Smith.ai vs. TeleDirect

For basic call answering and appointment scheduling services, TeleDirect will charge you per minute. Now, if you wind up with a particularly chatty caller (and chances are, you will), you’ll be paying more for a call than it might be worth. TeleDirect also charges a higher per minute pricing model for additional features, like appointment booking or payment collection. Since those calls tend to be longer, they’ll be even more expensive. Smith.ai, on the other hand, allows you to purchase features a la carte and pay per call, no matter the length. Your monthly costs will be based on your call volume rather than your call length. That way, you’re never stuck with a lengthy bill for a single call. 

TeleDirect’s services are more in line with a call center. They can answer calls, take messages, and book appointments, but their capabilities are fairly limited beyond that. Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can do far more for your business. We become a true extension of your office: answering calls with custom greetings, booking appointments, taking payments, and the list goes on!

As far as technology goes, Smith.ai’s capabilities stretch far beyond TeleDirect’s. In fact, TeleDirect doesn’t offer much in the way of advanced technological support — not like Smith.ai. We integrate with over a thousand CRMs, marketing platforms, calendars, billing systems, and intake forms. Furthermore, our AI platform connects to you via SMS, Slack, and Zapier. We even have an open API (for our more tech-savvy users).

When it comes to call reporting, TeleDirect does offer some insight, but Smith.ai’s call intelligence truly takes the cake. We track key data, like caller type (e.g., new lead, existing client, spam), time of the call, priority, and even disposition, to give you insight into the actions taken on your calls. We even offer call recording and transcription for when full call details are needed. Plus, with comprehensive customization options like complex call routing, it’s clear you get more out of your communication efforts with Smith.ai.

On top of that, TeleDirect is a small company, so they likely only have a handful of agents. This means they don’t have the bandwidth to handle bigger projects. Smith.ai, on the other hand, has hundreds of highly trained and experienced virtual receptionists working from all over North America. We guarantee quick answering and quality service every time. We take the time to learn how you would like your calls to be handled, striving to build genuine connections with each of your callers. Our receptionists always work from quiet home offices, so your callers won’t get any of that distracting background noise like they would from a call center.

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 TeleDirect.