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Shanice is the new hologram that will replacing the human receptionist at a London council office at the cost of $19,000. Reuters

Who needs a real receptionist when you can simply hire a hologram?

This is the philosophy of a London council building that is replacing a human receptionist with a hologram named Shanice.

The hologram is going to cost them a total of $19,000 and will be projected to appear as though she is sitting behind a desk, MSN reports. She will be programmed to answer a limited amount of questions for individuals who enter the town hall building, reports UPI.

According to the council, the hologram will be a more cost efficient measure -- plus humans answering questions is totally outdated anyway.

"This is the sort of space age technology you hear about but never really expect to see, especially in council buildings," said James Denselow, the Brent council's head of customers and citizens. "The best thing is it's going to save us lots of money, without compromising our service. Nowadays we're constantly having to look at innovative ways to cut costs and they don't come more cutting edge than Shanice."

The technology will require guests to touch the hologram's screen in order to tell her the reason for their visit. The same technology is already in use at the London airport, reports the Huffington Post UK.