Smith.ai vs. MAP Communications: Live Answering Service Comparison

If you’re a busy business owner, choosing the right live answering service is critical. We’ll help you make the best decision for your company. Today, we compare Smith.ai virtual receptionists to MAP Communications.

Setup Fees & Trials

Smith.ai

• No setup or cancellation fees
• No contract
• Free consultation
• 14-day money-back guarantee
  

MAP Communications

• No setup or cancellation fees
• No contract
• 7-day free trial

Discussion: Although MAP Communications offers a no-strings-attached free trial, it only lasts for seven days. Smith.ai’s 14-day money-back guarantee gives you twice the time to try our services risk-free. Plus, if you have a high volume of calls, they're covered by the money-back guarantee up to $1,000. MAP's trial period doesn't necessarily give you enough time to really gauge what the experience of having them answer calls is going to be like.

Monthly Plans

Both companies offer various monthly plans for live answering services.

Smith.ai

• $285 for 30 live receptionist calls and 1 live transfer number
• $765 for 90 live receptionist calls and 2 live transfer numbers
• $1,950 for 300 live receptionist calls and 10 live transfer numbers
• Custom plans available
• 10% annual discount when paid upfront
  

MAP Communications

• $47, including 0 minutes (This plan requires you to pay per minute; see below.)
• $177, including 125 minutes
• $296, including 225 minutes
• Custom plans available
  

Discussion: Both Smith.ai and MAP Communications allow businesses to choose a monthly plan depending on their call volume. MAP Communications charges by the minute, while Smith.ai charges per call. If we're on the phone with a new client inquiring about your services, we can ask them questions to qualify if they're a good lead for your business at no extra cost to you. Are they in your service area? Do they agree to your standard fees? Does what they need fall under your list of services? We can get answers to these questions and more. You won't pay extra, as long as the call is not excessively long (see Smith.ai's Reasonable Use policy). 

Overage Costs

Smith.ai

• $10.50/call on the $285/month plan
• $9.50/call on the $765/month plan
• $7.50/call on the $1,950/month plan
  

MAP Communications

• $1.37 per minute on the $47/month plan
• $1.30 per additional minute on the $177/month plan
• $1.28 per additional minute on the $296/month plan
  

Discussion: Again, MAP Communications charges by the minute. Smith.ai gives you a flat rate for calls, so you can more easily calculate the value and cost of leads who convert by phone into new appointments and clients, which gives you a better handle on your marketing spend. Moreover, it's often easier to estimate the number of calls your business receives each month, than the number of minutes they'll take to handle. With Smith.ai, your phone costs are more predictable.

Features

MAP Communications and Smith.ai both offer the following features:

• 24/7 live answering
• Customized scripts for answering calls
• Appointment scheduling
• Call summary reports via text and/or email
• Custom voicemails
• Bilingual answering
  

Smith.ai has the following additional features:

• Live call transfers
• Integration with all major calendaring and scheduling software programs
• Integration with all major CRMs, like Clio, Clio Grow, Hubspot, Lexicata, Capsule CRM, and more
• One free CRM integration
• Integration with helpdesk ticketing software programs
• Ability to map client history to the incoming number so clients receive personalized attention
• Messages texted to you
• Recommended business referral
• After-hours and overflow answering
• Facebook, webchat, and SMS answering
• Custom greetings
• Lead qualification and lead intake form completion
• Payment collection
• No charge for spam calls or wrong numbers
• Call recording and transcription

MAP Communications offers the following additional features:

• Interactive voice response (IVR) services
  

Discussion: Smith.ai and MAP Communications offer similar features for their monthly plans. However, Smith.ai utilizes live receptionists to answer all calls; MAP Communications takes a call-center approach with an IVR system first, and then a receptionist may answer. The IVR-first approach distances callers from your live receptionists and reduces personalization. With Smith.ai, your callers get the sense you have an in-house receptionist. They don't need to know you're paying a fraction of what an in-house person would cost you!

Summary

If all you need is a basic answering service, MAP Communications may be the right fit for your business. However, if you could benefit from a service that makes outbound calls, qualifies your leads, initiates live transfers, and handles other duties a real in-house receptionist would take on, Smith.ai is by far the preferable option.

Smith.ai Client Testimonial

Don't just take our word for it that Smith.ai customers are happy. Check out what one of our clients had to say about Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists:

“I've used Smith.ai for about a year and have been very pleased with the service. I love that my calls are always answered by a human being as I am often out in the field as an entrepreneur.”

- Jamie Bennett, The Lifestyle Group, LLC

Learn More About Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists

Smith.ai virtual receptionists are dedicated to providing both you and your callers with a friendly, personalized experience. To learn more about our virtual receptionist services, sign up for a free consultation with our team or get started risk-free with our 14-day money-back guarantee!