Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists vs. Dedicated Office Solutions: In-Depth Comparison

Smith.ai’s starting monthly costs ($255/mo) are nearly $300 cheaper than Dedicated Office Solutions’ starting costs ($549/mo). And Smith.ai doesn’t charge any set-up fees, while Dedicated Office Solutions will charge you a set-up fee of $199. 

Smith.ai’s per-call pricing means your monthly bill is based on call volume, not call length. That way, your monthly costs can be predictable and affordable. Dedicated Office Solutions’ per-minute pricing may seem low at first, but keep in mind that an average call lasts 6 minutes, so for an average call. You could pay nearly $2.50 more per call with Dedicated Office Solutions than with Smith.ai. That adds up — if your business receives just 50 calls per month, you’ll be paying nearly $125 more per month with Dedicated Office Solutions. Combine your minimum monthly fee, setup cost, and the additional cost per call, and Dedicated Office Solutions will cost you significantly more for your first month of service compared to Smith.ai. 

With Smith.ai, you get more bang for your buck, too. Unlike Dedicated Office Solutions, we utilize AI to enable a much larger team to maximize responsiveness beyond what a family-owned team consisting of just a handful of receptionists can accomplish. We block spam, robocalls, and sales calls completely free, provide instant notifications for call transfers, and much more. 

On top of that, Dedicated Office Solutions isn’t available 24/7/365 — while Smith.ai is. It doesn't matter what time zone your customers (or our agents) are in, your calls will always be answered in a timely manner. Not only are our receptionists available around-the-clock, but unlike Dedicated Office Solutions, our receptionists are all North America-based and work from quiet home offices, so they sound like they’re in-house. Plus, since we're fully remote, our hiring practices focus on skill, not location. Dedicated Office Solutions’ receptionists are all based in Texas. 

Sure, Dedicated Office Solutions can answer phone calls, schedule appointments, and answer FAQs about your products and services, but they don’t advertise many of the same features that Smith.ai offers, from payment collection and call prioritization to bilingual agents and new lead intake. Plus, we advertise all of our features, like call recording and transcription (something Dedicated Office Solutions doesn't even offer) right up-front, so you know exactly what you're signing up for. 

So if you want to pay more for basic services that an in-house receptionist or standard call center can provide, Dedicated Office Solutions might be worth a look. But when you want to get more work off your plate for a more affordable price, the team at Smith.ai will be waiting to deliver everything you need with 100% transparency in everything we do. 

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 Dedicated Office Solutions.