
- Sends confirmations and reminders so no-shows don’t climb while they’re out.
- Takes intake and texts you a summary of every call.
- Generates invoices and sends the first two past-due notices.
- Coordinates the day’s schedule with techs or providers.
- Keeps a written log of everything it handled, so the return handoff takes an hour, not a week.
Your options for the gap
| Option | Live in | Does the work? | Cost | Afterwards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rush-hire a replacement | 4–8 weeks | Does the work, after training | $56,039/yr loaded + your time | You’re done, until they quit |
| Temp agency | 3–10 days | Some of it; they don’t know your business | $25–$40/hr + placement fee | Temp leaves, knowledge leaves |
| Answering service | 1–3 days | Takes a message | $200–$400/mo + per-minute overages | You still did all the work |
| The 48-Hour Seat | 48 hours, guaranteed | Does the work | flat monthly, month-to-month | Keep it, or cancel the same day |
The 48-Hour Seat
AI Front Desk, trained on your business, live in two days.
Month-to-month. No per-call fees. Replace-or-Retrain Guarantee on the seat itself.
Book the callThe honest part: if on the setup call we think your seat isn’t a fit for AI, we’ll say so and point you to a faster human option instead.
Questions owners ask when the leave gets scheduled
Can we set it up while they’re still here?
Yes, and that is the best way. They train it by listening to test calls and correcting it. Most leave-cover seats go live before the leave starts.
What if they come back early, or later?
Month-to-month. Turn it off any day; turn it back on any day. Nothing to re-set up.
Is it fair to them?
Owners tell us the person on leave is the most relieved. Nobody wants to come back to twelve weeks of mess. Many ask to keep the AI on the phones afterward.
What happens if you miss 48 hours?
Setup is free. You pay the monthly fee only from the day it is live. We put that in writing because speed is the whole point.
What does it cost after?
$497 a month, flat, no per-call or per-task fees. Year one including setup is $7,464. For comparison, the median receptionist salary is $38,010 (BLS May 2025), about $56,039 fully loaded.
What does the AI Front Desk NOT do?
Their judgment. Pricing exceptions, HR, vendor negotiations and your top accounts wait for them or come to you. The AI covers the routine 80% so those calls are the only ones you get.
The leave starts soon. The seat can be ready before it does.
Book the setup call now and have them train it with you.
Start the 48-hour clock Call (704) 741-3141See what a receptionist really costs in your metro: AI Headcount Index · Employee Cost Calculator · All staffing scenarios