Smith.ai vs Ambs Call Center

Company

Description / Positioning

Ambs Call Center

US-based, 24/7 live answering with flexible setup: AI-only, human-only, or hybrid. Emphasis on reliability, compliant processes, and practical scripting that fits how your business actually runs—no matter the industry. 

Smith.ai

Blends AI-driven reception with human backup. Geared toward teams that want automation-heavy workflows (intake, FAQs, screening) and tight tool integrations. Not suitable for all businessess.

Feature

Ambs Call Center

Smith.ai

24/7 Live Answering / Coverage

Yes. Offers live human answering 24/7. Also offers hybrid and AI‑only options.

Yes. Human‑expert agents on standby 24/7.

AI / Automation

Offers “Smart AI” options plus “Real People + Smart AI” plans so routine calls can be automated while complex ones go to trained US-based agents.

Strong emphasis on AI receptionist: AI handles routine calls, FAQs, lead qualification; with human backup when needed.

Lead Qualification & Intake

Custom call flows and scripts with message taking, screening, and appointment setting—built to mirror your business rules.

Customizable intake criteria, form capture, and scripted qualification paths, but seemingly no customized set-up for your business.

Appointment Scheduling / Calendar Integrations

Handles appointment scheduling needs through the appointment calendars you use, synced so callers get confirmed times without back-and-forth.

Books appointments via a few supported calendar tools.

Call Routing, Transfers, Extensions

Time-of-day routing, transfer trees, directories, and custom escalation paths tuned to your on-call rules.

Only supports transfers and escalation to humans when calls exceed AI scope.

Call Recording, Transcription, Summaries

Core focus on accurate message capture and delivery; advanced transcript/AI summarization available by plan and setup. Ask for specifics. 

Broad tooling for recording/transcription and forwarding summaries.

Customization / Scripting / Workflows

Detailed scripting, greetings by day/time, and step-by-step workflows that reflect your escalation and compliance policies. 

Little Q&A, custom scripts, custom intake questions.

Compliance / Security

Ambs emphasizes HIPAA compliance, trained agents, US‑based, secure systems.

Smith.ai does “PII masking” & secure handling; for some industries they might have relevant compliance supports. But publicly, less emphasis on HIPAA etc.

Geography / Agent Base

US‑based agents, multiple US call centers,agents with no accents.

AI components are global but human backup is apparently from North America.

Plan / Tier

Smith.ai

Ambs Call Center

Billing basis

Per‑call (for AI receptionist / human hybrid) and per‑call overages; also monthly fixed tiers. Also pricing by “relevant chats” etc for chat.

Per‑minute model (minutes used) in many plans; increments by 30 seconds etc. Also offer AI‑only / hybrid options with different rates.

Entry / Low‑volume plans

For AI Receptionist: Starter 50 calls for about US$95 / month. For full human Virtual Receptionist: Starter ~30 calls for US$ 292.50 / month.

Human‑only answering: US$175 / mo for 100 minutes. AI‑only plan: US$19 / mo + per minute for small usage.

Mid / Higher‑volume plans

Smith.ai has Basic, Pro etc: e.g. 150 calls for US$270/month; 500 calls for US$800/month in the AI Receptionist line. Human/hybrid plans scale higher.

250‑minute plan (~US$330/mo), 500 minute plan ~US$600/mo etc.

Overage Charges

Overage on calls above plan: ~US$2.10‑US$2.40 per extra call (depending on volume). Also charges for add‑ons.

Overage minutes at different rates depending on plan, e.g. $1.85/min for lowest, $1.22/min for higher minute tiers.

Contract / Setup / Hidden Fees

Unsure. Potentially hidden costs.

No hidden fees. Month‑to‑month.