Phone answering service, Dunedin and Otago
A phone answering service for Dunedin and Otago businesses
Hello is an AI phone answering service for Dunedin clinics, landlords, trades and tourism operators. It answers calls, website chat and email 24/7, books appointments into your calendar, texts you anything urgent and emails you a summary of every call. Keep your 03 number: forward it to Hello when you're busy or closed.
A student city with a busy phone
Every February, thousands of students arrive in Dunedin and the calls start: flat viewings, broken heaters, lost keys and leaking roofs. Property managers and landlords can't take them all. Hello answers each one, logs the maintenance request with the address and the problem, books viewings and puts real emergencies through to whoever is on call.
Answering for clinics and health practices
Health and care are a big part of Dunedin life. Physios, dentists, GPs and allied-health clinics get calls about bookings, cancellations and directions all day. Hello books and moves appointments, keeps patient details private and tells after-hours callers where to get urgent care, in the words you approve. It never gives clinical advice.
Tourism on the Otago Peninsula and beyond
Wildlife tours, accommodation and visitor attractions take calls from people planning a trip, often from overseas and outside your hours. Hello answers questions about times, prices and what to bring, and takes bookings or messages, so visitors don't book somewhere else while they wait.
A virtual receptionist without the payroll
In many Otago businesses, the person answering the phone is also the person doing the work, whether that's a treatment, a repair or a tour. Hello takes the call so they don't have to stop. Clinics with a front desk use Hello when reception is busy with a patient at the counter.
After-hours calls in a southern winter
Cold snaps bring calls about burst pipes, broken heaters and power faults, often late in the evening. Hello answers at any hour, gives the safety steps you approve and puts the urgent ones through to whoever is on call after a text with the address. Anything that can wait is booked for the morning, with the notes ready.
Ōtepoti businesses, Otago-wide
Plenty of Dunedin businesses cover Mosgiel, Port Chalmers and the wider Otago region. Tell Hello your service area and it tells callers whether you cover their town before it books a visit.
Trades that keep old houses warm
Dunedin's older villas keep builders, roofers, plumbers and heat pump installers busy, especially in winter. Hello takes quote requests while you're on the job, asks your questions and books a time to look.
Dunedin businesses Hello is built for
Each link shows how Hello handles calls for that kind of business, from the Octagon to the peninsula.
Keep your local number
Otago callers know your 03 number, so keep it. Forward it to Hello when you're busy or closed. Every plan also includes an 09 number for a second line. Want your Hello number on 03 too? Ask us and we'll set it up. Landlines, 0800 and 0508 numbers can be moved to Hello in 6 to 8 weeks.
Answers in your callers' languages
International students and visitors often find it easier to talk in their own language. On Hello Team, Hello can answer in up to eight languages, including Mandarin, Korean and Japanese, and you still get the summary in English.
How languages workBusiness support in Dunedin
Hello is made by Leadica in Auckland and works the same anywhere in New Zealand. For local business advice and networks, start here.
Questions
What does a phone answering service in Dunedin cost?
Hello Solo is NZ$149 + GST a month. Team is NZ$3,588 + GST a year for busier practices and teams.
Can I keep my 03 number?
Yes. Forward it to Hello and callers keep ringing the number they know. Want your Hello number on 03 too? Ask us and we'll set it up.
Can Hello take maintenance requests from tenants?
Yes. Hello takes the address, the problem and the best time to visit, emails it to you, and puts urgent jobs through after a text.
Can Hello help tourism operators with overseas callers?
Yes. Hello answers at any hour, so callers in other time zones get an answer. On Hello Team it can also answer in up to eight languages.
Will it give health advice to patients?
No. Hello books appointments and answers practical questions you approve. Clinical questions go to your team, and it gives your after-hours urgent care details.
How fast can we go live?
The same day. Hello sets itself up from your website, and you forward your calls when you're ready.
Written by Phil Dossett, co-founder of Leadica, the Auckland company that makes Hello. Facts checked 29 October 2026.
Sources
Phone answering in other cities
Also read: How an AI receptionist works in NZ and After-hours answering.
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