Smith.ai vs. Clementine: Live Answering Service Comparison

Business owners should never have to worry about missing customer calls. With many options for live answering services, running a business is easier than ever before. Learn the differences in features between Smith.ai and Clementine virtual receptionists to help you make your decision.

Setup Fees & Trials

Smith.ai

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

Clementine

• No setup fees
• No contracts
• Free two-week trial period
  

Monthly Plans

Smith.ai and Clementine offer the following monthly plans:

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 up front
  

Clementine

• $47 for 0 minutes
• $177 for 125 minutes
• $296 for 225 minutes
• Custom plans available
  

Discussion: At Smith.ai, we charge by the call, while Clementine charges per minute. When virtual receptionist services charge by the minute, it can often lead to less predictable billing, since the number of calls a business receives per month is often steady, but the length of each call is not. At Smith.ai, we offer affordable plans with per-call pricing for more predictable billing. Smith.ai customers are never charged for spam, sales, or wrong-number calls; Clementine charges for all calls, regardless of their disposition, but they will insert a pre-call announcement in an attempt to reduce the spam calls that get through to their agents. 

Consider for a moment that an average business call is about six minutes, according to GetVoip. Smith.ai's $285/month plan would allow for 30 six-minute calls, but Clementine's $177/month plan would only allow for about 20 six-minute calls. Plus, with Smith.ai you are getting more features for your money.

Additionally, if you are running a marketing campaign, per-call pricing allows you to more easily calculate new client acquisition costs: You know the total cost of all answered calls along with the cost of lead calls that resulted in new business. 

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
  

Clementine

• $1.37/minute for the $47/month plan
• $1.30/minute for the $177/month plan
• $1.28/minute for the $296/month plan
  

Features

Smith.ai and Clementine offer the following features with their live answering services:

• 24/7 live answering
• Live call transfers
• Appointment scheduling
• Custom call handling procedures
• Call summary reports
• Online client dashboard
  

Smith.ai has the following additional features

• 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
• Access to all receptionists
• Call recording and transcription
• SMS & email follow-up

Clementine offers the following additional features:

• Dedicated agents for each business‍

Discussion: Clementine gives you a team of dedicated receptionists to handle your calls. While this may initially seem appealing, it's actually not in the best interest of the business. What happens if your call volume increases or there is inevitable staff turnover? Likely, there won’t be more receptionists available to answer calls immediately, because having dedicated receptionists for a business means training time, and that creates a lag between your needs and your receptionists' ability to address them.

At Smith.ai, each of our team members is equipped to handle calls around-the-clock for any business. Our proprietary software brings up all relevant information as soon as a caller dials your business number, so any receptionist can answer your calls with the greeting and information they need to represent your business like an in-house receptionist would. Our software presents them with the right information at the right time. And with our large suite of CRM integrations, post-call contact information and notes are instantly transferred to your records, eliminating copy-and-paste grunt work and inevitable typos.

Moreover, Smith.ai offers 24/7 answering and outbound calling for a much more complete service. We can call back leads who completed web forms, call clients with appointment reminders, provide work status updates, and much more.

Summary

At Smith.ai, each of our virtual receptionists comes with a professional background in customer service and/or hospitality, so you can rest assured that your calls are not simply being handled according to a script, but instead by real people who are well acquainted with American business etiquette, norms, and customs. We take our job seriously in representing your business and your reputation. Whether we're answering calls, returning calls, qualifying leads, or collecting payments, you can count on Smith.ai receptionists to be thorough and professional. With us, your business is in good hands.

Smith.ai Client Testimonial

Don't just take our word for it! Read what one Smith.ai client had to say about our quality of service and professionalism.

“[I] have used smith.ai for over a year and have been very impressed. Having a live answer phone service lifted our business to a professional level and gave our customers the confidence that they were dealing with a reputable company.”

- Craig DuAlba

Learn More About Smith.ai

Smith.ai virtual receptionists are trained to learn your business and build a relationship with your customers, just like an in-house receptionist. Discuss your options with us by signing up for a free consultation with our team or get started risk-free with our 14-day money-back guarantee!