Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists vs. AnswerConnect: In-Depth Comparison

Compare features and see how businesses like yours can better answer calls, capture leads, and serve clients 24/7 with Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists

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Smith.ai: The best alternative to AnswerConnect

AnswerConnect

COSTS
Pricing
Per call
Per minute
Cost
$6.50-$8.50/call
$1.16-$1.62/min
Starting cost
$255/month
$325/month
Setup fee
NO
$0-$49.99
Money-Back Guarantee
14 days
No
Spam & sales calls
Free
$1.16-$1.62/min, free for first 30 calls under 30 seconds
Post-call wrap-up
Included
No
Contract
No contracts
No
Wrong numbers
Free
$1.16-$1.62/min, free for first 30 calls under 30 seconds
Required deposit
NO
No
Overage Cost
$7.50-$9.50/call
$1.65-$1.95/min
CAPABILITIES
Calls answered 24/7
North America-based receptionists
Lead qualification
New lead intake
Appointment scheduling
Payment collection
Call screening, routing & prioritization
Outbound sales campaigns
Unlimited FAQ
Call recording & transcription
Zip code lookup
Warm transfer
Call transfers via SMS & Slack
Instant call summaries by email & SMS
Daily call summaries
✔ Email, SMS, Slack
Receptionists make calls for you
✔ Same per-call pricing. Comes from your #
Receptionists know caller history
✔ Same per-call pricing. Comes from your #.
Spanish-speaking receptionists
Send follow-up messages
INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY
Call tracking dashboard
Call analytics
CSV upload for direct transfer / blocked numbers
CRM, intake & marketing software
Calendaring software
Scheduling
Invoices and payments
Zapier
SMS & Slack
Read our reviews
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Smith.ai uses sophisticated technology for spam screening, conference calling, and integrated notifications. AnswerConnect costs more to start and offers a less comprehensive service.

Your answering service pricing should be easy to understand and show true value. You shouldn’t have to give up your name, email, and phone number before you see costs. And that’s exactly what AnswerConnect does. 

With Smith.ai, we’re transparent with all our pricing. From our per call fees to all our add-ons - like text/email follow-up, call recording and transcription, and appointment booking - you never have to worry about a surprise bill.

Since AnswerConnect charges per minute, instead of per call, monthly charges could range widely and be far less predictable. You probably know about how many calls a month you have, but not how many minutes your callers are on the phone. Smith.ai charges a flat per call fee, no setup or hidden fees, and we never charge for spam, sales calls, or wrong numbers. In other words, with Smith.ai, you can compare your monthly invoice to the calls you actually wanted.

AnswerConnect also doesn’t offer the same depth of features as Smith.ai. They don’t accept payments, set up conference calling, have zip code searches or caller history, or offer call transfer requests via SMS and Slack. And even though both Smith.ai and AnswerConnect offer call recording, only Smith.ai goes the extra mile by transcribing your calls as well. That way, you don't have to listen to hundreds of hours of conversations to get the information you need. 

With Smith.ai, you can also opt to have every call answered by a bilingual receptionist and request outbound calls directly from your call summary. Smith.ai receptionists use these features to make both you and your callers feel like we are sitting in your office.

For no setup fees, free handling of spam, sales calls, and wrong numbers of any size, predictable pricing, and tech-enabled friendly and professional receptionists, businesses prefer Smith.ai to AnswerConnect.

THE BASICS!

Live receptionists on duty 24/7. Forward all incoming calls or overflow phone calls only.
Appointment setting & call-back scheduling, with calendar software integration
Lead qualification & client intake with CRM integration for complete workflows
Outbound calls: web-form follow-ups, work status updates & appointment reminders
Payment collection, with integration to your credit card processing software
Spam & sales call blocking, call screening & prioritization, plus VIP pass-throughs

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What our customers are saying

“I rely on Smith.ai to handle all of my firm's calls. Their intake process integrates with my practice management software, which saves me time. Plus, their professionalism means I pay a fraction of the cost of an in-house receptionist without sacrificing quality. I recommend Smith.ai to every attorney I see.”
REGINA EDWARDS
“Having someone professionally answer our phones is essential to operating a business. We engaged with Smith about 3 months ago and have been extremely pleased with the service they are providing us. They are very flexible and their integration with technology has functionally made a huge difference for us. I receive a SMS message and an email within seconds of a call with all pertinent information regarding the call. They ensure critical calls make it through to me and sales calls are screened. This makes my day much more productive and we get a professional service answering the phones.”
"Smith.ai has been a major hack into improving my business flow. Playing phone tag with potential clients and constantly getting interrupted with sales calls was so tiresome. Smith.ai has completely alleviated this problem. They screen all calls that come into my main office number so only critical calls get through to me, and they schedule appointments with potential clients after having carefully screened them through my intake process. I now save so much time and only have quality appointments booked. Less stress, more appointments. It's a total win!"
“Having real, live people answering the phone has made a huge difference in the volume of my practice, and I'm all about Smith.ai's technology-driven approach. I can focus on my clients without interruptions from sales calls and spammers, yet I remain in the loop when I'm in court or a meeting thanks to their text summaries. I love that Smith.ai manages my web chats now, too! They're one of the key reasons I was able to grow from a solopreneur to an 8 person team!
JUSTIE NICOL
“Smith.ai has been integral to my business at CMIT Solutions of Morristown. Their service was extremely easy to set up and they have been extremely professional with their customer care. Having a live-answer service handle all my incoming calls gives my business a level of professionalism that it was missing and allows me to easily prioritize all of my call-backs. I highly recommend Smith.ai to any business looking for a live-answer service.”
"As small business owners, it is very important to have a professional image with a quick response to our phone calls. We are at ease knowing that our clients are being greeted with a professional, friendly and upbeat voice when they call our office. The message taking is very clear, concise and effective, and allows our contact with our clients to be frictionless, effective and progressive. The service quality and superior communication skills of the Smith.ai team makes them a true extension of our office."
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Live receptionists available 24/7

Starter
$255
Per Month
30
Receptionist Calls
1
Transfer Destination
$9.50/Call after 30
Basic
$675
Per Month
90
Receptionist Calls
2
Transfer Destinations
$8.50/Call after 90
Pro
$1,170
Per Month
180
Receptionist
Calls
5
Transfer Destinations
$7.50/Call after 180
Custom pricing is available. Just let us know what you need!

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We integrate with your software

Contacts and call notes are logged in your systems, including CRM, intake, calendaring, and billing software

Small businesses trust Smith.ai for superior receptionist services