Virtual receptionist vs answering service
AI receptionist vs answering service
AI receptionist vs answering service is the comparison owners make when they are ready to switch. Virtual receptionist vs answering service is the same comparison under the older name. An answering service puts a person on the line. An AI receptionist can book the appointment, or reschedule, change, or cancel it, before the caller hangs up.
Booking on the call, against taking a message
A human answering service, and many virtual receptionists, take a message and hand it back. Owners often call that glorified voicemail: the call was answered, and the job is still unbooked. Deeplathe answers and writes the booking, the reschedule, the change, or the cancellation into the calendar you already use while the caller is still on the line.
It runs 24/7. During open hours a person still answers first.
Flat monthly pricing against per-minute message-taking
Human message-taking is commonly billed per minute. The month changes with call length, repeat callers, and spam. This page does not quote another company's per-minute rate.
Deeplathe's published plans are Standard at $499 a month with 450 call minutes, and Pro at $999 a month with 1,300 call minutes. The pricing page states those as a flat monthly fee, with no per-minute charges inside the included minutes and no setup fee. Past the included minutes the business moves up a plan. Elite is quoted. The full table, including annual billing, is on the pricing page.
Callers who hang up, and the hours a person still covers
Some callers hang up as soon as they hear an AI. The setup owners accept is the human front desk answering first. The agent covers after hours, overflow, and calls that ring out. If you want callers told they are speaking with an AI, the agent says so.
An answering service keeps a person on every call, including the ones a caller would have hung up on an AI. The split above is how a business keeps that person for the calls that want one, and still finishes the calls the person does not pick up.
Questions
What is the difference in an AI receptionist vs answering service?
An answering service is commonly a person who takes a message, billed per minute. An AI receptionist can book, reschedule, change, or cancel on the call. Deeplathe's published plans are a flat monthly fee.
How is a virtual receptionist vs answering service different?
Virtual receptionist and answering service are both names for a person who answers. The comparison with an AI receptionist is whether the appointment is booked before the caller hangs up, or left as a message.
What does Deeplathe charge, and what do answering services charge?
Deeplathe's published plans are Standard at $499 a month with 450 call minutes, and Pro at $999 a month with 1,300 call minutes. The pricing page states those as a flat monthly fee, with no per-minute charges inside the included minutes and no setup fee. Past the included minutes the business moves up a plan. Elite is quoted. The full table, including annual billing, is on the pricing page. Human answering services are commonly billed per minute. This page does not quote a competitor's rate.
What if callers hang up on the AI?
Some callers do. The person answers first during open hours. The agent covers after hours, overflow, and calls that ring out. An answering service can stay on the calls that want a person.