Ansela / Who it’s for / Counsellors and therapists
For counsellors and therapists
You’re in session for fifty minutes and the phone rings. She takes the enquiry.
Ansela answers in your practice’s name while you’re with a client, gives your fees and availability from what you’ve given her, and books an introductory call. She doesn’t counsel anyone.
£1.99 your first month, including VAT, then from £99 a month + VAT. 60 minutes in month one. No contract.
Set up in about 15 minutes.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.
Is there an answering service for counsellors and therapists?
Yes, with limits you set. Ansela is an AI phone receptionist for counsellors and therapists. She answers in your practice’s name while you’re in session, gives fees and availability only from what you’ve given her, and books an introductory call or takes a message. She doesn’t counsel, assess or advise anyone. Plans start at £99 a month + VAT.
01
The call that came in the middle of a session
The kind of enquiry a counsellor misses. The caller starts to tell his story, she stops him kindly, and he still ends up with an introductory call booked.
Example call; Fenwick Lane Counselling and the caller are made up.
This call may be recorded. Thank you for calling Fenwick Lane Counselling. Please hold for a moment while I connect you.Recorded, and played before she picks up.
Fenwick Lane Counselling, Ansela speaking. Ruth is with a client at the moment. How can I help?
Hi. Um, I wanted to ask about counselling. I’ve not done it before. It’s been a rough few months, my dad died in March and then work, and I just keep going over it.
Thank you for telling me. I’m not able to talk it through with you, and Ruth will want to hear it from you herself. Can I tell you how it works and take a few details?
Yeah. Sorry. Yes please. How long is a session, and what does it cost?
Sessions are fifty minutes. Ruth will go through her fees when you speak. The first step is an introductory call. Would you like me to book one?
Yes. I finish at six, but Thursdays I’m free from five. Actually, could it be Friday lunchtime instead?
Ruth has Thursday at half past five or Friday at one for an introductory call. Which would you like?
Thursday’s fine. Callum Reid. And this is odd, but my sister might see Ruth too. Can you tell me if she does?
I can’t say who Ruth does or doesn’t see. That’s private, whoever asks. Can I take a number for Thursday?
Fair enough. 07700 900318.
Thanks Callum. That’s booked for Thursday at half past five. Ruth gets the details now, and she’ll speak to you then.
02
What she does for a counsellor, and what she won’t
She works from your fees, session length, days and times, online or in-person, and how a first contact works.
- Enquiries during a session, taken with a name and number.
- “What do you charge?” and “Do you see people online?” answered only from what you’ve given her.
- An introductory call or a first session, booked into your Ansela diary in the slots you choose.
- A message from someone who needs to change a time, taken without confirming they are a client.
- Won’t counsel, assess, reassure or advise. If a caller starts telling their story, she stops them kindly.
- Won’t decide that a call is a crisis. You write the wording and she says it as written: Samaritans on 116 123, 999 for immediate danger, or the call put through to you.
- Won’t say who is or isn’t your client, to anyone, family included.
03
What happens when a counsellor can’t answer the phone?
Most enquiries arrive while you’re with someone else. A person who has just found the courage to ring may not try again, or may try the next name in the directory. That one missed call can be a new client you never hear from.
Answering mid-session shouldn’t be an option. Ansela answers in your practice’s name so the caller reaches something, and you read the details after the session.
04
What does an AI receptionist say to someone ringing a counsellor?
Only what you’ve given her: your fees, session length, days and times, online or in-person, and how a first contact works. She books an introductory call into her Ansela diary, in the slots you choose, and takes a name and a number.
If a caller starts telling their story, she stops them kindly and says you’ll want to hear it from them. A question you haven’t covered becomes a message for you.
05
What if the person ringing is in crisis?
She doesn’t assess, counsel or reassure. The wording for a crisis is a rule you set, and she says it as you wrote it. A common rule is to point to Samaritans on 116 123, free to call, and 999 for immediate danger, and you might want the call put through to your mobile.
Ansela isn’t a crisis service and can’t stand in for one. If you can’t accept a distressed caller reaching an AI first, this isn’t the right tool for your line.
06
Is it confidential, and are the calls recorded?
She never confirms who is a client, to a partner, a parent or anyone else, and she gives no clinical or therapeutic advice. She can’t see your client list, so she wouldn’t know in any case.
The calls are recorded, and you get a summary, the recording and a transcript by email. A caller’s first words about their difficulties will sit in your inbox. Weigh that against your own record-keeping and the guidance of a body such as BACP or UKCP.
Plans start at £99 a month + VAT: see what each plan includes. Paying a per-call service now? See how Ansela compares.
07
The room the phone can’t be answered in
We built Ansela because we kept ringing tradespeople who couldn’t pick up, and then booking someone else. She isn’t a call centre. She answers in your name, says what you’ve told her to say, and writes down what the caller wanted.
If she gets a call wrong, forward us the recording.
Ansela[email protected]
08
How do you set up Ansela?
You choose a plan before your number goes live.
For counsellors and therapists: keep your current number and divert it to Ansela, or take a new UK business number for your website and cards, or use both.
- Give her your website and your wording. She reads your site and comes back with your fees and availability to check. Write your crisis wording yourself.
- Try her, and be awkward. Say something she shouldn’t answer and listen.
- Divert your mobile. We give you a UK number. One short code diverts your mobile to it when you don’t pick up. Another turns it off.
Where callers’ details are kept
Recordings, transcripts and your diary are stored in the UK on Microsoft Azure (UK South), with each company walled off from the others. Recordings and transcripts are deleted after 90 days unless you ask us for a different period.
Some processing happens outside the UK: the AI models run on Microsoft’s service in Sweden, and the phone carrier (Twilio) and the speech service (ElevenLabs) are in the US. For your callers’ data you’re the controller and we’re your processor. Our data processing terms list every supplier, where it is and the safeguards that apply.
Ansela isn’t built to collect health details. Callers sometimes mention them, so don’t set her up to ask for them unless you have a lawful reason to.
09
What does Ansela cost? Three plans, no contract
Most sole practitioners start on Starter. Listen to the first few recordings before you decide.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.
| Plan | A month + VAT | Minutes | Calls at once |
|---|---|---|---|
| StarterSole traders, one or two vans | £99 | 600 | 1 |
| TeamDiaries for up to 10 people | £279 | 1,800 | 3 |
| ScaleSet up with you, not self-serve | £499 | 3,500 | 3 |
Minutes are time she spends on the phone with callers. Extra minutes are 20p each, up to a limit you set.
First month £1.99 including VAT, with 60 minutes, on Starter. Card needed; nothing else to pay in month one. Cancel from your billing page and it stops at the end of the month you’ve paid for. Plan prices exclude VAT.
Not VAT-registered? With VAT that’s £118.80 a month on Starter, £334.80 a month on Team and £598.80 a month on Scale.
Scale is set up with you. Need her plugged into your own systems? Talk to us about Enterprise.
10
Questions counsellors and therapists ask
Can she tell a caller my fees and availability?
Yes, but only what you’ve given her, in your words. Anything else becomes a message for you.
What does she say to someone in crisis?
She doesn’t assess, counsel or reassure. You set the wording, usually Samaritans on 116 123, free to call, and 999 for immediate danger.
Will she confirm that someone is my client?
No. She doesn’t say who you do or don’t see, to a partner, a parent or anyone else.
Are the calls recorded?
Yes. You get a summary, recording and transcript by email. Weigh that against your own record-keeping and what you tell callers.
Do I have to change my number?
No. We give you a UK number and you divert your own to it with a short code (codes by network). Turn the divert off whenever you like.
What is a minute, and can she take two calls at once?
A minute is time she spends on the phone with callers. Starter includes 600 a month, extra minutes are 20p each up to a limit you set, and Starter takes 1 call at a time. A caller who rings while she’s busy can leave a voicemail, which doesn’t use your minutes.
Is there a contract, and what happens after the £1.99 month?
No minimum term. After the first month it carries on at your plan price plus VAT unless you cancel, which you can do from your billing page at any time.
Next time the phone goes mid-session, let her take the enquiry.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.