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

At Smith.ai, our receptionists are your receptionists: They’ll call someone for you, book appointments, take payments for consults and outstanding invoices, fill out short intake forms, take all your calls for the next hour, you name it! And while both Smith.ai and AnswerForce offer call recording, Smith.ai goes above and beyond by transcribing your calls for you, something AnswerForce doesn't do. In fact, AnswerForce doesn't do a lot of things that Smith.ai does. They don’t qualify your leads, they only make outgoing calls in certain circumstances, and they don’t take payments or offer any intake services. Smith.ai is the clear option if you’re looking for an extension of your office.

Smith.ai’s receptionist service plans are month to month, don't include a setup fee, and costs are all per call. You know exactly what you're paying for, and monthly invoices are more likely to be predictable. AnswerForce’s lower-tier plans both come with a $99 setup fee and since you're paying per minute, your monthly charge could vary widely (you probably know how many calls your business has, but not how many minutes). Plus, Smith.ai doesn’t charge for any spam, sales calls, or wrong numbers — you’ll pay for at least a minute each with AnswerForce.

‍Both receptionist services have many CRM and scheduling integration options, but AnswerForce’s website doesn’t mention anything about the people answering your calls. Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists are North America-based professionals, hired with backgrounds in customer service and hospitality, and highly trained and tested on providing the best service. Our tech feeds them your business information with call directions, so they can 100% focus on friendly conversations with your clients and leads.

‍For more qualified leads, free first CRM integration, predictable per call pricing, and extremely professional receptionists, businesses prefer Smith.ai to AnswerForce.