How should an AI receptionist answer service price questions?

A price answer is correct only when the amount belongs to the service the client actually means. An AI receptionist should quote an approved entry, carry its conditions into the reply and stop when the request needs an individual estimate. Do not let conversational fluency decide a price. The following method helps a solo beauty professional define and test those boundaries for a chosen assistant; it describes a general workflow, not an announced KLIOSO AI feature.

Make each quoted amount traceable

Choose the exact information an assistant may use for prices. A useful reference is an approved service entry, not a collection of conversations from which the assistant must infer your usual charge. Keep the entry identifiable even if clients use different names for it.

For every quotable option, record:

• the service name and a stable internal reference;
• the amount and its stated currency;
• whether that amount is fixed or a starting price;
• the included work and separately priced additions;
• the date or condition under which it applies.

These details let you investigate an answer later. If a client receives the wrong figure, you can check whether the assistant selected the wrong entry, read an obsolete value or dropped a condition. Each error needs a different correction; rewriting the greeting fixes none of them.

Resolve the service before mentioning a number

Suppose the menu lists gel polish, gel polish with removal and a full extension set. A client writes, “How much for gel?” Quoting the cheapest entry would answer a different question from the one they may be asking. Ask one short clarification that separates those options before giving a definitive amount.

The assistant can present the relevant names without recommending a treatment. For example: “Do you mean gel polish on natural nails, removal plus gel polish, or extensions?” Once the client chooses, repeat that choice beside the amount. Avoid selecting a variant from a photograph or from an unexplained “same as before.” If the intended service still cannot be identified, ask the professional to review the request instead of sending a confident but unrelated quote.

Preserve the meaning of a starting price

Imagine an approved entry says “Colour correction from 90 EUR; final quote after consultation.” The reply must retain both the lower-bound wording and the consultation condition. “Colour correction costs 90 EUR” removes the very information that makes the figure accurate. Adding “usually” is also unsafe unless the business has approved that description.

Separate four kinds of price statements:

• a fixed amount for a precisely defined service;
• a starting amount with its stated condition;
• an approved range with the factors that determine it;
• a consultation requirement with no advance final quote.

Do not convert one type into another to make the answer shorter. When clients need a firm total before deciding, explain how the professional will establish it. The assistant's task is to preserve the pricing rule, not make uncertain work sound predictable.

Check additions before calculating a total

Two correct numbers can produce an incorrect quote when combined. A package may already include removal, while the menu also lists removal as a separate service. Adding both prices would charge for the same work twice. Conversely, naming a base price without a requested extra can make the total look lower than it is.

Approve combination rules separately from individual prices. Specify whether an addition can accompany the selected service and whether its cost is included, additional or assessed personally. For example, a listed manicure package with removal should not receive a second removal charge. If the catalogue does not explain a requested combination, the assistant can report the individual published information without presenting its arithmetic as a final offer. Ask the owner to confirm the total before the client relies on it.

Require evidence for promotional exceptions

A message saying “You gave my friend a discount” supplies context, not permission to reduce the amount. Likewise, a screenshot of an old promotion does not establish that the offer applies now. Keep normal prices separate from exceptions and define which evidence is sufficient for the assistant to quote an offer.

For each approved promotion, check:

• the exact services covered;
• its start and end conditions;
• any eligibility restriction;
• whether it can combine with another offer;
• who decides when the evidence is unclear.

If those facts are missing, acknowledge the request and leave the exception to the owner. Do not negotiate, invent a loyalty benefit or promise that a discount will be honoured later. A polite refusal to guess protects the client from an expectation the professional never approved.

Test price replies as complete statements

Build a small test set before allowing price answers to reach clients. Compare the entire reply with the approved entry, including the selected service and conditions. Checking only whether a familiar number appears will miss a wrong currency, an omitted extra or a starting price presented as a total.

Include at least these test conversations:

• an ambiguous service name followed by clarification;
• a base service with an addition already included;
• a request for a guaranteed total on variable work;
• an expired promotion supplied by the client;
• two reference entries that disagree about the amount.

Write the expected response before running each case. Repeat the relevant cases after changing the source or assistant instructions. Keep examples that previously failed: they form a practical regression check rather than a collection of ideal questions.

Correct the source and the affected conversation

When an incorrect quote appears, stop the affected price answer until you understand the cause. Preserve the request, the reply and the reference used for review. Check whether other replies relied on the same bad entry, rather than assuming the incident was isolated.

The client needs a direct correction identifying the service, the inaccurate detail and the verified information. If an existing appointment or personal agreement is involved, let the professional resolve it; a generic catalogue answer cannot establish the terms of that particular visit. Then repair the reference or selection rule and rerun the failed case. Resume that answer only when the response preserves the full meaning. Record the cause so the next menu update does not recreate the same problem.

The essential point

Reliable price replies require a chain you can inspect: client request, identified service, approved amount, applicable conditions and an appropriate next step. Missing any link should lead to clarification or personal review. Start with a small set of unambiguous services and expand only as the pricing rules become explicit. KLIOSO's service catalogue and public booking page provide a practical foundation for presenting your offer; any assistant using that information needs its own verified setup. A price question is resolved when the client understands what the amount covers, not merely when a number is sent.