DeskAgent vs BT Business
Choose BT Business AI Receptionist if you want phone-only AI answering from a big UK network, already use BT Cloud Work or are happy to set it up yourself through BT's portal, and can predict your monthly call minutes. Choose DeskAgent if you want published prices, unlimited inbound calls with no minute bundles, a done-for-you build, and WhatsApp, web chat and email answered too.
Last updated 09/11/2026 · BT Business facts taken from its own website on 9 November 2026 · Written by DeskAgent
How Do DeskAgent And BT Business Compare?
BT Business launched AI Receptionist on 1 October 2026 as the first product in "AI from BT". It is a phone-only AI receptionist that BT's product page describes as AI Receptionist "from RingCentral", sold in bundles of inbound minutes. Here is how it lines up with DeskAgent, a London-built AI front desk for UK service businesses.
| DeskAgent | BT Business AI Receptionist | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From £85/month per agent. Phone Agent £125/month; Full DeskAgent (all four agents plus HQ) £285/month | No list price published. Sold in 100-minute bundles, from 100 to 14,000 minutes a month, billed on inbound minutes |
| What the price covers | Phone Agent: unlimited inbound calls. Web Agent: unlimited conversations on one website | Bundles from 100 to 14,000 inbound minutes a month. At 100% of the allowance the service turns off unless you buy more minutes or switch on overage (off by default, charged at a higher rate) |
| Channels | Phone, WhatsApp, web chat and email, sharing one brain | Phone calls (BT's pages list no WhatsApp, web chat or email answering) |
| AI or human answering | AI, with urgent jobs routed to your mobile; always honest that it is an AI if asked | AI, transferring callers to the right person or team when needed |
| Setup | Done for you: Web and Inbox under a week, Phone and WhatsApp under two weeks | Self-service portal, plus an optional one-hour setup session for £150 one-off, delivered by BT's partner ITEL |
| Your phone number | Keep your existing number (call forwarding) | BT says it works across any UK fixed or mobile network and you keep your existing number |
| Contract | None - pause or cancel anytime | Monthly rolling ("no early terminations") |
| Free trial | No - a free 30-minute demo with an agent built for your business | Not published (free demo bookable) |
| Yes - the WhatsApp Agent, and you run everything from WhatsApp with DeskAgent HQ | Not published | |
| Data protection | Processed in line with UK GDPR; data processing agreement on request | BT says customer data is not used to train AI models |
| Best for | UK service businesses that want every channel answered and set up for them | Businesses that want phone-only AI answering from a big UK network, especially existing BT Cloud Work users |
"Not published" means we could not find it on BT Business's own website on 9 November 2026. Prices change, so check with BT Business before you decide.
What Is Different?
Minutes or unlimited calls
BT sells AI Receptionist in bundles of inbound minutes, and it stops answering at 100% of your allowance unless you buy more or switch on overage. DeskAgent's Phone Agent is £125 a month with unlimited inbound calls and no VAT to add.
Channels
BT's AI Receptionist answers phone calls. DeskAgent has four agents - phone, WhatsApp, web chat and email - sharing one brain, and you run them from WhatsApp with DeskAgent HQ.
Who sets it up
BT's is set up through a self-service portal, with an optional £150 one-hour session. DeskAgent builds, trains and tests the agent on your business for you, and the Phone Agent is live in under two weeks.
DeskAgent vs BT Business: Your Questions.
How much does BT Business AI Receptionist cost?
BT does not publish a list price (checked 9 November 2026). It sells the service in 100-minute bundles, from 100 to 14,000 minutes a month, billed on inbound minutes, with an optional £150 setup session. DeskAgent's Phone Agent is £125 a month with unlimited inbound calls, no contract and no VAT to add.
What happens when the BT minutes run out?
BT says the account admin is emailed at 80% and 100% of the allowance, and the service turns off at 100% unless you buy more minutes, in 100-minute steps, or switch on overage, which is off by default and charged at a higher rate. DeskAgent's Phone Agent has no minute allowance: inbound calls are unlimited.
Does BT's AI Receptionist answer WhatsApp, web chat or email?
BT's pages describe phone call answering only (checked 9 November 2026). DeskAgent's WhatsApp Agent, Web Agent and Inbox Agent answer those channels and share one brain with the Phone Agent.
When is BT the better choice?
If you already run your phones on BT Cloud Work, only need calls answered, are happy to set it up yourself through BT's portal and can predict your monthly minutes, BT keeps everything with one big supplier, and its bundles go up to 14,000 minutes a month for very busy lines. DeskAgent suits UK service businesses that want every channel answered, a done-for-you build and no minutes to count.
Can I keep my number with either?
Yes. BT says its AI Receptionist works across any UK fixed or mobile network and you keep your existing number. DeskAgent works by forwarding calls from your existing number.
Where Do These Facts Come From?
BT Business information comes from these pages on its own website, checked on 9 November 2026. DeskAgent information comes from our pricing page.
- https://business.bt.com/calling-messaging-tools/contact-centres/ai-receptionist/
- https://newsroom.bt.com/ai-from-bt-launched-to-help-uk-firms-adopt-ai-with-confidence-targeting-37-billion-lost-through-missed-calls/
- https://business.bt.com/content/dam/bt-business/pdfs/products/voice/ai-receptionist/bter166-ringcentral-infographic-smb-v4.pdf
- https://business.bt.com/content/dam/bt-business/pdfs/products/voice/ai-receptionist/cloud-work-ai-customer-datasheet.pdf
See DeskAgent On Your Own Calls.
Book a free 30-minute demo and we will build a demo agent for your business first. Or ring +44 20 7101 0617 to hear the Phone Agent answer.
Also see: All comparisons · Best AI receptionists in the UK · Best AI receptionists in London · AI receptionist cost UK · Phone Agent · Pricing
Ring It. Hear How It Would Sound For Your Business.
Call 020 7101 0617, tell our AI receptionist your business name and a typical enquiry, and it answers as your front desk while you play the customer. Then ask it anything - prices, setup, what it could do for you.It answers 24/7, and it always says it is an AI if you ask.