Smith.ai vs. Answer Midwest: Live Answering Service Comparison

2024-03-25

If your business is in need of some help from a virtual receptionist, make sure you choose the right service for your business. Discover the differences in pricing and features between Smith.ai and Answer Midwest.

Setup Fees & Trials

Smith.ai

Answer Midwest

  • $150 setup fee

Discussion: At Smith.ai, we offer a free trial period and do not require you sign a contract. That way, it’s easy and stress-free to get started with our services. Answer Midwest, on the other hand, charges a $150 fee just to get started.

Monthly Plans

Smith.ai and Answer Midwest offer the following monthly plans:

Smith.ai

  • $285 for 30 live receptionist calls and 1 live phone transfer
  • $765 for 90 live receptionist calls and 2 live phone transfers
  • $1,950 for 300 live receptionist calls and 10 live phone transfers
  • Custom plans available

Answer Midwest

  • $70 for 50 calls answered
  • $100 for 100 calls answered

Discussion: Although Answer Midwest may seemingly offers cheaper monthly pricing, you won’t get the same level of quality service that you’ll get with Smith.ai. We offer affordable monthly pricing based on the level of your call volume, and each plan includes many advanced features that Answer Midwest does not.

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

Answer Midwest

  • $0.70 per call on the $70/month plan
  • $0.50 per call on the $100/month plan

Discussion: Again, Smith.ai charges more per call. However, our quality customer service and advanced features are worth the investment. With Smith.ai, you’re hiring a team that can help grow your business. With Answer Midwest, you’re only hiring overflow call help, something Smith.ai can help you with while providing dozens of other valuable services.

Features

Smith.ai and Answer Midwest both offer the following features:

  • 24/7 live answering
  • Call forwarding
  • Custom call handling procedures
  • Message delivery
  • Appointment scheduling

Smith.ai has the following additional features:

Answer Midwest offers the following additional features:

  • Scheduled fax or email
  • Inbound order entry

Discussion: Smith.ai is a viable option that will grow with your business. With many advanced features like mapping client history, integration with popular CRMs, and daily call summary reports, Smith.ai can offer tools that not only handle calls, but organize your business overall.

Summary

At Smith.ai, we have a talented and experienced team of virtual receptionists. They each take the time to learn about the ins and outs of your business. At Answer Midwest, however, many of their receptionists’ interactions with callers are prompted from a dry script verbatim. This reliance on a script can lead to an impersonal interaction on the phone – which you don’t want for your customers.

Smith.ai Client Testimonial

Here’s what a happy Smith.ai client had to say:

“Amazing service especially for new small business owners providing a breath of fresh air in direct contrast of having artificial intelligence taking over creating such as disconnection without customers. Smith has been great as it allows calls to be filtered before they are transferred to me.”

- Ernest Santos

Learn More About Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists

Our virtual receptionists are here to support your growing business. To learn more about our services and features, sign up for a free consultation with our team or get started risk-free with our 14-day money-back guarantee!

Tags:
Virtual Receptionists Comparison
Written by Angie Wilson

As a freelance content strategist, Angie Wilson has contributed a number of articles to Smith.ai.

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Take the faster path to growth.
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Affordable plans for every budget.