There is no single monthly price. Some services charge by the call. Others charge by the minute. The plan’s starting price tells you little until you know how much your firm will use it.
For example, Smith.ai’s AI receptionist lists a $150 monthly plan with 75 calls. Ruby’s human receptionist service lists a $250 monthly plan with 50 minutes. Those are different services, with different amounts of use included. They are not two quotes for the same job.
Below, we’ll turn those prices into a budget and show what to ask before signing up.
1. Count your calls
Start with the call log from your phone system. Choose a recent month that felt normal. Then find a busy month. If you plan to forward only after-hours or missed calls, count that group rather than every call to the firm.
For each month, write down:
- The number of calls the service would answer.
- The total length of those calls.
- The kinds of work you need: a short message, a full intake, or a transfer to a person.
Use the total minutes when you have them. If you only have call counts, multiply by the average call length as a starting estimate. Your current call lengths may change when a service follows a different script.
We’ll use Big Apple Personal Injury, an invented firm, throughout this guide:
Example · Two months to price
- Normal month
- 100 calls x 4 minutes = 400 minutes
- Busy month
- 200 calls x 4 minutes = 800 minutes
- Work needed
- Ask the firm's intake questions and save the answers for staff
The four-minute estimate covers the conversation. A provider may count other time too, such as work after the call. Ask how its billable use differs from your phone log.
2. Check the unit
Find the unit on each provider’s pricing page. Then check what happens when you use more than the plan includes. An overage is the charge for that extra use.
| Price model | What to count | What you still need to know |
|---|---|---|
| Per call | Billable calls | Do spam, wrong numbers and repeat callers count? Is there a call-length limit? |
| Per minute | Billable minutes | Do hold time, transfers and work after the call count? How are partial minutes rounded? |
| Flat monthly quote | Use covered by the agreement | What volume and work does the quote cover? When would the price change? |
A flat monthly price does not, by itself, mean unlimited calls. Lighthouse quotes a monthly rate based on call volume, without per-minute billing. Ask us for a quote based on your call volume and the work you need.
3. Price both months
First, keep the plan fixed so you can see the extra-use charge clearly.
Smith.ai lists its Pro 75 AI plan at $150 a month, with 75 calls included and $2.50 for each extra call. Using that plan, Big Apple’s budget would be:
| Month | Math | Monthly plan plus extra calls |
|---|---|---|
| Normal: 100 calls | $150 + (25 x $2.50) | $212.50 |
| Busy: 200 calls | $150 + (125 x $2.50) | $462.50 |
These are the listed base and extra-call charges, before any taxes or other charges that apply. They are not a claim that this is the cheapest plan for that workload.
Check the next plan before you choose. Smith.ai’s Pro 150 AI plan lists 150 calls for $270, then $2.30 per extra call. At 200 calls, that is $270 + (50 x $2.30) = $385, less than keeping the 75-call plan. Check when a plan change takes effect and whether you can change it back.
Now look at a minute-based service. Ruby lists 500 receptionist minutes for $1,725 a month. Big Apple’s 400-minute normal month fits within that allowance if those 400 minutes match Ruby’s billing rules. Its 800-minute busy month exceeds it by 300 minutes. Get the applicable extra-minute rate or a larger-plan quote before you put a total in the budget.
This is why the $250 entry price is not Big Apple’s budget: that Ruby plan includes just 50 minutes. Nor does this math make one service better than another. Human staffing, intake questions, transfers and support can differ. Compare those next.
4. Match the work
Give each provider the same short description of the job. For Big Apple, that might be:
Answer the calls we forward. Collect the caller’s contact details and our approved accident and treatment questions. Save the answers for our staff. If the caller asks for a person, follow our handoff instructions. Tell us what happens if that person does not answer.
Ask the provider to mark what is included in the quoted plan and what costs more. A useful reply names the exact plan, rather than listing everything the company sells.
For example, Smith.ai’s pricing page separates Pro from Enterprise options such as custom AI prompting and integrations. Do not assume every feature on a product page comes with the entry plan. Ruby’s listed prices are for its human receptionist service; do not label them AI prices.
If you need help deciding which kind of service fits, start with our voice AI buying guide. For a closer look at one provider, see Lighthouse versus Smith.ai.
5. Get a written quote
Copy this sheet into an email or document. Fill it in for each provider before you compare totals.
| Ask for | What the quote should show |
|---|---|
| Plan and service | The plan name and whether AI, human staff or both answer |
| Normal month | Total for 100 calls and 400 conversation minutes, using the provider’s billing rules |
| Busy month | Total for 200 calls and 800 conversation minutes, using the same work requirements |
| Included work | Intake questions, saved answers, transfers and the no-answer handoff |
| Other charges | Any setup, extra use, transfers, human help, added features, taxes or minimum spend |
| Changing or leaving | When plan changes take effect, contract length and cancellation terms |
Do not treat a blank cell as free. Ask the provider to confirm it. Ruby, for example, says it does not charge extra setup or onboarding fees. That is a useful fact to record; it does not answer every other billing question.
Keep both month totals beside the scope of work. A low quote for taking a name and number is not the same offer as a quote for asking a full intake script. Once you have the same work priced, you can make a useful choice—and test the call itself before relying on the service.