AI receptionist vs. answering service
Four ways to answer the phone. What each one does, costs and leaves out.
An AI receptionist like Sí Call, a live answering service, voicemail, or a human receptionist you hire. Here is what each handles, how you pay for it and where it falls short, including what Sí Call doesn’t do yet.
Plans open at launch. Nothing can be bought yet, and features marked “Coming soon” aren’t built yet.
What each option does with a call.
Sí Call’s column is what the product does at launch, with anything not built yet marked. The other three describe what’s typical; providers and people vary, so check the ones you’re considering.
| Option | Sí CallAI receptionistAt launch | Answering serviceLive agents at a call centerTypical | VoicemailA recorded greetingTypical | HiringA receptionist on your teamTypical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On the call | ||||
| Who picks up |
| A live agent, working from your script | Nobody. The caller can leave a message. | A person on your team |
| When it answers |
| Depends on the plan you buy | Always, but it only records | Their working hours |
| Answers questions |
| From the script and notes you give them | No | Yes, once trained |
| Takes a message |
| Yes, usually sent on by email or text | If the caller leaves one | Yes |
| Books appointments |
| Often, on plans that include it | No | Yes |
| Several calls at once |
| Usually, with several agents on shift | Yes; messages queue up | One call at a time |
| Hands a caller to you |
| Commonly offered | No | Yes |
| Languages |
| Varies; some offer Spanish-speaking agents | Your greeting’s language | The languages they speak |
| After the call | ||||
| A record of the call |
| A message summary; call logs vary | An audio message | Whatever they write down |
| Leads |
| Varies by provider | No | If you set up a system |
| Tells you about the call |
| Usually by email or text, per message | Your phone’s voicemail alert | They tell you |
| Sends leads to your other tools |
| Some providers connect to CRMs | No | By hand |
| Cost and setup | ||||
| How you pay |
| A monthly plan, usually by minutes or by calls | Usually part of your phone plan | Wages, payroll taxes and benefits |
| Setup |
| Share a script and forward your number | Record a greeting | Recruit, hire and train |
| Commitment |
| Varies by provider | None | Employment |
- At launch True once plans open. Nothing can be bought yet.
- Coming soon Coming soon: not built, or not switched on yet.
- Planned On the roadmap, not started.
- Typical What’s common for that option. Providers and people vary, so check the ones you’re considering.
Each option is right for someone.
None of them suits every business. Here is what each is good at, and what to watch for before you choose.
- Sí CallAt launch
An AI receptionist
Good for
- Calls that come in while you’re on a job, in court or with a client
- A written record of each call, and leads scored by rules you can read
- Paying by the minutes you use, not per person
Watch for
- It’s an AI, and callers are told so in the opening words
- Handing a caller to your team Coming soon
- Spanish Coming soon
- Answering service
A live answering service
Good for
- Callers who expect a person on the line
- Handing calls to you, on plans that include it
Watch for
- Callers may reach a different agent each time
- Plans and per-call or per-minute charges vary; read what’s included
- Voicemail
Voicemail
- Hiring
A human receptionist
Good for
- Work that needs a person at the front desk, not only on the phone
- Calls that need judgement and history
Watch for
- One person answers one call at a time, in working hours
- Wages, payroll taxes, benefits, and cover for breaks and time off
What Sí Call does, and what’s still coming.
A comparison is only fair if you know what isn’t built yet. Plan features take their status from our price catalog, so it changes the day the product does.
Sí Call, by capability
- 6 at launch
- 6 coming soon
- 1 planned
On the call
What a caller gets when Sí Call picks up.
- Answers from your business infoAt launchHours, services, prices and your own answers.
- Takes a message and captures the leadAt launch
- Books on Google Calendar or the built-in calendarAt launchIt reads the booking back.
- A second caller forwards to your phoneComing soonUntil then, an extra caller hears that the lines are busy.
- Hands a caller to your teamComing soon
- SpanishComing soonEnglish today.
After the call
What you get once the caller hangs up.
- Summary and transcript in your dashboardAt launch
- Leads scored 0 to 100, with CSV exportAt launch
- An email to you after each callAt launch
- Alerts by text or phone notificationComing soon
- Texts to callersComing soonFrom Growth.
- CRM sync and webhooksComing soonFrom Pro.
- HubSpot and SalesforcePlanned
Before you choose.
Is an AI receptionist the same as an answering service?
No. An answering service is a team of people answering from your script. Sí Call is software: it answers from the business info you add, takes a message when it can’t help, and files each completed call with a transcript and a summary. Callers are told it’s an AI in the opening words.
Will callers know they’re talking to an AI?
Yes. By default, callers hear “You’re speaking with an AI assistant, and this call is recorded and transcribed.” before your greeting. The part that says it’s an AI can’t be switched off; if your own greeting already says it’s an AI, for example “you’ve reached our AI assistant”, it isn’t said twice.
Is it cheaper than hiring a receptionist?
We don’t publish a comparison figure, because wages and call volumes vary too much. Sí Call plans start at $75 a month and are priced by minutes; a hire costs wages, payroll taxes and benefits. The missed-call cost calculator shows what your unanswered calls may be worth.
Can I use it alongside my team or an answering service?
Yes. At launch you forward your existing number to Sí Call, either all calls or only the ones you don’t pick up, so it can take the overflow. Carrier-by-carrier forwarding instructions are coming soon.
Can Sí Call hand a caller to me?
Not yet. Transferring a caller to someone on your team is coming soon. Until then, it takes a message with the caller’s name, number and what they need, so your team can call back.
Can I buy it today?
Not yet. Plans open at launch. You can pledge a Founding 50 spot now to hold 20% off Starter, Growth or Pro for 12 consecutive months from your first paid invoice. It’s free, needs no card, and you can withdraw any time.
Run the numbers, then check the plans.
Let Sí Call pick up. Plans open at launch.
Pledge a Founding 50 spot to hold 20% off Starter, Growth or Pro for 12 consecutive months, or talk to it in your browser first. Pledging is free and needs no card.
- PricingPlans from $75 a monthMinutes, calls at once and overage for each plan, what is coming soon, and how billing works.
- Founding 50Hold 20% off before launch50 spots. Free to pledge, no card, withdraw any time. Confirmed pledgers are invited in pledge order when plans open.
Sources
- 4Quo, formerly OpenPhone (phone-system vendor), customer call data published Aug 20, 2026: 16.7 million missed calls over three months. Only an outbound call to the caller’s number within 48 hours counted as a callback. ↩
- 5CallRail (vendor of call-tracking and AI call-answering software), “Why businesses can’t afford to miss calls,” Sept 25, 2025. Commissioned survey of 1,000 US consumers; self-reported answers; full methodology not published. ↩