An AI receptionist you buy once.

What an AI receptionist actually does here

Your phone still rings first. Answello only picks up the calls you were going to miss anyway: after four rings, out of hours, or when you are already on the phone. Nothing changes about the number your customers already have.

• It says it is an assistant. Straight away, every call. People work it out anyway, and they mind more when it was hidden.
• It finds out who and what. Name, number and what they need, following the script you write for that brand, with the digits read back so they come out right.
• It texts you. Who rang and why, with urgent calls marked, before the caller has reached the next name on their list.
• It keeps the record. The recording and a full transcript wait in your dashboard, and each call can go on to your CRM, an inbox or a webhook.

What it does not do: it does not book appointments into your calendar or put callers through to a colleague. It takes a proper message and gets it to you fast. If you need live booking or transfers, a hosted service does that, at a monthly price. How the call itself works is explained in AI answering service: what it does and costs.

What it costs, next to the rented ones

Most AI receptionists are rented by the month and metered by the minute or the call. Answello is bought once. Here is one brand over three years:

	What you pay	What it covers	Three years
Rosie, Professional	$49 a month	250 minutes a month	$1,764
Smith.ai, Pro	$150 a month	75 calls a month, then $2 a call	$5,400
Answello	$399 once	Unlimited calls and brands	$399, plus the running costs below

Answello’s running costs are billed straight to accounts in your name, and nothing comes to us: the phone company, at around $8 a month per brand, and the AI provider, charged by use. There is more on the sums in what an AI receptionist really costs.

Who it suits, and who it doesn’t

It suits trades and small businesses who lose jobs to voicemail, owners running more than one brand or number, and anyone tired of paying per seat, per site or per minute. It works just as well for after-hours answering, because nights and weekends cost nothing extra.

It does not suit a business that needs every call booked or transferred live, or a medical practice that needs a signed HIPAA agreement from its supplier. If you would rather not touch a server at all, we will install it for you for $895, or look after it for $119 a month.

Questions people ask

Will callers know they are talking to an AI?

Yes. It tells them straight away that it is an assistant, then takes the name, the number and what they need, and reads the digits back so they are right.

Does my own phone stop ringing?

No. Your phone rings first, always. Answello only answers what you were going to miss: after four rings, out of hours, or when you are already on a call.

Can the AI receptionist book appointments?

Not today. It takes a clear message, marks the urgent ones and texts you, so you can call back and book it yourself. If you need booking on the call, a hosted service with a monthly plan is the better fit.

What does it cost every month?

Nothing to us. You pay the phone company around $8 a month per brand and the AI provider for what you use, both on accounts in your own name.

Can I use it for more than one business?

Yes. As many of your own brands and numbers as you like, each with its own greeting and script, for the same single payment.