Short answer
Yes. AIVA can take a deposit on the phone: she states the rule you trained, holds the conversation on a real opening, and texts an SMS link so the guest pays from their own phone. Card handling on the live site is Stripe. AIVA is $200 one-time — no monthly plan fee, no free trial. Get AIVA — $200. Calendar at $20/month is the booking website and Google Reserve. It does not answer the phone, so it does not ask for a deposit on a call. Get Calendar — $20/mo.
Why the ask has to happen on the call
A guest booking a full set, acrylic, or a long fill is about to own two hours of a tech. If the deposit shows up only as a note they never saw, you still eat the no-show. If someone has to stop a service, put the guest on speaker, and read a card number aloud, the deposit “policy” is theater. The line has to say the rule while the slot is being offered, then get out of the way.
That is an inbound call. It is the same job as the AI appointment setter: the published number rings, the voice knows the menu, a chair gets written. The deposit is one more sentence in that call, plus a text.
What the call and the text do
- Hear the service. Full set versus gel polish. The rule you wrote on nail salon deposit booking decides whether a deposit applies. You set the amount. This page does not invent one.
- Say it before the time is final. AIVA tells the caller the deposit applies to the ticket and is part of holding the chair.
- Text the link. SMS carries the payment link. The guest taps it. You are not reading a card number over a speaker next to another client.
- You see the result. The appointment is on the book. The app on your phone can show the summary — that install is Bukkii Phone and Download app.
Included with the $200 AI Receptionist payment: dedicated number, training, calendar setup, forwarding, 100 voice minutes, and 1,500 SMS. After that, voice is $0.35/min and SMS is $0.035. The text that carries the deposit link draws from that SMS balance. No free trial.
Calendar does not run this conversation
Pricing puts no-show / AI deposit on the AI Receptionist column. Calendar is $20/month for a booking website, Reserve with Google, unlimited staff, and unlimited customers. It has no voice minutes. It does not answer the phone. Use it when the hole is the public book and the Book Online button — see Google Reserve for nail salons and the online booking calendar hub. Use AIVA when the hole is the call.
Guests who book from Maps should meet the same deposit rule the phone states. The button and the voice should not disagree. The button still is not a receptionist.
What you keep
The register stays. A deposit link is not a POS migration. Keep your nail salon POS. We do not claim native two-way sync into SimplePOS, Limited POS, Salon Solutions, Mac USA, Go POS, or any other checkout. Reminders and the rest of the no-show list stay on prevent salon no-shows.
Hear the voice before you forward the shop number: (215) 791-6766. When the rule sounds like your shop, Get AIVA — $200.
Related guides
- Google Reserve for nail salons
- Online booking calendar for nail salons
- Nail salon deposit booking
- Bukkii Phone and the AI receptionist
- AI appointment setter (inbound shop line)
- Keep your nail salon POS
- Prevent salon no-shows
- Answering service cost
- Virtual receptionist cost
- AI appointment booking for solo nail techs
- Pricing — Calendar $20/mo and AIVA $200
Two offers: AIVA on the phone, Calendar on Google
Deposits on a live call belong to AIVA. The booking website and the Book Online button belong to Calendar. Calendar does not answer the phone.
AIVA — the phone layer — $200 one-time
AIVA is the AI receptionist for inbound calls. She answers the shop number, books the service, and texts the appointment. $200 one-time. No monthly plan fee. No free trial. Get AIVA — $200. Hear her at (215) 791-6766.
Calendar — the booking layer — $20/month
Calendar is the booking website plus Google Reserve — the Book Online button on Google Maps. $20/month. Unlimited staff. Unlimited customers. It does not answer the phone. Choose it when the public book and Google are what you need, and you are keeping the checkout you already have. Get Calendar — $20/mo. Both cards are on pricing.
FAQ
Can an AI receptionist take a deposit over the phone?
Yes. AIVA states the deposit rule you trained, on the inbound call, and texts an SMS link so the guest can pay. Card handling on the live site is Stripe. AIVA is $200 one-time. No monthly plan fee. No free trial.
Does she read the card number aloud?
No. She asks for the deposit in the conversation and texts the payment link. The guest pays on their phone. You do not take a card number over speakerphone.
Does the $20/month Calendar plan ask for deposits on calls?
No. Calendar does not answer the phone. It is the booking website and Google Reserve, with unlimited staff and unlimited customers. AI deposit on a call is the AIVA plan.
How much should the deposit be?
You set the amount, and you say it applies to the ticket. This page does not publish a universal dollar figure. Long services such as a full set or acrylic are the usual place to require one.
Is the deposit text included?
The $200 payment includes 1,500 SMS and 100 voice minutes. The deposit link is an SMS, so it uses that balance. After the included amount, SMS is $0.035 and voice is $0.35 per minute.
Do I have to change my POS to take deposits this way?
No. Keep the checkout you already use. The deposit holds the chair. We do not claim native two-way sync into a third-party POS.