What AI receptionist options show up in Charleston sources?

The directory entries are Katsubō’s phone attendant, MUSC’s Emily, Mount Pleasant’s Sawyer, Dorchester County’s Mani, Charleston Telecom’s Allsio, and the LouLou AI product. They do different jobs. The list is not a ranking.

Are the MUSC numbers an independent count?

No. The directory labels 2.2 million interactions a year, the 4.3/5 NPS, and the billing figure as the vendor’s story. Source: https://www.soundhound.com/resource/from-appointments-to-refills-musc-healths-expansion-of-ai-enabled-patient-access-capabilities-with-emily

Does Sawyer answer the phone in 70 languages?

The directory says 70+ languages on web and text. It also says residents can use web, text, and phone. It does not say every phone call is offered in 70 languages.

What should a shop do before buying an answering tool?

Write the common questions, the answers, and the calls that stay with a person. A template is at https://charlestonaiplaybook.com/prompts/twenty-phone-questions. Time on that page is an estimate.

AI receptionist options for Charleston businesses

The directory has phone and chat examples. They are not the same product, and this list is not a ranking. National answering services are left off because their prices were not checked for this page.

Updated October 16, 2026

The AI news that matters for your small business, explained simply, with how to use it. Free weekly, from Charleston.

What is already public

Katsubō Chicken & Ramen in Park Circle uses an AI phone attendant for takeout, reservations, hours, and hiring questions. The entry says the owners now sell that tool to other restaurants as Noodl. The source is a Post and Courier story.

MUSC Health uses SoundHound’s agent Emily, integrated with Epic, for appointments, billing, parking questions, and pharmacy refills by voice and chat. The entry’s result is the vendor’s story: 2.2 million interactions a year, a 4.3/5 NPS, and billing abandonment down up to 40%. Treat those as SoundHound’s figures.

The Town of Mount Pleasant uses Sawyer, from the Charleston company Citibot, for resident help by web, text, and phone. The entry’s language result is 70+ languages on web and text, not a claim that every phone call is translated.

Dorchester County Water & Sewer uses Mani, also from Citibot, as a 24/7 web chat for water and sewer customers. The entry says it supports 75 languages.

Charleston Telecom Solutions in Summerville uses Allsio for after-hours call triage in place of a live answering service. The entry says it launched in March 2026.

LouLou AI is a Charleston company building a guest voice and messaging assistant for hotels, restaurants, spas, and clubs. SCRA’s announcement, cited on the entry, says it received a $25,000 startup grant. That is a grant to the company, not a published result from a hotel front desk.

The list to write first

Write the questions the phone already gets, the answer you would give, and the calls that always go to a person. Refunds, safety, and anything angry stay with staff. The note the first job Charleston businesses give AI walks through that. A template is twenty phone questions.

This page does not compare prices for Smith.ai, Ruby, or any other national receptionist. Those pages were not read for this edition. A paid placement on the Playbook would be marked. None of the names above are paid.

Sources

Common questions

What AI receptionist options show up in Charleston sources?: The directory entries are Katsubō’s phone attendant, MUSC’s Emily, Mount Pleasant’s Sawyer, Dorchester County’s Mani, Charleston Telecom’s Allsio, and the LouLou AI product. They do different jobs. The list is not a ranking.
Are the MUSC numbers an independent count?: No. The directory labels 2.2 million interactions a year, the 4.3/5 NPS, and the billing figure as the vendor’s story. Source: https://www.soundhound.com/resource/from-appointments-to-refills-musc-healths-expansion-of-ai-enabled-patient-access-capabilities-with-emily
Does Sawyer answer the phone in 70 languages?: The directory says 70+ languages on web and text. It also says residents can use web, text, and phone. It does not say every phone call is offered in 70 languages.
What should a shop do before buying an answering tool?: Write the common questions, the answers, and the calls that stay with a person. A template is at https://charlestonaiplaybook.com/prompts/twenty-phone-questions. Time on that page is an estimate.

Free weekly, from Charleston

The AI news that matters for your small business, explained simply, with how to use it. Free weekly, from Charleston.