AI receptionist for architects: every project qualified, every site call put through to the right person.
Sayelo, the AI voice agent and AI receptionist for architects, answers 24/7. New projects qualified (floor area, budget, plot, planning permission), site calls routed to the right team member, first appointments booked: the agent runs the practice's switchboard. From €39/month excl. VAT, 14-day free trial, no set-up fees.
An architecture practice lives between site meetings, client appointments and design hours that a phone call shouldn't interrupt. Sayelo answers, qualifies new projects (extension, renovation, new build, floor area, intended budget, plot, planning permission), tells site calls apart (contractors, engineering consultants, clients) and routes them to the team member in charge, then books first appointments in the practice's calendar. The AI announces itself in its very first sentence.
from €39 excl. VAT/month afterwards · no commitment · the AI announces itself on every call
An architecture practice receives two kinds of call that have nothing in common: new projects, often vague, which need qualifying before anyone travels, and site calls, precise and pressing, looking for a specific person at the practice. Both come in during site meetings and design hours.
Sayelo's AI receptionist runs the practice's switchboard. It introduces itself as an AI assistant, qualifies new projects with your questions (type, floor area, plot, intended budget, planning permission, timing), politely turns away what isn't for you, routes site calls to the team member in charge and books first appointments in the right calendar, with the useful documents. It never states a fee and never gives a view on whether a project is feasible or on a planning rule.
Day to day
What architects deal with on the phone.
Design needs quiet
Drawing, calculating, writing a planning application: hours of concentration that every ring shatters. And yet the phone is also where new projects come from, and they can't be left to voicemail.
Projects to qualify before travelling
“I'd like to extend my house” could be a ten-thousand-euro project or a three-hundred-thousand-euro one. Before offering an appointment, you need to know the type of project, the floor area, the intended budget, the plot, whether there's planning permission, and the timing.
The site never stops calling
A contractor with a question about a drawing, an engineering consultancy, a worried client, a supplier. Each is looking for a specific person at the practice, and the switchboard needs to know who.
Fees and feasibility, two delicate subjects
How much does an architect cost, can we build on this plot, do we need planning permission? Questions only the architect can answer, after studying the project, and that the switchboard must pass on without improvising.
How much are your missed calls costing you? Work it out in one minute with the calculator.
What the agent does
What your AI receptionist does for an architecture practice.
Qualifies new projects
Type of project (new build, extension, renovation, fit-out), approximate floor area, plot and town, intended budget, planning permission or not, timing, private or business client. The agent notes what you ask for and prepares the brief for the first appointment.
Routes site calls
Contractors, engineering consultants, clients, suppliers, the local authority. The agent recognises the contact and the project, and transfers to the team member in charge during their hours, or takes a precise message with the project reference.
Books first appointments
At the practice, on site or by video, in the calendar of the architect or the team member concerned, with SMS confirmation, a list of useful documents and a reminder the day before.
Turns away what isn't for you
Projects below the threshold you set, requests outside your area or your specialisms, sales calls. The agent answers courteously and redirects as you've decided, without booking pointless appointments.
Doesn't discuss fees or feasibility
The agent states no fee, no percentage, no feasibility, no view on planning permission. It explains that the architect presents their proposal at the first appointment, once they understand the project, and takes the question as a message.
Recognises clients and ongoing projects
A client whose build is under way, a client whose planning application is being processed, a regular partner. The agent picks up the history, applies your per-contact instructions and never asks the same thing twice.
Emergencies
Emergencies: what gets transferred, and when.
- Incident on site, safety, work stoppage, accident: immediate transfer to the architect or the team member in charge
- Contractor stuck on site, delivery, urgent technical question: transfer to the team member for that site during their hours, otherwise a priority message
- New project within your target: qualification, then a first appointment in the calendar
- Fees, feasibility, planning permission: no answer from the agent, message to the architect
- Local authority, engineering consultants, partners: instructions specific to each contact
For each team member, you define the projects they follow, their transfer hours and what the agent says in their absence. The agent states no fees and never gives a view on whether a project is feasible or on a planning rule.
Each transfer number can be offered only at certain times, in your country's time zone: an on-call line in the evening and at weekends then takes priority over the usual number. Outside these times, the agent takes a message and sends it to you. The transfer is direct: if nobody answers, the caller reaches the voicemail of the transfer number.
Step by step
A typical call, from the first ring to the summary.
The ring
The agent answers during the site meeting or design time, and introduces itself as the practice's AI assistant.
Who's calling
New client, current client, contractor, engineering consultancy, local authority, supplier. It identifies the caller and the project.
The project or the site
New project qualified with your questions, or site call linked to the team member in charge.
The appointment or the transfer
First appointment in the calendar, or transfer to the team member during their hours, or a precise message.
The SMS
The client receives the confirmation, the address and the list of useful documents, then a reminder the day before.
The summary
After the call, an email to the practice with the project brief or the site message, and the full transcript.
Calendar and tools
Your appointments in your calendar, your calls in your tools.
The calendars of the architect and team members, in Google Calendar, Microsoft 365 or Cal.com, receive first appointments and meetings in the slots you open. Each project brief can go to your practice management software by webhook, and if your clients, projects and partners are in Sellsy or monday.com, the agent recognises them as soon as it answers. In a practice with several partners, each can manage their agent from their own login to the app (3 agents and 3 users on the Pro plan, 5 and 5 on Business), and the activity log keeps track of changes.
- Your calendar read live, in Google Calendar, Microsoft 365 or Cal.com: real slots, double-booking lock, confirmation and SMS reminder the day before
- SMS sent during the call, with the caller's consent: address, booking link, instructions you've prepared
- Email summary after every call, full transcript, and webhooks to your business software
Sellsy and monday.com connected natively, all your other tools via outbound webhooks. All integrations →
Number and setup
Your number, your setup.
You keep your current number by forwarding it to your agent's number. Your agent also receives a number according to your country's rules: see Sayelo in your country.
Ready in 5 minutes: your agent guides you in writing, on WhatsApp or with a form, reads your website, and you listen to its voice before choosing it. Our team then fine-tunes the settings with you. Numbers and telephony are provided by a partner operator registered with ARCEP (the French telecoms regulator). How it works →
Comparison
Voicemail, call answering service or Sayelo?
| Voicemail | Call answering service | Sayelo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Available 24/7 | Passive | Extended hours | Round the clock |
| Immediate answer | — | Queue | Yes |
| Project qualified with floor area, budget and planning permission | No | Depends on the script | Yes, brief ready for the first appointment |
| Site call routed to the team member in charge | No | Sometimes | Yes, by project and by contact |
| Fees and feasibility left to the architect | Not applicable | Varies | Yes, by design |
| Summary & transcript | No | Varies | Yes |
| Cost | Low, ineffective | High | Fixed, from €39/month excl. VAT |
Pricing
Clear pricing, from €39/month excl. VAT.
14-day free trial. No fixed-term commitment: cancel at any time, with 30 days' notice. Minutes, SMS and the number of agents depend on the plan: see pricing and plan details →
Frequently asked questions
Questions from architects.
Does it qualify new projects?
Yes, with the questions you have defined: type of project, approximate floor area, plot and town, intended budget, existing planning permission, timing, private or business client. The brief is waiting for the architect before the first appointment, and projects outside your target receive a courteous answer.
Does it route site calls?
Yes. You assign each project to a team member, and the agent recognises the contractors, engineering consultants, client and local authority linked to that project. It transfers during the team member's hours, or takes a precise message with the project reference.
What does it say about fees?
Nothing binding. It explains that the architect presents their fee proposal at the first appointment, once they understand the project, and notes the question. It states no percentage, no fixed fee and no estimate of building costs.
Does it give a view on feasibility or planning permission?
Never. A project's feasibility, planning rules and whether planning permission is needed are for the architect to assess. The agent takes the question as a message and offers an appointment.
Does it book first appointments?
Yes, at the practice, on site or by video, in the calendar of the architect or the team member concerned, in the slots you open. It confirms by SMS with the address and the list of useful documents (existing plans, photos, title deeds if you ask for them) and sends a reminder the day before.
Will my clients know they're talking to an AI?
Yes, the agent says so in its very first sentence. A prospective client wants to know whether the practice can take on their project and to get an appointment. They get both, without interrupting your site meeting.
Can I keep the agency's number?
Yes. You keep your current number, as you prefer: by forwarding it to your agent or, in France, by porting it, on all plans. A new number is also included from the start of the trial, if you would rather start from scratch. Either way, the number on your site boards and your documents always gets answered.
Updated on 27 October 2026.
Other industries
Sayelo for other industries.
- the AI voice agent for builders: Extension, wall, patio, renovation: the request is qualified with the floor area and the plot, the quote visit booked, small jobs outside your target turned away.
- handling calls for a notary's office: File and clerk identified, complete messages, appointments booked, calls from estate agents and signings handled: the agent runs the office's switchboard.
- AI receptionist for estate agents: Calls about listings qualified, viewings and valuations scheduled, every call summarised for the negotiator: the agent answers during your viewings.
- the AI voice agent for joinery firms: Windows, doors, fitted interiors: the agent qualifies the request, material and dimensions, books the measuring appointment and separates repairs from projects.
Guides: AI receptionist: the complete guide · Calling a customer back: making the most of the call summary
AI receptionist: all industries · Sayelo for professionals · Security and GDPR · AI virtual receptionist
Hear it answer
before you decide.
The agent calls you back on your mobile and plays the receptionist for an architecture practice. Three minutes, free, no bank card needed.