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Answering service for small business: AI or live, and what it costs

Missed calls are missed jobs. An AI receptionist now answers for a fraction of a live service. What each option costs at 100 calls a month, and how to set one up.

Shanin Drucquer

Shanin DrucquerQuo user since 2025 · Updated October 2026

Short answer

An AI receptionist costs about $50 to $250 for 100 calls a month; a live answering service about $700 to $1,100. Quo includes an AI agent on every plan, with about 10 calls a month free.

10

AI-answered calls a month included on every Quo plan

$99

Nextiva’s AI receptionist with a phone line, per month

$1,000

About what a live service costs for 100 calls

24/7

Hours an AI receptionist can answer

Have these ready

  • Your business hours and service area
  • The questions callers ask most
  • What counts as urgent, and who takes those calls
  • Your booking or scheduling link, if you have one

  1. Step 1 of 5 · 5 min

    Decide what callers need

    Most calls to a small business are the same few things: are you open, do you serve my area, how much, can I book. Write those down. They’re what the receptionist has to handle.

  2. Step 2 of 5 · 5 min

    Pick AI or a live person

    AI receptionists answer instantly, around the clock, for cents a call, and handle routine questions well. Live receptionists cost far more but handle upset customers and unusual requests better.

  3. Step 3 of 5 · 15 min

    Give it your answers

    Load your hours, services, prices you’re happy to quote, service area, and FAQs. The better this is, the fewer calls come back to you.

  4. Step 4 of 5 · 10 min

    Set the handoff

    Decide what gets passed to a person right away (emergencies, big jobs, existing customers) and what becomes a message or a booking.

  5. Step 5 of 5 · 10 min

    Call it yourself

    Call as a customer would, ask the awkward questions, and fix whatever it gets wrong before customers find it.

    Start with after-hours and overflow calls only. Expand once you trust how it answers.

What 100 calls a month costs

Pricing models differ (per call, per minute, or bundles), so here’s each option priced for the same month: 100 calls at about 2 to 2.5 minutes each.

ServiceTypePlanAbout 100 calls a month
Quo SonaAI, inside Quo$49/mo for about 100 calls; 10 free on every plan$64 (with a $15/user seat)
RingCentral AI ReceptionistAI$49/mo with 100 minutes, then $0.50/minAbout $99–$124
Nextiva XBertAI + phone line$99/mo for 100 interactions, then $0.99 each$99
Smith.ai (AI-first)AI, human backup availablePer call, from a free 25-call tierAbout $160–$250
RubyLive receptionists$250/mo for 50 minutes, up to $1,725 for 500About $720–$970
Smith.ai (human)Live receptionists$300/mo for 30 calls, then $8.50–$11.50 a callAbout $900–$1,100

Quo tiers are from Quo’s help center; the rest from each company’s pricing and 2026 pricing reports, which don’t always agree. Live-service figures vary with call length.

The options, in short

$0–$49

Quo Sona

Built into Quo, the phone system I use. 10 calls a month are free; $49 covers about 100. Best if you’re already on Quo or switching.

$99

Nextiva XBert

An AI receptionist bundled with a business phone line, 100 interactions a month. No contract, 30-day money-back guarantee.

$700+

Live receptionists

Ruby and Smith.ai put a real person on every call. Worth it when calls are high-stakes or callers expect a human.

AI or live: how to choose

Pick AI if most calls are routine: hours, quotes, booking, service area. It answers instantly at any hour, never puts anyone on hold, and costs cents per call.

Pick a live service if callers are often upset, calls involve judgment (legal intake, medical, urgent repairs), or your customers expect a person. Many owners do both: AI after hours, people during the day.

Common questions

How much does an answering service cost for a small business?

For about 100 calls a month, AI receptionists run roughly $50 to $250, and live answering services about $700 to $1,100. Live services usually bill per minute or per call, so long calls cost more.

Is an AI receptionist good enough?

For routine calls, like hours, quotes, booking, and service area, yes, and it answers instantly around the clock. For upset callers or calls that need judgment, a person still does better. Starting AI on after-hours calls only is a low-risk way to try it.

Does Quo have an AI receptionist?

Yes. Sona answers calls on every Quo plan. About 10 calls a month are included, and paid tiers start at $25 for about 40 calls or $49 for about 100. When credits run out, calls go to your normal call flow unless you turn on overages.

What does Nextiva’s AI receptionist cost?

Nextiva advertises its XBert AI receptionist with a business phone line for $99 a month, including 100 interactions, with extra interactions at $0.99 each.

What’s the cheapest answering service?

If you’re on Quo, Sona is included for about 10 calls a month at no extra cost. Beyond that, AI receptionists at $49 to $99 a month are far cheaper than live services.

Sources: Quo: Sona pricing, Nextiva: AI receptionist and phone line, CloudTalk: RingCentral AI Receptionist review, Macha: Smith.ai pricing, CloudTalk: Ruby pricing.

Try an AI receptionist inside Quo

Quo includes Sona on every plan, so you can test it on after-hours calls during the 7-day trial. Sign up through my referral link and you get a $20 Visa gift card.

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