04 / AI Receptionist

AI receptionist and missed-call text-back for small business

For the owner who's on a roof, under a sink, or driving between jobs when the phone rings. Every missed call gets a text back in seconds, after-hours calls get answered, and you get the job details, not a voicemail.

Updated October 4, 2026

What does an AI receptionist cost?

An AI receptionist is quoted per business, not sold off a price list, because the cost depends on what it has to handle. The quote comes from three things: how many calls you miss, whether you want text-back only or after-hours voice answering too, and whether it books into your calendar. Send the details and it's scoped within a day.

Text-back only is the smaller build. Voice answering takes more setup, because every question a caller might ask needs a scoped answer or a clean handoff to you. The website and Google profile come first in the published plans; the receptionist is the add-on once those are bringing in calls.

What's included

• —Missed-call text-back — a real reply within seconds, in your words
• —After-hours and overflow call answering
• —Collects what you'd ask: name, address, what's wrong, how urgent
• —Sends you a clean summary by text or email, ready to call back
• —Books straight into the calendar you already use, if you want it to
• —Answers from your real hours, service area, and policies only
• —Hands off to you the moment a caller needs a person
• —Every conversation logged where you can read it

Who this is for

Plumbers, HVAC techs, roofers, movers, cleaners, landscapers — anyone whose hands are busy when the phone rings. If you've ever listened to a voicemail at 7pm from someone who already hired whoever picked up, this is for you.

• —You miss calls during the workday because you're on a job
• —Calls after hours go to voicemail and don't call back
• —You don't have the volume, or the budget, for a full-time receptionist

How it works

Your number stays your number. When a call goes unanswered, the caller gets a text within seconds that sounds like your business, not a robot. It asks what they need, where they are, and how soon. You get one message with everything in it, and you call back a customer who's already waiting for you instead of one who's moved on.

After hours, it can answer the call itself, take the details the same way, and tell the caller exactly when you'll be in touch.

AI receptionist, answering service, or voicemail: which fits?

It depends on what a caller needs when you can't pick up. Voicemail costs nothing extra and loses everyone who won't leave a message. Missed-call text-back gets those callers a reply in seconds. An answering service puts a person on every call and bills for the time. An AI receptionist answers by voice day or night and hands off what it can't handle.

• —Voicemail: no added cost. A caller who won't leave a message is gone, and the ones who do wait until you check it
• —Missed-call text-back: every missed caller gets a text within seconds asking what they need. The smallest build, and usually the first step
• —Answering service: a live person takes every call and the message. The right fit when every caller needs human judgment; typically billed by the minute or by the call
• —AI receptionist: text-back plus voice answering after hours and on overflow. It collects the job details, books if you want it to, and hands off when a caller needs you

Do you need the full AI receptionist?

Not always. If the problem is calls missed during the workday, text-back alone may cover it, and that's what the quote will say. If you get calls where a wrong answer costs real money, like a burst pipe at midnight or a question about a contract, a person should take them. The receptionist is built to send those straight to you, and an answering service may suit you better than either.

What it will not do

It won't quote a price it doesn't have, promise a time slot it can't see, or make up a policy. When a caller asks for something outside what it knows, it says a person will follow up and passes the conversation to you. Scoping those edges is most of the setup work, and it's why we build it for your business rather than hand you a generic bot.

Common questions