Smith.ai vs. VoiceNation: Live Answering Service Comparison

Deciding on a live answering service for your business is crucial for sustainably and affordably growing your operations. But, it can often be difficult to choose between the myriad of service providers. Today, we compare Smith.ai virtual receptionists to VoiceNation.

Setup Fees & Contracts

Smith.ai

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

VoiceNation

• No setup fees
• Free 7-day trial
• No contract

Discussion: Both Smith.ai and VoiceNation offer free trial periods. However, Smith.ai gives you up to 14 days free to try our services, while VoiceNation only provides seven days and limits usage to 30 minutes. Consider for a moment that an average business call is about six minutes, according to GetVoip, so the 30-minute limit on VoiceNation's trial would amount to only five calls. Smith.ai’s 30-day money-back guarantee covers up to $1,000 of services.

Monthly Plans

Smith.ai and VoiceNation offer the following monthly plans to fit your call volume:

Smith.ai

• $292.50 for 30 live receptionist calls and 1 live transfer number
• $787.50 for 90 live receptionist calls and 2 live transfer numbers
• $2,025 for 300 live receptionist calls and 10 live transfer numbers
• Custom plans available
• 10% annual discount when paid upfront
  

VoiceNation*

• $99 for 30 minutes
• $145 for 50 minutes
• $239 for 100 minutes
• $525 for 250 minutes
• $925 for 500 minutes
• Personalized plans available
  

Discussion: Both Smith.ai and VoiceNation offer customizable plans to fit your needs; but Smith.ai charges by call, not by the minute, for more predictable monthly billing and easier calculations of marketing costs (for example, how many lead calls turned into new clients). Also, with Smith.ai, you don't have to worry about which plan includes certain features. Pricing and function is predictable and reasonable.

*Note: VoiceNation requires that you provide contact information to reveal pricing.

Overage Costs

Smith.ai

• $11.00/call on the $292.50/month plan
• $10.00/call on the $787.50/month plan
• $8.00/call on the $2,025/month plan
  

VoiceNation**

• $2.99/min on the $99/month plan
• $2.85/min on the $145/month plan
• $2.65/min on the $239/month plan
• $2.39/min on the $525/month plan
• $2.09/min on the $925/month plan
  

Discussion: Because VoiceNation charges per minute, you can end up paying more each month when you add in overages, compared to Smith.ai’s plans that are more affordable for small- to medium-sized businesses. Smith.ai offers flexible per-call pricing, built for real-world calls. We know calls vary in length. VoiceNation, on the other hand, averages minutes based on a 90-second call duration, which isn't practical for complex client needs. Unless you use exactly the number of minutes in your VoiceNation plan, you are either wasting minutes or paying extra to go over.

What’s worse, VoiceNation is known to bill for dead air on calls, meaning unresponsive or dropped calls can count towards your total minutes. Smith.ai doesn't charge for unresponsive callers. In fact, our system is smart enough to detect if the caller hangs up, so we can end the call sooner to avoid agents being held on for longer than needed. With Smith.ai, longer calls don't mean higher costs.

**Note: VoiceNation requires that you provide contact information to reveal overage rates.

Features

Smith.ai and VoiceNation offer some of the same features:

• 24/7 live answering
• Live call transfers‍
• Lead qualification

• Daily call reports
• CRM integrations
• Custom call handling procedures
• Payment collection
• First-tier customer and technical support
• North America-based receptionists
• Voicemail services
• Message delivery by Email & SMS‍
• Appointment scheduling
• Ability to map client history to the incoming number so clients receive personalized attention
• Overflow answering
• Lead intake form completion‍
• Webchat answering

Smith.ai offers the following additional features:

• One free CRM integration
• Integration with helpdesk ticketing software programs
• Recommended business referral‍
• No charge for spam calls or wrong numbers‍
• Call recording and transcription‍
• SMS & email follow-up

VoiceNation offers the following additional features:

• Automated answering service
• Instant online setup
• Call dispatching
• Mobile app

Discussion: VoiceNation offers many similar features to Smith.ai, but they take a call-center approach to call answering, which can be distancing to callers. Moreover, their ability to offer "instant setup" comes at a cost. Yes, you get your calls answered immediately, but your receptionists are armed only with the small amount of information you entered in the online signup form and online "wizard," like your business name and greeting.

At Smith.ai, we take onboarding seriously — our receptionists are armed with all your business's essential details, products, and services. VoiceNation uses scripts; our receptionists draw from your business information and customized call-handling directions to actively lead the call with your customers. We’re not just parroting information with scripted call "flows." We listen carefully to your callers and adjust our responses to each person’s needs based on information you’ve provided about your business, so customers get an experience equivalent to an in-house receptionist who is deeply knowledgeable about your business.

What’s more, Smith.ai prioritizes quality with our call rating system. VoiceNation does not have any methods for rating calls. With Smith.ai, calls can be recorded and transcribed (this feature is not mentioned on VoiceNation’s website), and you can rate every call with explanations and feedback. Our quality assurance team reviews every grade to assess the best actions for rectifying the rare calls that receive a less-than-satisfactory grade. Every plan comes with this level of service because your input matters to us.

Summary

If you only need basic scripted call handling, message taking, lead qualification, and occasional transfers, VoiceNation is a good fit. However, if your business requires a more comprehensive solution that blends seamlessly with your workflow, Smith.ai is the better choice. Our virtual receptionists become a natural extension of your team, ensuring smooth client experiences. Plus, our strong Trustpilot ratings (compared to VoiceNation's) and robust integrations demonstrate our commitment to quality and convenience. For business owners who care about call quality, price transparency, and the experience of “in-house” customer engagement, Smith.ai is the superior choice for your 24/7 live answering service over VoiceNation.

Smith.ai Client Testimonial

Don't just take our word for it! Here's what a happy Smith.ai client had to say about our virtual receptionists:

“Smith is an excellent call answering service and has offered me outstanding service at a great price for my company! I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for this service. They go above & beyond and are highly professional. Not one thing bad you can say about them!”

- Kathryn Dorr, Coral Shores Realty

Learn More About Smith.ai

Smith.ai virtual receptionists are trained to learn your business and build a relationship with your customers. Learn more and discuss your options with us by signing up for a free consultation with our team or get started risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee!