costs | ||
Pricing | Per call | Per minute |
Cost | $6.50 - $9.50/call | $1.18-$1.31/min |
Starting cost | $285/month | $43/month |
Setup fee | NO | No |
Money-Back Guarantee | 14 days | 7 day or 100 minute free trial |
Spam & sales calls | Free | $1.18-$1.27/min |
Post-call wrap-up | Included | No |
Contracts | No contracts | No |
Wrong Numbers | Free | $1.18-$1.27/min |
Required Deposit | NO | |
Overage Cost | $7.50 - $10.50/call | $1.18-$1.27/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 | ✔ | ✘ Voicemail transcription 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 # | ✘ |
Receptionists know caller history | ✔ | |
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 | ✔ | ✘ |
The way your phone is answered is a direct representation of your business. That’s why Smith.ai goes above and beyond to ensure a professional and knowledgeable—not to mention friendly—voice, every time.
Backed by proprietary AI technology that filters spam, gives access to your clients’ call history, records and transcribes calls, and prompts personalized instructions, Smith.ai’s receptionists truly sound like an extension of your office. Furthermore, they book appointments on your calendar, qualify & intake new leads, accept invoice payments, set up conference calls, make calls on behalf of your business, and more, taking real work off your plate.
Business Connections (previously BC Answer) takes a call center approach. Their receptionists are not based in the United States and they simply answer and transfer, or take a message on behalf of your business — which is barely better than an answering machine. Although Business Connections’ prices are lower per call, you’re likely to end up with follow-up work or, even worse, unsatisfied leads who move on. And since they charge for spam, sales, and wrong numbers, your bill might even be higher at the end of the month than with Smith.ai’s transparent and predictable pricing.
Smith.ai’s virtual receptionist service can be completely catered to your business — we customize your greetings, provide overflow answering, offer warm transfers, have immediate access to personalized instructions, and integrate with dozens of business, calendaring, payment, and communication platforms (like Slack or Zapier). You and your callers will have nothing near the same quality experience as with Business Connections.
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 Business Connections (BC Answer).