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Read the guideAI answering or a human service? How to choose.
Both pick up the phone when you can't. But they're good at different things. Here's where a person still wins, where an AI does, and how to choose.
When the phone rings and nobody can take it, there are two common solutions: an answering service, where a person at another company takes it in your name, or an AI phone assistant that talks to the customer itself. We make one of them, so read with that in mind – we've tried to write it the way we'd explain it to a friend.
01What the two actually are
An answering service is people who answer your phone following instructions you've given them. Typically they take a message and pass it on by email or text; some can also transfer calls or book appointments.
An AI phone assistant is a voice AI that answers the call, understands what the customer is asking and replies from the information you've given it – opening hours, prices, who handles what. It can transfer the call or take a message when it can't answer itself.
02Side by side
| Answering service | AI phone assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | A person | An AI that says it's an AI |
| Answers questions | Often only what's in the instructions | From the knowledge you give it |
| Difficult or sensitive calls | Strongest here | Should transfer or take a message |
| Many calls at once | Depends on staffing | Handles several calls at the same time |
| Outside opening hours | Depends on the agreement | Around the clock |
| Price | Usually a fixed fee and/or per call – get quotes | Usually a fixed fee plus minutes |
| What you get afterwards | A message | Depends on the product – e.g. a transcript of the whole call |
03Where a person still wins
- Sensitive calls. A customer in a crisis, a complaint that needs warmth, or a call where tone matters more than content.
- The unexpected. A person can improvise. An AI should stick to what it knows and say so when it doesn't.
- Customers who don't want to talk to an AI. They exist. A good AI setup lets them reach a person or leave a message.
04Where an AI wins
- It actually answers the question. "Are you open on Saturday?" doesn't need a message and a callback.
- It's always there. At 10 pm, at weekends and when five people call at once.
- Everything is written down. You get the whole conversation, not a short note with a name and a number.
- The price follows usage. You pay for minutes rather than staffing.
05The downsides of an AI – honestly
- It can mishear a name, a number or an accent. That's why it should repeat important details and write the call down, so you can put things right.
- It's only as good as what you've told it. If the opening hours are missing, it can't answer questions about them.
- It has to say it's an AI. That isn't optional – see the guide to GDPR and AI on the phone.
06How to choose
An answering service fits best if …
- most calls are sensitive or need judgement,
- you mainly need someone to take a message,
- calls are few and the price per call is low.
An AI fits best if …
- many calls are the same questions over and over,
- people also call outside opening hours,
- you want every call written down and gathered in one place.
Many end up with both: AI for the routine and a transfer to a person when it's needed. For price, hours and set-up side by side, read answering service vs. AI receptionist.
Questions to ask any provider
- What does it cost in total at our call volume – not just the starting price?
- What happens when you can't answer – a transfer, a message or nothing?
- What do we get afterwards: a message or the whole conversation?
- Where is the data, and is there a data processing agreement?
- Is there a lock-in?
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