Voicemail, answering service, a hire or an AI receptionist?
Four ways to handle the calls you cannot pick up when you are on a job. What each one does, what it costs, and how to choose.
The four options side by side
| Voicemail | Live answering service | Hire a receptionist | Vise AI Receptionist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picks up 24/7 | No, records a message | Depends on the service and plan | During their hours | Yes |
| Finds out the job and where | Only if the caller leaves it | Yes, from a script | Yes | Yes, with questions set for your trade |
| Sends urgent calls to you | No | Usually, by transfer or message | Yes | Yes, by your rules |
| How you get the lead | You play it back | Message, email or app | In person or a note | A text when the call ends |
| Typical cost | Often part of your phone plan | Varies; example below | Wage plus taxes and benefits; example below | $99/mo (150 min) or $299/mo (800 min) |
What each one costs
Voicemail
Usually part of the phone service you already pay for. The cost is the calls that hang up instead of leaving a message, which only you can estimate from your own call log.
Live answering service
Prices vary a lot by provider, hours and call volume, and many bill per call or per minute. One published example: Smith.ai's live receptionist Starter plan is $300 a month for 30 calls, with $11.50 per call over 30 (their pricing page, October 21, 2026). Get quotes from two or three services for your own volume.
Hiring a receptionist
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay for receptionists at $18.27 an hour, or $38,010 a year, as of May 2025. That is wages only, before payroll taxes, benefits and time off, and one person covers one shift.
Vise AI Receptionist
$99 a month for 150 minutes (Starter) or $299 a month for 800 minutes (Receptionist), no setup fee, $0.29 per extra minute. It answers 24/7, finds out the job and where, sends urgent calls to you and texts you the lead. It does not schedule; if you want estimates put on your calendar, see Booked Estimates.
How to decide
1. Count the calls you miss.
Your phone carrier's call log shows missed and after-hours calls. If it is a handful a month, voicemail and a quick callback may be enough.
2. Look at what those calls are.
Urgent calls (leaks, no heat) and quote requests are the ones that go to the next company. Those are worth having answered.
3. Decide if you need a person in the office.
If you need help with paperwork, walk-ins and crew schedules too, a hire may be the right call. If you only need the phone covered, a service or AI costs less.
4. Decide if you want a human voice.
Some owners want a person on every call. A live service gives you that. If you care more about every call being answered the same way, any hour, AI fits.
Questions
Is an AI receptionist the same as an answering service?
Both answer calls you miss. An answering service usually means people working from a script; an AI receptionist is software that answers, asks your questions and passes the lead on. Some services mix both.
Will callers know it is AI?
If a caller asks, it tells them it is an AI receptionist for your company. It never claims to be a person.
Is voicemail really that bad?
Voicemail works when callers are willing to wait. For urgent calls and quote requests, many callers try the next company instead of leaving a message, so the question is how much of your work comes from those calls.
When does hiring someone make more sense?
When you need someone in the office for more than the phone: walk-ins, paperwork, scheduling crews and billing. An AI receptionist only handles calls.
Comparing AI receptionists? Vise vs Smith.ai, Vise vs Goodcall, Vise vs Rosie.
Talk it through.
30 minutes on your calls today and which option fits.