Why calls slip through when you run the business
Calls compete with the work customers already hired you to do. Forwarding unanswered, busy or after-hours calls gives callers a way to explain what they need while you stay on task.
- Hands fullA ringing phone can arrive while you carry tools or help someone.
- Office closedCallers can leave their details after your working day ends.
- Line busyForward busy calls so another caller can explain their request.
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You lose the chance to hear a request when answering the phone clashes with doing the job. Picture a cleaner carrying supplies upstairs or a shop owner checking out a customer. Neither has a spare hand for a useful intake conversation.
Our receptionist can take the calls you forward and ask about the service, location and timing. You choose whether to forward all calls or just those arriving when you cannot answer. That leaves room to keep taking calls yourself when it suits the day.
A message still needs your attention afterward. Use the email summary and urgency tag to decide what to handle next, then check the transcript when you need the caller's exact words.
What your receptionist handles while you work
Your receptionist answers questions from your business information, collects job details and books appointments into Google Calendar. It can also pass urgent calls to the on-call person you choose.
- Useful intakeCollect the caller's request and the details your trade needs.
- Appointment bookingPut appointments into Google Calendar or collect details for your callback.
- Urgent handoffYour on-call person hears a summary before choosing to accept.
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Your receptionist handles the first conversation using the services, hours, service area and price policy you provide. A lawn care caller can explain the property and requested work. An auto repair caller can leave details about their vehicle and question for the shop.
You set what counts as urgent and who should receive those calls. With a warm transfer, your contact hears a short summary and presses 1 to accept. You can choose paging and set the order of contacts instead.
We send call summaries, urgency tags, transcripts and recordings by email and app push notification. Your receptionist also speaks English and Spanish, including when a caller switches language during the conversation.
Compare the plan with a part-time hire
Our Starter and Pro plans cost from $99 per month. Compare that phone coverage with the hours and duties you would assign a part-time employee.
- 1Monthly planBudget for included minutes, then allow for any extra usage.
- 2Hiring budgetUse your expected wage, scheduled hours and other employment costs.
- 3Different dutiesA staff member can greet visitors and handle work beyond calls.
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The useful cost comparison starts with the work you need covered. Write down the hours a part-time hire would answer phones, then list their other duties. Use your own wage estimate and employment costs to build that budget.
Compare that budget with Starter at $99 per month for 150 AI minutes, plus $0.35 per extra minute, or Pro at $249 for 500 AI minutes, plus $0.20 per extra minute. Our receptionist answers day and night once calls forward to it. A person can also welcome walk-ins, organize the office and use judgment on requests outside your written policies.
You might need both forms of help. If you already have someone at the desk, consider forwarding busy and after-hours calls. See our plan and minute allowance before deciding which responsibilities belong with staff.
Choose a receptionist with a real-call checklist
Choose by testing the calls your business actually receives. Check the greeting, intake questions, urgent handoff and message quality, then decide whether the result gives you enough information to act.
- State your requestTry a routine question and a request outside your services.
- Check the handoffConfirm who receives urgent calls and how they accept.
- Read the resultLook for the details you need before calling someone back.
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The best AI receptionist for small business is the one whose handling you can assess against your own needs. Start with an ordinary request: a caller asking whether you serve their neighborhood. Then try a service you do not offer and listen for a response that follows the business information.
Check disclosure too. Our greeting identifies the receptionist as a virtual assistant and says the call is recorded. Those notices stay on.
Once free trials are available, review an actual forwarded test call, its message and your routing settings. We can make mistakes, so keep a backup way to reach you and review the details before acting. The interactive voice demo lets you assess the conversation before signing up.
Call handling for trades, shops and local services
We handle calls for businesses such as cleaners, movers, repair shops, restaurants and professional services. Your onboarding answers shape the questions, service boundaries and urgent routing for your work.
- Local tradesCapture the requested work, service location and timing for your callback.
- Customer visitsAnswer hours questions and book appointments using your business information.
- Professional officesCollect the reason for calling and pass along a complete message.
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Your business type determines what makes a message useful. A moving company needs to understand the requested move. A pool service needs the location and a description of the problem. Tell the AI which intake questions matter during onboarding.
For a restaurant, callers might ask about hours or reservations. For an accounting office, they might want an appointment or a callback about available services. Your receptionist uses the information you supply and can take details for someone on your team to follow up.
Healthcare practices are not offered at launch. For supported businesses, start with the industry directory; when trials open, you can check the questions against the calls you expect.
An afternoon setup checklist, at your own pace
Start with your business information, then set routing and place a test call before going live. Setup follows an onboarding chat, with a forwarding guide for your carrier or phone system.
- Bring the basicsHave your services, hours, service area and price policy ready.
- Set the rulesChoose intake questions, urgent contacts and when calls should forward.
- Test before launchCall your number and review the message and routing.
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You can use an afternoon to work through the setup checklist at your own pace. Sign in through an email link and answer the AI's onboarding questions. Share your website and explain what you do, what you decline and who should receive urgent calls.
We provide a local number and instructions for forwarding from your existing number. Choose the forwarding mode that fits your workday, then place a test call before switching on coverage for customers. Review the message and change settings by telling the AI what needs adjusting.
The free trial will last 14 days, capped at 100 minutes. A card is required before forwarding goes live. Join the early-access list now; setup will be available when trials open.
Questions
Can I keep the business number on my signs and website?
Yes. You keep your existing business number and forward calls to the local number we provide. Choose all calls, unanswered calls, busy calls or after-hours coverage. We give you a forwarding guide for your carrier or phone system, and you place a test call before going live.
Will my customers know they are talking to AI?
Your receptionist says it is a virtual assistant and that the call is recorded at the beginning of each call. These notices cannot be switched off. Use the browser demo to hear the introduction and decide whether the conversation fits how you want your business represented.
Can I try it before putting customer calls through?
You can talk to the browser demo without signing up. It uses a clearly fictional business so you can hear the conversation first. When trials open, you can configure your business during the 14-day trial, capped at 100 minutes. A card is required before call forwarding goes live.
How will I get messages while I am out working?
We send an email and app push notification for each call, with a summary, urgency tag, transcript and recording. A daily digest arrives by email too. You can open the dashboard to review calls and settings, then use the details to plan your callbacks.
Can it book jobs while I am with another customer?
It can book appointments into Google Calendar using your business information. If you prefer to check a request yourself, it can collect the details for your callback instead. Explain your services and price policy during onboarding so the first conversation stays within the work you offer.
What if the receptionist gets a detail wrong?
Review the summary and use the transcript or recording to check what the caller said. You can change your settings by telling the AI what to adjust. The AI can make mistakes, so keep a backup way to reach you and review requests before taking action.
Try a call while your next task waits
Open the browser demo and bring a question a customer might ask. Hear the response, then join early access; when free trials open, you can set up your own business.