![]() | ||
---|---|---|
costs | ||
Pricing | Per call | Per minute |
Cost | $6.50-$8.50/call | $1.28-$2.65/min |
Starting cost | $255/month | $59/month |
Setup fee | NO | No |
Money-Back Guarantee | 14 days | 14 day free trial |
Spam & sales calls | Free | $1.28-$2.65/min |
Post-call wrap-up | Included | Yes |
Contracts | No contracts | No |
Wrong Numbers | Free | $1.28-$2.65/min |
Required Deposit | NO | No |
Overage Cost | $7.50-$9.50/call | Charged the first minute in full, then in 6 second increments, $1.05-$2.25/minute |
capabilities | ||
Calls answered 24/7 | ✔ | ✔ |
North America-based receptionists | ✔ | ✔ |
Lead qualification | ✔ | ✘ |
New lead intake | ✔ | ✘ |
Appointment scheduling | ✔ | ✘ Certain plans only |
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 | ✔ Email, SMS |
Receptionists make calls for you | ✔ Same per-call pricing. Comes from your # | ✘ |
Receptionists know caller history | ✔ | |
Spanish-speaking receptionists | ✔ | ✔ $20/month |
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 | ✔ | ✘ |
Your virtual receptionists offer the most value when they can act as an in-house receptionist. That’s why Smith.ai’s receptionists can qualify & intake new leads, book appointments, accept payments, make outbound calls, set up conferences, and add call notes to your CRM. We even offer call recording and transcription, something PATLive doesn’t offer. They don't qualify or intake new leads either, which means new potential clients could easily move on while waiting for a callback.
Smith.ai’s receptionists answer current clients in a familiar manner, as they can easily look up zip codes and access the client’s call history. Our AI technology enables our receptionists to have the information they need for personalization so they can focus entirely on properly representing your business. PATLive works entirely off call scripts, which can make for a robotic call experience and don’t always cover every situation.
With per minute pricing, PATLive is likely to be more expensive and sure to be less predictable. If you have an average of 6 minute long calls, PATLive may seem cheaper, but since they charge per minute for spam, sales calls, and wrong numbers, your overall monthly costs are likely to be much higher. Stick with Smith.ai’s flat per call pricing with no charge for spam filtering and your monthly cost will be easy to estimate.
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 PATLive.