Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists vs. TeleDirect: 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 TeleDirect

TeleDirect

COSTS
Pricing
Per call
Per minute
Cost
$6.50-$8.50/call
Info unavailable
Starting cost
$255/month
Info unavailable
Setup fee
NO
Info unavailable
Money-Back Guarantee
14 days
Info unavailable
Spam & sales calls
Free
Info unavailable
Post-call wrap-up
Included
Info unavailable
Contract
No contracts
Info unavailable
Wrong numbers
Free
Info unavailable
Required deposit
NO
Info unavailable
Overage Cost
$7.50-$9.50/call
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CAPABILITIES
Calls answered 24/7
✘ Holidays cost extra
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
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
✔ Same per-call pricing. Comes from your #.
Spanish-speaking receptionists
Send follow-up messages
Info unavailable
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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TeleDirect only offers basic answering services. If you’re looking for comprehensive and feature-rich virtual receptionist services, Smith.ai has more of what you need.

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.

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