Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists vs. Always Answer (previously MyReceptionist): In-Depth Comparison

For basic call answering and appointment scheduling services, Always Answer (previously MyReceptionist) will charge you per minute. Smith.ai’s pricing is per call, which means your monthly bill is based on call volume, not call length. That way, your monthly costs can be predictable and affordable. Keep in mind that an average call lasts 6 minutes, so for an average call, you’ll be paying more with Always Answer than with Smith.ai.

Always Answer lumps multiple services into their plans you may not need or use. Smith.ai, on the other hand, allows you the freedom to purchase features a la carte and add on the services you know you’ll use, like appointment scheduling. That way, you only pay for the services you specifically need. Smith.ai also offers our customers the option to bundle our other services like website chat answering, Facebook answering, and Outreach Campaigns (services that Always Answer doesn’t offer).

Always Answer can answer calls, take messages, and book appointments, but that’s pretty much it — your in-house receptionist can do that. Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can do far more for your business. Yes, we answer calls, book appointments, and take messages too, but beyond that, we become a true extension of your office. We qualify and intake leads, answer Facebook messages, texts, and webchats, collect payments, and make outgoing calls — all of which Always Answer can’t do.

As far as technology goes, Smith.ai’s capabilities stretch far beyond Always Answer’s. In fact, Always Answer doesn’t offer much in the way of advanced technological support — not like Smith.ai does. We integrate with more than 30 CRMs, marketing platforms, calendars, billing systems, and intake forms, including Zapier, which allows integrations between our services and over 5,000 apps. Furthermore, our AI-powered platform searches for zip codes, connects to you via SMS and Slack, and has open APIs (for our more tech-savvy users).

Always Answer doesn’t advertise any call-reporting capabilities like Smith.ai’s call intelligence, which provides valuable insight into your calls through detailed call analysis and reporting. We track key data, like caller type (e.g., new lead, existing client, spam), time of the call, priority, and even disposition, to give you insight into the actions taken on your calls. We even offer call recording and transcription when full call details are needed. Plus, with comprehensive customization options like complex call routing, it’s clear you get more out of your communication efforts with Smith.ai.

On top of that, Always Answer has a limited number of agents, which means they don’t have the bandwidth to handle bigger projects. Contrarily, Smith.ai has hundreds of highly trained and experienced virtual receptionists working from all over North America. We guarantee quick answering and quality service every time. We take the time to learn how you would like your calls to be handled, striving to build genuine connections with each of your callers. Our receptionists always work from quiet home offices, so your callers won’t get any of the distracting background noise like they would from a call center.

For more qualified leads, predictable pricing, technology-backed receptionists, custom plans, CRM and intake integrations, and a call tracking dashboard, businesses prefer Smith.ai to Always Answer.