Smith.ai vs. VG Connect

In today's competitive business landscape, efficient and reliable call answering is crucial for customer satisfaction. Both Smith.ai and VG Connect offer an AI receptionist service, including hybrid solutions that blend artificial intelligence with human support. While both aim to streamline your communications, Smith.ai leverages a long-standing reputation in AI-powered call answering to deliver a truly superior and trusted experience that goes beyond basic automation.

Features that both solutions offer

• 24/7 Call Answering: Handle calls around the clock.
• Lead Qualification: Screen and qualify leads before they reach your team.
• Appointment Scheduling: Book appointments directly into your calendar.
• Call Screening & Transfers: Route calls to the right person or department.
• FAQ Handling: Respond to common questions from callers.
• Instant Call Summaries: Deliver quick overviews of calls.
• Voice Customization: Choose an AI voice that matches your brand.

What sets Smith.ai apart

While VG Connect also provides a hybrid AI receptionist service, Smith.ai distinguishes itself as the market leader through a unique blend of proprietary technology and 24/7 human expertise, flexible spam blocking, proper bilingual support, complete call visibility, and a proven track record of customer satisfaction. 

Always-on human escalation

If a caller needs a human touch, Smith.ai guarantees 24/7 human availability, with human receptionists who can seamlessly resolve escalated or complex scenarios that AI alone cannot address, ensuring a consistently professional and comprehensive experience. With our highly-rated receptionists always ready to step in when needed, your callers will always receive a resolution to their needs, bolstering your reputation and preventing customer frustration.

While VG Connect offers AI-powered call handling augmented by support from their human virtual assistants, the public reviews on Trustpilot, Clutch, and G2 for Virtual Gurus — the parent company of VG Connect — primarily praise the virtual assistants for back-office, social media, and administrative support, not expert call handling or customer engagement like Smith.ai’s Virtual Receptionists are known for. Additionally, it’s unclear on the website if the human virtual assistants are available for escalation 24/7.

AI Receptionist is built on years of specialized, human-in-the-loop call-answering experience, ensuring that every conversation — whether AI or human-supported — is managed with proven expertise.

Advanced spam blocking: Protecting your time

Smith.ai offers unparalleled, robust spam and sales call blocking options to protect your time and focus. Our system automatically blocks over 20 million known spammers by default, preventing them from reaching AI Receptionist. Furthermore, our account-level blocking is incredibly flexible, giving you granular control. With AI Receptionist, you can block specific numbers, set "never block" numbers for essential contacts, and even send numbers directly to voicemail (for vendors who "just check in" without needing a live answer).

VG Connect's website does not mention explicit spam detection, filtering, or blocking features. This omission means your business could be exposed to nuisance calls, which waste valuable time and can inflate call volumes. Without robust spam protection, your team may be sifting through irrelevant inquiries, which detracts from their focus on legitimate leads and customer service.

Seamless bilingual conversations

AI Receptionist instantly detects and responds in Spanish — no menus, scripts, or extra setup required. It handles natural, open-ended Spanish conversations using your call playbooks, with 24/7 bilingual human agents available for escalations. We also auto-translate your business info and FAQs for seamless Spanish-language support.

VG Connect supports up to 20 languages, but requires selecting just one per call. If you want the AI to be multilingual, you must "add additional instances", a vague approach for which VG Connect offers no further explanation on its website. With no context of how users can experience a truly bilingual AI receptionist, one can only assume that VG Connect’s process adds setup time, complexity, and likely cost — making fluid, real-time bilingual interactions far less practical.

Comprehensive call visibility

Smith.ai provides complete call recordings and transcriptions, allowing you to listen in, review every conversation, search for key details, and spot trends effortlessly. This level of transparency helps improve service quality and supports smarter business decisions.

VG Connect offers call records but doesn’t mention transcripts. You’ll have difficulty analyzing calls or verifying information if transcripts aren't provided.

A reputation for excellence

Smith.ai excels in terms of trust and proven performance. Since our founding in 2015, we’ve built a sterling reputation backed by hundreds of clients and consistently glowing reviews on Trustpilot, Clutch, and G2. Our positive feedback highlights that clients get real value, tangible revenue gains, and exceptional service when they choose us. With Smith.ai, you’re partnering with a provider whose track record is validated by third-party reviewers and a rapidly expanding user base.

By contrast, VG Connect — offered by Virtual Gurus, founded in 2016 — has yet to achieve comparable acclaim. While Virtual Gurus has been in the market for nearly the same length of time, their reviews on the same platforms do not display the same level of satisfaction.

The smarter choice for SMBs: Smith.ai

For growth-minded business owners who value 24/7 human support, smart spam blocking, seamless bilingual calls, and complete call visibility, AI Receptionist stands out as the best-in-class choice over VG Connect for AI-powered call answering that moves your business forward.