Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists vs. AnswerForce: 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 AnswerForce

AnswerForce

COSTS
Pricing
Per call
Per minute
Cost
$6.50-$8.50/call
$1.11-$1.29/min
Starting cost
$255/month
$129/month
Setup fee
NO
$0–$99
Money-Back Guarantee
14 days
No
Spam & sales calls
Free
$1.29/min
Post-call wrap-up
Included
Yes
Contract
No contracts
Info unavailable
Wrong numbers
Free
$1.29/min
Required deposit
NO
Overage Cost
$7.50-$9.50/call
Info unavailable
CAPABILITIES
Calls answered 24/7
North America-based receptionists
✘ Some
Lead qualification
New lead intake
Appointment scheduling
Payment collection
Call screening, routing & prioritization
Outbound sales campaigns
Unlimited FAQ
Call recording & transcription
✘ Call recording only
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 #
✘ Form follow-up only
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’s receptionists offer personalized lead qualification, outgoing calls, and custom intake. AnswerForce will leave you with less satisfied leads and more follow-up work.

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 growth-minded business owners who care about price transparency, seamless integrations, and robust customizations that deliver the experience of in-house customer engagement and sales development, Smith.ai is the superior choice for your 24/7 Virtual Receptionists partner, over AnswerForce.

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!
“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