AnsweredLine
Receptionist, answering service, or AI? Here's the math.
There are four ways to get your phone answered. Here's what each one costs, what you actually get, and where Answered Line fits — so you can decide with real numbers.
Don't take our word for it. Call it and hear it for yourself.
Ask it anything a customer would ask you. Then decide.We will build your receptionist and call you with it — free. Tell us your business name, what you do, and your hours, and you will hear it answer as your company before you pay anything. If you like it: $97/mo for your first three months, setup free, then $297. Month to month, cancel anytime.
What changes the day it goes live
You keep your number
We port your number in, and the line is included. Your customers, your truck, your Google listing — nothing changes for them. Nothing goes to voicemail.
It handles the solicitors
Your customers get answered and booked. The SEO pitch, the warranty call, the merchant services guy — they get a polite no and never reach you. You only hear about the calls worth hearing about.
Answers in English and Spanish
Your receptionist answers in whichever language the caller speaks and switches mid-call. You never lose a job over language, and every summary comes to you in English.
Lower cost than any other way to answer
$297 a month, flat, line included. A human answering service runs $235–$325 and bills by the minute. A part-time receptionist is $1,300–$1,800. Nobody else books the job and texts you the summary.
You walk into every call already knowing the job
Name, address, what they need, when — texted to you seconds after the call. You call back prepared, not guessing.
Your time comes back
No more stopping the job to answer, no more evenings returning voicemails. The phone gets handled; you do the work you get paid for.
The trade-offs in plain English
Each option buys you something different. Pick the one that matches how you work.
Voicemail
Free, and most callers won't leave a message.
Human answering service
A person, but a stranger reading a script, billed per minute.
Hiring a receptionist
Knows your business, but covers one call at a time during business hours.
AI receptionist
Answers everything, 24/7, books the job — for a flat monthly price.
Side by side
| Voicemail | Answering service | Receptionist | Answered Line | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $0 | $235–$325+ per-minute | $1,300–$5,300 | $297 |
| 24/7 | Yes (no answer) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Books appointments | No | Rarely | Yes | Yes |
| Calls at once | — | Several | One | Unlimited |
| Answers questions | No | Script | Yes | Yes, from your rules |
What it does on every call
Answers in one ring, 24/7
Nights, weekends, while you're on the job. Nobody gets voicemail.
Answers your customers' questions
Your services, hours, service area, and the eight questions you get asked every day.
Transfers by your rules
Existing customer with a problem goes to the office. New quote goes to sales. Solicitors get screened.
Books appointments
Straight into your calendar, in the hours you set, with a confirmation text to the caller.
Texts you the summary
Name, number, address, what they wanted — seconds after the call ends.
Sounds like you
Voice and text, first line of contact for your business. We can clone your voice so callers hear the owner, not a bot.
Keeps your number
Line included. We port your number in or give you a new one, plus two more free.
What a missed call actually costs
Only about 38% of calls to small businesses get answered by a person. Of the callers who hit voicemail, most hang up without a message, 85% never call back, and 62% call a competitor next. Run your own numbers:
What the alternatives cost
| Option | Monthly | What you actually get |
|---|---|---|
| A business phone line | $25–$35 | A number. It still rings to voicemail when you're on a ladder. |
| Answering service (human) | $235–$325+, billed per minute | A stranger reads a script, takes a message. No booking, no texting the caller, overage every busy month. |
| Part-time receptionist | $1,300–$1,800 | 20 hours a week. Nights, weekends, and lunch still go to voicemail. |
| Full-time receptionist | $4,000–$5,300 | Business hours only, plus payroll, benefits, sick days. |
| Answered Line | $297 | The line, 24/7 voice and text answering, booking, transfers, call summaries — in your own voice if you want. |
Pricing
Receptionist
- 24/7 AI receptionist on a dedicated business line
- Transfers, messages, FAQs, appointment booking
- Missed-call text-back
- Call summaries by text and email
- 500 minutes included
- Call summaries, confirmations and reminders by email and text
- Free demo before you pay, then $97/mo for your first 3 months
Front Office
- Everything in Receptionist
- 5-page website built to get calls
- Google Business Profile setup
- Automatic review requests
- Follow-up texts and email for every lead, up to 2,500 emails a month
- 1,000 minutes included
Growth
- Everything in Front Office
- Meta and Google ads managed for you
- Instant-estimate tool on your site
- Monthly report
- Unlimited minutes and email, campaigns run for you
We built it because we were losing calls too
We built it for our own company, Smarter Scapes. A couple of other local trades run on it too: we answer their phones, built their websites, and set up their instant online estimates. Call any of them and the same receptionist picks up.
Three steps. Live in 48 hours.
- Call the demo line — (615) 219-2119. Hear it for yourself.
- 15-minute setup call — ten questions about your business.
- Live in 48 hours — your number is ported in, the receptionist answers, you get the texts.
Order now → or book a 15-min call or call (615) 219-2119 and ask the receptionist to book you.
Built for your trade
Same receptionist, trained on the calls your kind of business actually gets.
Plumbers
The 9 PM burst-pipe call, answered and routed.
HVAC
July no-cool calls booked while you're in the attic.
Electricians
Panel upgrades and EV chargers, estimate booked.
Landscaping
Spring-rush quotes captured from the mower seat.
Pest control
First call becomes a quarterly plan, not a voicemail.
Roofing
Storm-day volume, every address logged.
Questions owners ask
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than an answering service?
Usually. Human answering services typically bill per minute with overages; Answered Line is a flat monthly price and also books appointments.
When should I hire a person instead?
When you need someone at a front desk in person. For answering the phone, booking, and routing calls, the AI covers more hours for less.
Will my customers know it's AI?
Most never ask. If they do, it says so plainly and offers a callback from a real person. Nobody gets voicemail.
What if it gets something wrong?
Every call is transcribed and sent to you. Tell us what to change and it's fixed the same day.
Do I have to change my number?
No. We port your existing number in, so your customers keep calling the same number. Your line is included, plus two more numbers free.
Does it stop solicitors and sales calls?
Yes. Real customers get answered and booked; sales pitches get a polite no and never reach you. They are never transferred and never booked — you just see them in your call log.
Does it speak Spanish?
Yes. It answers in English or Spanish, whichever the caller speaks, and switches mid-call if they do. Your call summaries still come to you in English.
Is there a contract?
No. Month to month, cancel anytime.
What kind of businesses is this for?
Anyone who misses calls while working: plumbers, HVAC, electricians, roofers, landscapers, cleaners, pest control, painters, auto shops, salons, dental and chiro offices, law offices, property managers.
The whole back office for your business, one sign-up
Phones answered, missed calls texted back, reviews, follow-up, estimates, a crew app, social, SEO, ads and a website. Pick any or all of it. Each service is its own month-to-month plan.