A print shop is one of the hardest places in the world to answer a phone. The presses are running, your hands are in ink, a customer is at the counter, and the call that just rolled to voicemail was 200 shirts with a Saturday deadline. Setting up an AI receptionist for your print shop fixes that — and it is simpler than most owners expect. Here is how the setup actually works, step by step.
Step 1: Write down what your shop does
Before anything is turned on, list the basics a good counter person would know: your services (screen printing, banners, cards, apparel, decals, signs), your normal turnaround times, your rush policy, and how you handle artwork — print-ready files, or design help for an extra step. You do not need a perfect price book. The receptionist captures the specs it cannot price and leaves the quoting to you.
Step 2: Decide the questions it asks on every call
This is where a print shop setup earns its money. A useful intake asks: what is being printed, how many, what is the deadline or event date, do you have artwork ready, and what is the best callback number? Those five answers turn a vague voicemail into a job you can quote in one callback — or with no callback at all.
Step 3: Keep your number, forward your calls
You do not change the number on your sign, your cards, or your Google listing. Calls forward to the AI receptionist when you cannot pick up — during a run, with a customer, after close — or on every call, if you would rather stay on the press full-time. Setup is handled for you; there is no new hardware and no app to learn.
Step 4: Hear it before your customers do
A proper setup lets you call the receptionist first and hear exactly what your customers will hear, in English and Spanish. If the greeting, the questions, or the turnaround wording are not how your shop talks, they get adjusted before the line goes live — not after a customer hears them.
Step 5: Go live, then read your jobs by text
Once it is live, every call is answered on the first ring, 24/7, in English and Spanish, in your shop’s name. The caller’s name, order details, deadline, and callback number are texted to you instantly when the call ends. On the plan with booking, it also helps schedule appointments and pickups during the call.
What Bautista Enterprise offers
Bautista Enterprise sets this up for print shops and other small businesses across Texas and nationwide. The AI Receptionist plan is $149/month for 24/7 answering and message-taking, with job details texted to you instantly. The AI Receptionist + Booking plan is $199/month and adds appointment booking help. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.
Call or text 281-335-6279 or email allen@bautistaenterprise.com for a free demo, and hear it answer like it already works at your counter.
Learn more: AI Receptionist for Print Shops