If you are tired of missing calls and messages, you have probably looked at a few options: a traditional answering service, a chatbot on your website or one of the new AI receptionists. They all promise to catch customers you would otherwise lose. They work very differently.
Traditional answering service
A live person at a call center answers your line, usually with a script, and takes a message.
Good at: sounding human, handling unusual calls, true emergencies.
Weak at: knowing your business. Most answering services take a message and pass it on. They usually cannot answer detailed questions, quote price ranges or book directly on your calendar. Costs are often per minute or per call, so a busy month can get expensive.
Website chatbot
A chat window on your website answers questions from site visitors.
Good at: answering simple questions for people already on your site, collecting contact info.
Weak at: anything that happens off your website. It does not answer your phone, your texts or your Facebook messages. And for most local businesses, the phone is still where the money is.
AI receptionist
An AI voice assistant answers your business phone, has a natural conversation, answers questions based on what you have taught it and books appointments. Good setups also answer texts, Facebook, Instagram and website chat with the same AI.
Good at: answering every call instantly, 24/7, handling more than one call at a time, booking on your real calendar and logging every conversation with a summary.
Weak at: truly unusual situations. That is why a good setup transfers to you or takes a detailed message when a caller needs a person.
Side by side
- Answers the phone 24/7: answering service yes, chatbot no, AI receptionist yes
- Knows your services and prices: answering service limited, chatbot yes, AI receptionist yes
- Books on your calendar: answering service rarely, chatbot sometimes, AI receptionist yes
- Handles texts and DMs: answering service no, chatbot website only, AI receptionist yes
- Handles several calls at once: depends on staffing, not applicable, AI receptionist yes
Which one should you choose?
If most customers call you, an AI receptionist is usually the best fit. It covers the phone, which is where you are losing the most money.
If you get a lot of true emergencies, like a restoration company at 3am, pair the AI with a transfer to your on call phone for anything urgent.
If most customers find you online and never call, web chat helps, but make sure it connects to the same inbox as everything else.
The most important thing is not the tool. It is that every call, text and message gets a fast response and a clear next step. Pair whichever option you choose with missed call text back and a real follow up plan.
We set up and manage AI receptionists for St. Louis and Metro East businesses as part of our AI system, trained on your services and connected to your calendar and CRM.
