What a receptionist, a live answering service and an automated front desk each cost a small business per month, what each one actually handles, and how to pick. Every price is cited.
The short answer
For most small businesses, an automated front desk is the cheapest way to answer every call, and a live answering service is the better buy only when your calls need a person's judgment. A full-time receptionist costs about $3,170 a month in wages for business hours alone. Live answering services start around $250 to $300 a month for a small number of minutes or calls. An automated front desk like ours is $297 a month with no minute or call cap, and it answers nights and weekends too.
We sell the automated option, so read this knowing that. Every price below links to its source, including the ones that argue for the other two.
What each option costs
| Option | Monthly cost | Hours covered | What limits it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receptionist on staff | About $3,170 in wages for 40 hours a week (median $18.27 an hour) | Business hours | One call at a time; taxes, benefits, sick days and turnover on top |
| Live answering service | Ruby from $250 for 50 minutes; Smith.ai from $300 for 30 calls | Usually 24/7 | Pay by the minute or call; overages add up in a busy month |
| Automated front desk (ours) | $297, plus phone and text usage, usually $5 to $50 | 24/7 | Answers from what you approve; sends anything unusual to you |
Covering every hour of a month with staff at the median wage would run about $13,300 before taxes and benefits. That is why almost nobody does it, and why most after-hours calls go to voicemail.
A worked example
Say your business misses about 60 calls a month and each one runs about three minutes. That is 180 minutes.
- Ruby: the 100-minute plan is too small, so you would be on the 200-minute plan at $720 a month.
- Smith.ai: the Starter plan covers 30 calls for $300, and the other 30 cost $11.50 each, so about $645 a month. Their 90-call plan is $810.
- Automated front desk: $297 a month plus usage. The number of calls doesn't change the plan price.
Double the calls in a busy season and the gap gets wider, because the per-minute and per-call plans go up with every call while the flat plan doesn't.
Why missing the call costs more than any of these
In a 2025 CallRail survey of 1,000 consumers, 82% said they call a competitor when a business doesn't answer, and only 42% said they leave a voicemail. Those are survey answers, not tracked behavior, but they line up with what most owners already know: the person who gets a real answer first usually gets the job.
So the real comparison is not $297 against $0. It is $297 against whatever one lost customer is worth to you.
What an automated front desk actually does
It answers your phone in your business name, 24 hours a day. It answers questions from the information you give it, like services, hours, service area and any prices you approve. It books appointments on your calendar, flags urgent calls or transfers them to your cell, and sends you a summary and a word-for-word transcript of every call. Ours also replies to texts, website chat, inquiry emails, and (once you connect them) Facebook and Instagram messages from the same approved answers.
You keep your number. Calls you don't pick up forward to your front desk, or you can forward all of them.
What it doesn't do: make up prices, promise arrival times you haven't approved, or pretend to be a person. If a caller asks, it says it is an automated assistant.
When a live answering service or a hire is the better choice
- Your calls need judgment. Sales conversations, upset customers and complicated intake go better with a person.
- You need someone on site. A receptionist also greets walk-ins, handles paperwork and keeps the office running. No phone service does that.
- Call volume is tiny and predictable. If you get five after-hours calls a month, a small live-answering plan or even voicemail with fast callbacks may be enough.
Plenty of businesses combine them: a person during the day, and an automated front desk for nights, weekends and the calls that come in while everyone is busy.
How to decide
- Count the calls you miss. Your phone carrier or call log shows unanswered calls. Note what time they come in.
- Estimate what one customer is worth. One average job or sale is enough.
- Check what your callers need. If most want hours, prices, availability or a booking, automation handles it. If most need a real conversation, use a person.
- Hear it before you buy. Call (605) 600-7292. That is our own automated front desk answering for Local Advertising & Marketing. Say "demo for" and your kind of business to hear how it would handle your calls.
See plans and what's included, or find the page for your trade, like plumbers, heating and air or electricians.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an automated receptionist cost?
How much does a live answering service cost?
How much does it cost to hire a receptionist?
Will callers know they are talking to an automated assistant?
When is a live answering service the better choice?
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