AI receptionists for Canadian businesses
Canada is the straightforward end of this: numbers are issued without the business-verification step Ireland requires, and setup is a same-day job. There are three things worth knowing before you start, and one of them may rule us out for you.
Getting a number
Local numbers are available across the country and there is no documentary verification to clear, so you are answering calls the day you sign up rather than waiting on a review. If you already have a business number, forward it — customers keep dialling what is on your van, your window and every listing you have ever created, and none of those update.
Consent, under PIPEDA
Federal privacy law rests on meaningful consent, which in practice means callers should be told what is happening at the start rather than in terms nobody reads. Two things get disclosed: that the call is handled by an automated assistant, and that it is recorded or transcribed. Both belong in the opening seconds, before anyone has said anything they would not have said knowingly.
Provincial law does not disappear
Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec each have their own private-sector privacy legislation, and Quebec’s has been the most active in recent years. For a small business answering its own phone the practical obligations converge — tell people, keep what you collect proportionate, and be able to delete it on request — but the details are worth a conversation with someone qualified if you handle anything sensitive.
GST and HST on your subscription
Canadian sales tax is applied to your bill at the rate for your province, so what you pay differs between Ontario and Alberta. It appears as a line on the invoice rather than a surprise, and if you are registered it is recoverable in the ordinary way.
If your callers speak French
Be aware that the assistant handles calls in English. For a business in Quebec — or anywhere with a substantial francophone customer base — that is a real limitation rather than a detail, and depending on your obligations and your customers it may be reason enough to choose something else. We would rather say so here than have you discover it on a Tuesday afternoon.
Frequently asked
No. Unlike Ireland there is no documentary review, so you can be answering calls the same day.
With appropriate consent, yes. PIPEDA rests on meaningful consent, which means telling callers at the start of the call — both that it is an automated assistant and that it is recorded or transcribed.
Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec have their own private-sector legislation. For a small business the practical obligations converge, but anything sensitive is worth professional advice.
Yes, at your province’s rate, shown as a line on the invoice. If you are registered it is recoverable as usual.
No — calls are handled in English. For a Quebec business or one with substantial francophone customers, that may be reason to choose a different product.