Answering service for small business
Every call answered. Even the ones at 6 p.m. on a Friday.
A small business misses the calls that come while you are working. An answering service answers them for $1.30 to $5 a minute. An AI Employee answers them on your number for a flat plan, and books the job while it talks.
What it costs
Three small businesses, one month of calls.
Worked examples at published rates: $1.30 a minute (MAP Communications overage), $3.45 a minute (Ruby 500-minute plan), $10.00 a call (Smith.ai), and the DelegateWorker plan that covers the minutes. Three minutes a call.
Plumbing contractor
80 calls a month
- Per minute, low
- $312
- Per minute, high
- $828
- Per call
- $800
- AI Employee
- Scale, $299
Two-chair dental clinic
220 calls a month
- Per minute, low
- $858
- Per minute, high
- $2,277
- Per call
- $2,200
- AI Employee
- Seat, $749
Marketing agency
40 calls a month
- Per minute, low
- $156
- Per minute, high
- $414
- Per call
- $400
- AI Employee
- Operator, $99
The AI Employee answers two calls at once from Operator up, and at any hour on every plan. Minutes are included; add more in bundles.
Pay as you go
The cheapest way to start, and where it stops being cheap.
Four services sell a base fee with no minutes and a per-minute rate, so a quiet month costs under $70.
The rate is the catch: at 100 three-minute calls a month, $1.37 a minute is $411 plus the base fee, and $2.30 a minute is $690 plus the base fee.
A flat plan costs the same on a busy month as a quiet one. That is the whole difference.
| Service | Base fee | Per minute | 100 calls a month (3 minutes each) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specialty Answering Service | $44 | $1.54 | $506 |
| MAP Communications | $49 | $1.37 | $460 |
| Posh | $65 | $2.30 | $755 |
| PATLive | $49 | $2.99 | $946 |
| DelegateWorker Scale | $299 | included | $299 |
Automated answering service
Automated, live, or an AI Employee.
Automated phone system
- A menu: press 1 for sales.
- Cheap, and callers hang up on it.
- Takes a message. Books nothing.
Live answering service
- A person, from a call center.
- Bills by the minute or the call.
- Takes a message and sends it on.
AI Employee
- Answers under your name, on your number.
- Asks your questions and books the job.
- Writes the transcript into HubSpot or Go High Level.
An AI Employee is the automated option that does the receptionist’s job, not the menu’s.
How to pick an answering service for a small business
Count last month's calls
Include the ones that went to voicemail; those are the ones you are paying to catch.
Decide what happens after hello
A message, or a booked job. Only some services book.
Check the rate after the plan
Overage rates run $1.30 to $3.30 a minute. That is where the bill grows.
Compare a flat plan
If your calls × 3 minutes fits a plan, the flat price is the whole bill.
Published prices
Twelve answering services, side by side.
| Service | Billing model | Entry plan | Overage | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnswerConnect | Not published | Quote only | Quote only | 24/7 |
| PATLive | Per minute | $99 a month, 50 minutes | $2.29 a minute | 24/7, nights and weekends included |
| Ruby | Per minute | $250 a month, 50 minutes | Not published | 24/7, weekends and holidays included |
| Smith.ai, human receptionists | Per call | $300 a month, 30 calls | $11.50 a call | 24/7, same price at any hour |
| Smith.ai, AI receptionist | Per call | Free for 25 calls; Pro $150 a month, 75 calls | $3.00 a call on Free, $2.50 on Pro | 24/7 |
| MAP Communications | Per minute | $179 a month, 125 minutes, or $49 a month with no minutes then $1.37 a minute | $1.30 a minute | 24/7 |
| Specialty Answering Service | Per minute, billed to the second | $159 a month, 100 minutes, or $44 a month with no minutes then $1.54 a minute | $1.44 a minute | 24/7, no weekend or holiday fees |
| Posh | Per minute | $130 a month, 50 minutes, or $65 a month with no minutes then $2.30 a minute | $2.20 a minute | 24/7 |
| AnswerForce | Not published | Quote only | Quote only | 24/7 |
| Go Answer | Per minute | $175 a month, 100 minutes | $1.75 a minute | 24/7 |
| Abby Connect | Per minute; AI minutes count as half | $165 a month, 50 minutes | At the plan's minute rate, $3.30 on Starter | Hours you choose, 24/7 available, no weekend upcharge |
| Moneypenny | Per minute | $165 a month, 50 minutes | $2.28 a minute | 24/7 |
| DelegateWorker | Flat monthly plan | Operator $99 a month, 190 minutes, phone, Zoom and web | Add minutes in bundles | 24/7 |
Full price detail, overage and hours are on the answering service cost guide.
Pricing
Start with the plan built for a real front desk.
Operator
$99a month
- 190 minutes a month
- 2 parallel calls
- Phone, Zoom and web
- HubSpot and Go High Level connected
Scale
$299a month
- Everything in Operator
- 575 minutes a month
- 3 parallel calls
- Priority support
Want to hear your own AI Employee first? There is an $8 test plan.
Questions
Questions small business owners ask
How much does an answering service cost for a small business?
Pay-as-you-go plans start at $44 to $65 a month plus $1.37 to $2.99 a minute. Plans with minutes start at $99 a month for 50 minutes. Most small businesses with real call volume end up between $300 and $900 a month. An AI Employee on DelegateWorker starts at $99 a month for 190 minutes.
What is the cheapest answering service for a small business?
Specialty Answering Service at $44 a month plus $1.54 a minute and MAP Communications at $49 plus $1.37 are the lowest published entry prices. PATLive at $99 for 50 minutes is the cheapest plan with minutes included. For a business that gets more than 60 calls a month, a flat AI plan is usually the lowest total bill.
Is an automated answering service the same as an AI receptionist?
No. An automated system is a menu that takes a message. An AI receptionist answers like a person, asks your questions and books the job. On DelegateWorker it is called an AI Employee.
Do I need a 24 hour answering service?
If your customers call after 5 p.m. or on weekends, yes. Every service in the table answers 24/7 except where marked, and the AI Employee answers at any hour on every plan.
Can an answering service book appointments?
Some do, at a higher plan or for an extra fee. The AI Employee books into your calendar on every plan from Go up and writes the record into HubSpot or Go High Level.
What does the AI Employee cost?
Plans for a real front desk start at $99 a month. Minutes are included; add more in bundles when you need them.