Every missed call is a missed opportunity. Customers don't wait. If you don't pick up, they call the next business. An AI answering service answers calls instantly, day or night, so you can stop losing leads.
Best for: Small, mid, or large size businesses needing reliable AI answering with human backup options
What it's good at: Ambs Call Center combines AI-powered answering with nearly 100 years of call center experience. Their AI answering service handles common calls, captures lead info, and escalates when needed. Strong fit for home services, property management, and medical/healthcare admin calls (not clinical advice), large manufacturers needing an absence management solution, and more.
Key features:
Pricing style: Starts at $149/month. Final cost depends on call volume and setup.
Things to watch out for:
Best for: Small businesses wanting fast, affordable setup
What it's good at: Dialzara is known for quick setup (reportedly under 15 minutes) and natural-sounding voices. It handles FAQ calls, takes messages, and filters spam. Good starting point for businesses new to AI answering.
Key features:
Pricing style: Flat monthly plans typically starting around $29/month. Add-ons may apply.
Things to watch out for:
Best for: Home service businesses needing affordable, natural-sounding AI
What it's good at: Rosie trains on your website and business data quickly. It handles multi-turn conversations, books appointments, sends follow-up texts, and recognizes when callers seem frustrated so it can offer human escalation.
Key features:
Pricing style: Per-minute billing on some plans; flat monthly plans on others. Varies by plan tier.
Things to watch out for:
Best for: High call volume businesses needing deep customization
What it's good at: Goodcall offers extensive customization for businesses that want full control over call flows and routing. Used by brands with large volumes of inbound calls. Strong analytics and reporting.
Key features:
Pricing style: Varies by plan and volume. Request a quote for enterprise use.
Things to watch out for:
Best for: Budget-conscious businesses wanting flat, predictable pricing
What it's good at: Allo offers flat monthly pricing with natural-sounding voices and easy customization. Supports English, French, and Spanish. Available in North America and Europe. Trains on your website or uploaded documents.
Key features:
Pricing style: Flat monthly plans at different tiers. Starter plans available at lower price points.
Things to watch out for:
Best for: Small businesses wanting simple setup and per-call pricing
What it's good at: Upfirst is designed to get businesses live quickly with clear per-call pricing and no hidden fees. Natural voice quality with straightforward configuration.
Key features:
Pricing style: Per-call model. Ask for current rates as pricing may vary.
Things to watch out for:
Know what you're getting before you sign up.
AI can make mistakes. Good services include guardrails that reduce wrong answers. Always review transcripts regularly and update your knowledge base.
AI answering services work best when you have predictable, repeatable call types.
We used eight criteria to evaluate each service:
|
Provider |
Best For |
24/7? |
Scheduling |
Transcripts |
Routing |
Pricing Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ambs Call Center |
SMBs, home services, Healthcare, Large manufacturers and businesses |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Starts at $149/month |
|
Dialzara |
Fast setup, budget SMB |
Yes |
Limited |
Yes |
Basic |
Flat monthly ~$29+ |
|
Rosie AI |
Home services |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Per-minute or flat |
|
Goodcall |
High volume, custom |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Advanced |
Varies/quote |
|
Allo |
Budget, flat pricing |
Yes |
Limited |
Yes |
Basic |
Flat monthly |
|
Upfirst |
Simple, per-call setup |
Yes |
Basic |
Yes |
Basic |
Per-call |
AI answering is typically much cheaper than hiring a human receptionist. Traditional receptionists cost around $35,000 per year. AI services start as low as $29/month.
Per-minute billing – You pay for each minute agents (or AI) spend on calls. Typical range: $0.10-$0.35 per minute for AI-only, higher for human-assisted. Good if your calls are short.
Per-call billing – You pay a flat rate per answered call regardless of length. Common range: $3-$10 per call. Good if call length varies a lot.
Monthly platform + usage – A base monthly fee covers the platform and a set number of minutes or calls. Overages apply if you go over. Typical range: $29-$500/month depending on volume and features.
Setup fees – Some services charge a one-time setup fee of $0-$300. Others waive it. Always ask upfront.
Entry-level (light call volume): $29-$99/month
For businesses with 20-50 calls per month, simple FAQs, no appointment booking.
Mid-range (growing business): $99-$300/month
For 50-150 calls per month with appointment scheduling, routing, and reporting.
High-volume (established business): $300-$1,000+/month
For 150+ calls per month with complex routing, integrations, and multi-location support.
Traditional answering services cost $200-$600/month for comparable coverage. AI services typically cost less, but the right choice depends on your call types, not just price.
Use these questions when evaluating any AI answering service:
Most AI answering service failures happen because of poor setup, not bad technology. Follow these steps:
Write down every type of call you get. New leads? Appointment requests? Billing questions? Emergency calls? Know what you want the AI to handle before you build anything.
Keep it simple. Here's a starter example:
Add 10-15 common questions with clear answers. Keep answers short and factual.
Decide what happens when the AI can't help. Who gets the call? What's the escalation path for emergencies? Write it down before going live.
Have coworkers call your AI as different types of callers. Test the most common scenarios, the tricky ones, and the emergencies. Fix anything that doesn't work before customers experience it.
Read call transcripts every week for the first month. Look for wrong answers, missed questions, and confused callers. Update your knowledge base regularly. AI gets better as you train it.
The problem: AI without clear scripts and escalation paths gives vague or wrong answers.
The fix: Spend 2-4 hours building a solid knowledge base before going live.
The problem: Giving callers six menu options confuses them and increases hang-ups.
The fix: Keep your opening menu to 2-3 choices. Let callers speak naturally.
The problem: You can't tell if the AI is actually helping your business.
The fix: Track calls, booked appointments, and lead quality monthly. Compare to your baseline.
The problem: Your hours, prices, or services change. The AI still gives old info.
The fix: Set a monthly reminder to review and update your scripts.
The problem: Problems compound quietly. Callers get wrong answers for weeks before anyone notices.
The fix: Review a sample of transcripts every week, especially for the first 60 days.
An AI answering service uses artificial intelligence to answer your business phone calls automatically. It can respond to questions, collect caller information, route calls, take messages, and sometimes book appointments. It sounds more like a real person than older automated phone systems, and it works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Most AI answering services operate 24/7 because software doesn't need sleep. However, features like human escalation or live booking may only be available during business hours. Ask any provider exactly what "24/7" includes for their service and what happens at 2 AM on a holiday.
AI answering services typically cost $29-$300/month for small to mid-size businesses. Entry-level plans start around $29-$99/month for light call volume. Mid-range plans run $99-$300/month with scheduling and routing features. High-volume plans cost $300-$1,000+/month. This is typically much less than traditional answering services ($200-$600/month) or a full-time human receptionist ($35,000+/year).
Yes, many AI answering services can book appointments. Some connect directly to your calendar. Others collect the request and you confirm. The quality varies widely by provider. Ask specifically about how appointment booking works and whether it connects to your existing calendar system before signing up.
It depends on the service and the caller. Today's best AI voices sound quite natural. Many callers don't realize they're talking to AI if the voice quality is good and the script is well-written. However, some callers may ask directly. Make sure you understand your legal obligations — some regions require disclosure that calls are handled by AI.
Ask every provider directly about data security. Key questions: Where is call data stored? How long is it kept? Who can access it? Is it encrypted? If you handle sensitive information like health data, ask whether the service can support HIPAA-aware workflows. Don't assume compliance — verify it.
Yes, AI answering services work very well as voicemail replacements. Instead of callers leaving a message nobody listens to, the AI collects their information conversationally and delivers it to you in a clean summary. Most callers prefer talking to an AI that responds naturally over leaving a voicemail message that feels like talking into a void.
Good AI answering services are designed to say "I don't know" and escalate rather than guess. Set up escalation rules so confused or frustrated callers can reach a human. Review your transcripts regularly to find questions the AI couldn't answer and add those to your knowledge base.