Will AI replace Receptionists?

Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 30 official task statements scored for Receptionists (United Kingdom, SOC 4216), 40% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 45 out of 100 (range 41–51, band: partial). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.

Which tasks in “Receptionists” can AI already do?

The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Book space or equipment for special programmes” (93/100, very high); “Process and prepare memos for internal and external communication” (93/100, very high); “Arrange appointments for clients and staff across various sectors” (85/100, very high). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.

Which tasks in “Receptionists” stay human?

About 40% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Store luggage or incoming post upon receipt at the reception desk” (0/100, minimal); “Collect post, messages, and courier deliveries for processing” (0/100, minimal); “Assist in safely guiding visitors within the premises to ensure a welcoming environment” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.

What should someone working in “Receptionists” do about AI?

Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 40% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 40% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.

How is the AI exposure score for Receptionists calculated?

Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 30 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.

UK dataswitch to US

Receptionists

answering phone enquiries and providing relevant information or assistance, issuing security passes to visitors and handling book reservations. If that's your week, this page is about your job.

The honest answer

This job is splitting in two: arranging appointments for clients and staff across various sectors is work AI now does quickly and cheaply, and greeting and assisting visitors upon arrival at the office is work it can't touch.

Your move: what you can actually do about this ↓

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI: 40%
changing shape: 21%
staying human: 40%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

Whole-job exposure score 45 out of 100 (41–51 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, across 30 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.

How we know this

What is measured: Every published task statement for receptionists is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.

How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.

Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.

Which half fills your week decides your exposure. That is more in your control than it sounds.

Your week, as this page understands it

Receptionists receive and direct telephone calls and visitors to commercial, government and other establishments. The job title says “receptionists”. The real job is the part underneath: greeting and assisting visitors upon arrival at the office. That is the thing someone has to be right about.

The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But receptionists is not one task. It is 30 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is greeting and assisting visitors upon arrival at the office, and the ledger below shows exactly why.

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI: 40%
changing shape: 21%
staying human: 40%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

How we know this

How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.

Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.

Your job, task by task

These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.

10 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.

Shifting to AI

13 tasks

Tasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.

Arranging appointments for clients and staff across various sectors
This is reading one thing and writing another: appointments in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 80 · 4216/00
Source: “Arrange appointments for clients and staff across various sectors.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 85 out of 100 (81–89 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Booking appointments is scheduling work that online systems already do from start to finish.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Responding to customer enquiries
This is reading one thing and writing another: customer enquiries in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 80 · 4216/00
Source: “Respond to customer enquiries.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 79 out of 100 (75–83 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Answering customer questions from known information is something software already does at speed and scale.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Handling book reservations
This is reading one thing and writing another: book reservations in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 70 · 4216/00
Source: “Handle book reservations.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 79 out of 100 (75–83 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Taking and managing reservations is booking-system work software already does.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Making restaurant bookings for customers
This is reading one thing and writing another: restaurant bookings in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 70 · 4216/00
Source: “Make restaurant bookings for customers.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 79 out of 100 (75–83 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Booking a table is a simple transaction software can complete end to end.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Changing shape

6 tasks

Tasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.

Answering phone enquiries and providing relevant information or assistance
The software now makes the first pass at phone enquiries, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 90 · 4216/00
Source: “Answer phone enquiries and provide relevant information or assistance.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 59 out of 100 (52–66 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Answering routine phone enquiries about opening times, menus and directions is well handled by automated systems.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Operating telephone switchboard to provide information
The software now makes the first pass at telephone switchboard, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 85 · 4216/00
Source: “Operate telephone switchboard to provide information, take messages, or schedule appointments.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 59 out of 100 (55–63 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Call handling, messages and appointment booking are already done well by phone systems and software.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Determining the nature and purpose of their visit
The software now makes the first pass at the nature, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 85 · 4216/00
Source: “Determine the nature and purpose of their visit.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 48 out of 100 (41–55 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Visitor check-in screens already ask why someone has come, and in an ordinary office nothing has to be passed to a qualified professional.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Staying human

11 tasks

Tasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.

Greeting and assisting visitors upon arrival at the office
This work happens in the physical world: visitors upon arrival, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 90 · 4216/00
Source: “Greet and assist visitors upon arrival at the office.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Meeting someone at the door is being there in person.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Greeting guests entering the office or building
This work happens in the physical world: guests entering the office, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 90 · 4216/00
Source: “Greet guests entering the office or building.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Greeting people as they walk in needs a person at the desk.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Answering in-person enquiries and providing necessary information or assistance
This work happens in the physical world: in-person enquiries, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 85 · 4216/00
Source: “Answer in-person enquiries and provide necessary information or assistance.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 26 out of 100 (19–33 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: The information is easy to look up, but the task is answering people who come to the desk.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Show the other 20 tasks

Booking space or equipment for special programmes
shifting to AI
This is reading one thing and writing another: space in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 50 · 4216/00
Source: “Book space or equipment for special programmes.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Booking rooms and equipment is calendar work software does automatically.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Processing and preparing memos for internal and external communication
shifting to AI
This is reading one thing and writing another: memos in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 50 · 4216/00
Source: “Process and prepare memos for internal and external communication.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Drafting and formatting memos is exactly the kind of writing software does well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Providing information about employees within the organisation
shifting to AI
This is reading one thing and writing another: information in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 60 · 4216/00
Source: “Provide information about employees within the organisation.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 79 out of 100 (75–83 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Looking up who works where is a directory search.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Maintaining accurate records
shifting to AI
This is reading one thing and writing another: accurate records in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 60 · 4216/00
Source: “Maintain accurate records.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (71–79 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Keeping records accurate is routine screen work software does reliably.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Making travel arrangements for sightseeing or other tours
shifting to AI
This is reading one thing and writing another: travel arrangements in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 60 · 4216/00
Source: “Make travel arrangements for sightseeing or other tours.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 70 out of 100 (66–74 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Booking tours and sightseeing is a well-documented online transaction.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Transmiting information or documents to customers
shifting to AI
This is reading one thing and writing another: information in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 60 · 4216/00
Source: “Transmit information or documents to customers using computer, post, or fax machine.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 69 out of 100 (65–73 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Sending documents is mostly electronic already, with only the postal part needing hands.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Using telephone to deliver verbal messages to intended recipients
shifting to AI
This is reading one thing and writing another: telephone in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 70 · 4216/00
Source: “Use telephone to deliver verbal messages to intended recipients.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 64 out of 100 (57–71 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Passing on a message by phone is something automated calling and messaging systems already do.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Managing diaries for various administrative and supporting roles
shifting to AI
This is reading one thing and writing another: diaries in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 50 · 4216/00
Source: “Manage diaries for various administrative and support roles.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 64 out of 100 (57–71 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Diary management is scheduling logic software handles, with occasional judgement about competing priorities.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Providing recommendations on attractions, dining and shopping for various destinations
shifting to AI
This is reading one thing and writing another: recommendations in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 50 · 4216/00
Source: “Provide recommendations on attractions, dining, and shopping for various destinations.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 64 out of 100 (57–71 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Recommending places to eat and visit draws on abundant public information software searches well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Answering enquiries pertaining to hotel policies and services
changing shape
The software now makes the first pass at enquiries, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 60 · 4216/00
Source: “Answer enquiries pertaining to hotel policies and services.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 59 out of 100 (55–63 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Answering questions about policies and services suits a good chatbot or knowledge base.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Listening to and resolving customer complaints regarding services
changing shape
The software now makes the first pass at and resolving customer complaints regarding services, but the part that matters is a person saying it and standing behind it. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 50 · 4216/00
Source: “Listen to and resolve customer complaints regarding services, products, or personnel.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 53 out of 100 (46–60 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Automated service handles most complaints well, though an upset customer often wants a person to take it seriously.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Providing information about local shopping destinations
changing shape
The software now makes the first pass at information, but part of it still happens in the physical world. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 50 · 4216/00
Source: “Provide information about local shopping destinations.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 43 out of 100 (36–50 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Shopping information is public and easy to look up, though visitors often ask at the desk.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Providing visitors with information about available facilities
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: visitors, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 70 · 4216/00
Source: “Provide visitors with information about available facilities.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 32 out of 100 (25–39 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Facility information is easy to look up, though visitors often ask the person in front of them.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Giving directions to guests
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: directions, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 80 · 4216/00
Source: “Give directions to guests.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 21 out of 100 (14–28 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Directions can be looked up or shown on a screen, but visitors usually ask the person at the desk.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Managing the signing in of visitors and guests at the reception area
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: this work, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 80 · 4216/00
Source: “Manage the signing in of visitors and guests at the reception area.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 16 out of 100 (9–23 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Sign-in systems already record the details, but someone at the desk still runs the process.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Managing the processing of incoming and outgoing post and deliveries
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: the processing, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 60 · 4216/00
Source: “Manage the processing of incoming and outgoing post and deliveries.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 10 out of 100 (6–14 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Post has to be physically sorted, carried and dispatched.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Issuing security passes to visitors
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: security passes, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 75 · 4216/00
Source: “Issue security passes to visitors.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Handing over a pass is a physical exchange at the desk.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Assisting in safely guiding visitors within the premises to ensure a welcoming environment
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: safely guiding visitors within the premises, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 70 · 4216/00
Source: “Assist in safely guiding visitors within the premises to ensure a welcoming environment.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Walking someone through the building means going with them.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Collecting post, messages and courier deliveries for processing
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: post, messages and courier deliveries, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 60 · 4216/00
Source: “Collect post, messages, and courier deliveries for processing.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Post and parcels have to be physically received and handled.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Storing luggage or incoming post upon receipt at the reception desk
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: luggage, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 50 · 4216/00
Source: “Store luggage or incoming post upon receipt at the reception desk.” (UK task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Taking in and storing luggage or post is physical handling.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.

What this job pays, and how many people do it

Median pay: £24,700a year, before tax, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.ashe-t14, 2025 · ASHE 2025 provisional (reference April 2025)Provisional, because the ONS revises this figure in the autumn.
How we know this
Source: ashe-t14
Reference period: ASHE 2025 provisional (reference April 2025)
Rounding: Shown to the nearest £100. The exact published figure is in the downloadable dataset. We do not render pounds the survey cannot support.
People doing this job: 149,000in the UK, 2026.nomis-aps · Apr 2025-Mar 2026 (latest APS 12-month period)This headcount comes from a survey, not a census, so treat it as a good estimate rather than an exact count.

What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.

Why this is shifting

The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: customer enquiries in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: arranging appointments for clients and staff across various sectors and responding to customer enquiries. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where visitors upon arrival gets done. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.

Your move

Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend

Your week is splitting in two, and which half fills it is the whole question. Arranging appointments for clients and staff across various sectors is going; greeting and assisting visitors upon arrival at the office is not.

So, given all that: 40% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 21% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 40% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 30 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.

The occupation is an average and you are not, so the first job below is finding out where your own week actually sits.

This week: one thing

Print the task ledger above and put your own hours next to each row. Roughly, in pen, in one sitting. Then look at which group your hours actually pile up in. Twenty minutes, this week.

What you end up holding: your own week, on one page, sorted into what is shifting and what is not
How long it takes: about twenty minutes

If printing it isn’t practical: Read the rows off this page and write the same list on the back of an envelope. Same twenty minutes, same page, and it works just as well said out loud to someone who knows the job. The point is your hours next to the rows, not the paper it is on.

Over the next 90 days

Volunteer toward the durable end, visibly. Over the next ninety days put your hand up for the work in the bottom group (greeting and assisting visitors upon arrival at the office) and let people see you doing it. Not a new project: the same job, with your mix deliberately tilted. The point is that when the rota or the reorganisation comes, the version of you people picture is the one doing the part that stays.

Over the next 12 months

Claim a specialism at the durable end and let the other end go. Over a year, deliberately become the person who handles greeting and assisting visitors upon arrival at the office, and deliberately stop being the first choice for the rows in the top group. That trade costs something, because the exposed work is often the comfortable work. Decide it on purpose rather than by drift. Before you pay for anything, spend an hour with National Careers Service. It is free and government-funded, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.

The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them

I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.

I checked the 12 nearest UK occupations to receptionists (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was bed and breakfast and guest house owners and proprietors: only about 14% of its durable work is work you already do and there are far fewer of those jobs than of yours. Your own job splits about 40/60: that share of the list sits in the top exposure band and the rest does not. On this evidence the honest move is inside the job rather than out of it. Become the person who owns “answer phone enquiries and provide relevant information or assistance”, and let the exposed end go.

How that was checked: this job was compared against all 412 UK occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.

3 moves I checked and rejected

These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.

Bed and breakfast and guest house owners and proprietors
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already greet guests entering the office or building, and their equivalent is to greet and check in guests. Across both published task lists that is about 14% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 14% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. This release publishes no median pay for that job, so I cannot show you what the move costs or pays. I do not recommend a move I cannot price. And it is a narrow door: about 8,500 of those jobs against 149,000 of yours (ONS via Nomis), 6% as many seats.
Look at that job’s page anyway →
School secretaries
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour because one of your tasks is on their list in the same words: “answer in-person enquiries and provide necessary information or assistance”. Across the whole of both lists that adds up to about 14% of the work in that job the software is not taking.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 14% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on.
Look at that job’s page anyway →
Medical secretaries
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already greet guests entering the office or building, and their equivalent is to greet guests entering the medical office. Across both published task lists that is about 12% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 12% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. I will not move you off one melting floe onto another: 68% of its own task list already scores in the top exposure band (65/100 in this release), so the same software is eating it.
Look at that job’s page anyway →

What I’d stop worrying about

A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.

The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 40% of its task weight, across 30 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The whole-job doom story
Nothing on this page says this job ends. It says the mix inside it moves. Half the rows above are unchanged or changing shape, and the plan is about which half your week sits in. That is a very different problem, and a solvable one.
Panic-buying a course
Do the twenty-minute sorting exercise first. Most people who buy a course before they have done it buy the wrong one, and the free services listed below will tell you the same thing without charging for it.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.

You are reading the United Kingdom figures

The United States splits this work across more than one official group, of which Concierges is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.

Switch to the United States page →partial match

The other groups this work is counted across:

In US official statistics this job is counted as Concierges, Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks and Receptionists and Information Clerks. Pay is shown separately for each of those groups (medians cannot be averaged together), while the task list and the scores on this page are for this group only.

Your route through this

Two honest options, and no deadline on either

Free, and complete

The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.

In England:
National Careers Service
A free hour with a government-funded careers adviser is worth more than another evening of reading. In England that's the National Careers Service.
Free, government-funded
- Discover your skills and careers (the skills assessment)
In England:
National Careers Service - Find a course
Search what's actually running near you before you spend anything.
Free to search; individual courses vary
In England:
Free courses for jobs (Level 3 qualifications)
A free Level 3 qualification you already qualify for beats a paid course you don't need.
Free for eligible adults
In England:
Skills Bootcamps
Free, up to 16 weeks, and you get a job interview at the end. In England these are Skills Bootcamps - search what's running near you.
Free for eligible adults in England
- Skills Bootcamps - what they are and who can do them (DfE, Skills for Careers)
- Skills Bootcamps - JobHelp (DWP)
In Scotland:
My World of Work (Skills Development Scotland)
In Scotland it's My World of Work, from Skills Development Scotland.
Free, publicly funded
- Skills Development Scotland
In Wales:
Careers Wales
In Wales it's Careers Wales.
Free, Welsh Government-funded
In Northern Ireland:
Careers Service Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland it's the Careers Service on nidirect.
Free, Department for the Economy-funded

A nearby route

There's no Space built for receptionists yet.

Collab365 Spaces is built by the same people as this site. We find the problems that AI and automation are creating inside one kind of work, then solve them as short courses, briefings and Blueprints. Each Space is the community too, so the research and the people doing your job are in the same place.

What a Space actually is, in full

The closest match is Microsoft 365 Productivity Workers, a community for coordinators, administrators and team leads who run their working day in Outlook, Teams, meetings, files and task lists. It overlaps with the part of your job that is growing: keeping calendars, rooms, visitors and messages straight for other people, in the tools your employer already pays for. If that overlap isn't you, the free route below covers the same ground.

Try Microsoft 365 Productivity Workers free →

7 days free, no card needed. Explore up to 2 Spaces before you choose a plan: you pick a plan later, not now.

After the trial it is a paid community, and you get identical data either way. If the overlap above is not your job, the moves above cost nothing and stand on their own.

Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for receptionists launches. Nothing else.

That did not look like an email address, so nothing was saved. Have another go below.

We could not save that. The fault is ours, not yours, and your address was not stored. Please try again later.

No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.

Questions people ask about this job

Will AI replace Receptionists?: Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 30 official task statements scored for Receptionists (United Kingdom, SOC 4216), 40% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 45 out of 100 (range 41–51, band: partial). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
Which tasks in “Receptionists” can AI already do?: The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Book space or equipment for special programmes” (93/100, very high); “Process and prepare memos for internal and external communication” (93/100, very high); “Arrange appointments for clients and staff across various sectors” (85/100, very high). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
Which tasks in “Receptionists” stay human?: About 40% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Store luggage or incoming post upon receipt at the reception desk” (0/100, minimal); “Collect post, messages, and courier deliveries for processing” (0/100, minimal); “Assist in safely guiding visitors within the premises to ensure a welcoming environment” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
What should someone working in “Receptionists” do about AI?: Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 40% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 40% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
How is the AI exposure score for Receptionists calculated?: Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 30 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.

Where these numbers come from

About the data on this page

Provisional, because the ONS revises this figure in the autumn.
This headcount comes from a survey, not a census, so treat it as a good estimate rather than an exact count.
The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
10 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.

Task statements: gaisi-indexProcessing: catalogue-bridge → ssc-relatedness-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
Task weights: gaisi-index (relatedness)
Scores: Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-05.
Pay and employment: ashe-t14 (ASHE 2025 provisional (reference April 2025))nomis-aps (Apr 2025-Mar 2026 (latest APS 12-month period))

Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.

The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.

The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.

How we score a job Download this release Look up another job

Using these figures?

Cite this

Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.

Plain text

Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).

BibTeX

@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
  title        = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
  author       = {{Collab365}},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
  note         = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}

Permalink

https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1

Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.