RytellIf you run an HVAC, plumbing, junk-removal, or another service business, an AI receptionist may help answer routine questions and collect requests while your team is busy. The price depends on what happens after the agent answers: taking a message, transferring a caller, and confirming an appointment require different work.
Separate the build from the monthly service
The build cost covers the agreed setup. That can include organizing approved business information, writing conversation rules, connecting tools, adding a website assistant, and testing requests and staff handoffs. More locations, languages, or custom connections can add work.
The monthly service cost covers the recurring services in your quote. Ask which platform subscriptions, usage, monitoring, business-information updates, and support it includes. A software subscription and a managed service may assign different responsibilities to you.
Also identify third-party charges: phone numbers, your existing phone service, text messages, scheduling software, or other paid tools. The quote should say who pays each provider and which charges RDS includes.
Published provider prices cover different work
We checked the following official pricing pages on November 2, 2026. These examples explain billing models; they are not RDS prices or an industry average. Providers can change plans and prices.
Zoom's Receptionist with Any Phone lists USD $29.99 per month, billed monthly, for 100 voice minutes. The listed scope includes a dedicated number, call handling, and analytics. Its comparison excludes SMS engagement and warm transfers from that version. Confirm add-on minute pricing and your required features before buying.
Zoom separately lists Receptionist with Zoom Phone at USD $0.30 per minute, plus the cost of Zoom Phone. That is a different product option, not the published extra-minute rate for the 100-minute plan. Neither listed amount establishes the cost of a custom RDS build.
Other providers count usage differently. Smith.ai's AI Receptionist plans use call allowances and extra-call rates. Goodcall counts distinct customer phone numbers within a month, rather than minutes; repeat calls from one number count as one customer under its stated rules. Match each model to your actual calls before comparing totals.
Estimate call minutes and website chat volume
Start with your phone records. Count the calls the agent would handle, their typical length, and your busiest periods. An after-hours pilot may have a different workload from answering every call.
Planning example: 120 calls lasting three minutes each would use 360 conversation minutes. This is an arithmetic example, not a forecast or an RDS allowance. Ask whether the provider also bills for transfers, waiting time, test calls, or rounding up short calls.
For a website agent, record expected conversations and messages. Ask what counts as a billable conversation, when a returning visitor starts a new one, and whether the phone and website tools share an allowance. Check extra-usage rates, alerts, spending limits, and what happens when you reach a limit.
Check the connections your business needs
An integration is a connection between the agent and another tool, such as your calendar or customer-management system. Confirm the exact software, subscription level, account access, and permitted action before including it in the build.
For example, collecting a customer's preferred appointment time creates a request for staff to review. A confirmed booking requires a supported, tested scheduling connection, an available slot, and a successful booking record. The agent should describe the result accurately when the connection fails or the slot becomes unavailable.
Ask for a demonstration using your agreed rules. Check a new inquiry, a duplicate request, an out-of-area customer, and an unavailable appointment. A provider's feature list does not establish compatibility with your account.
Include staff handoffs and ongoing support
Decide who receives a live transfer or callback request, when they are available, and what the agent does when nobody answers. For website conversations, define how staff receive the details and how the visitor learns what happens next.
Put the support scope in writing: business hours, the way to report a problem, included changes, review frequency, and charges for work outside that scope. Ask who updates holiday hours, prices, service areas, and the approved answers.
Before launch, test unknown questions, a request for a person, and a connection failure. Agree on a fallback if the agent or another service is unavailable. Review access to conversation records, retention, and any recording or transcription settings as part of setup.
Compare a normal month with a busy month
Ask each provider to price the same workload in a normal month and a busy month. Separate the base monthly charge, extra usage, connected software, and support. A flat fee is useful only when you understand its limits and exclusions.
For a first-year budget, add the build cost, 12 months of recurring service, expected extra usage, and separately billed provider costs. Include applicable taxes and any annual subscriptions. Ask what changes at renewal or cancellation, and how you keep access to your business number and information.
Measure captured inquiries, successful staff handoffs, and confirmed bookings separately. A booking-link click or appointment request is not a completed booking. Use those records to assess whether the service helps your team; do not assume that answered calls produce new revenue.
A practical quote comparison checklist
- Scope: Phone, website, or both; agreed tasks, locations, and languages.
- Build: Setup work, testing, revisions, and acceptance checks.
- Monthly service: Included work, subscriptions, support, and billing interval.
- Usage: The billing unit, allowance, extra-usage rates, and limit behavior.
- Connections: Named tools, required subscriptions, and tested actions.
- Handoffs: Staff owner, availability, notification method, and unanswered-transfer fallback.
- Provider charges: Who pays for phone service, numbers, messages, and other tools.
- Changes and exit: Update costs, cancellation terms, records, and number access.
Get an RDS quote for your workflow
RDS builds AI phone and website agents for businesses in Phoenix and nationwide. We customize the build cost to your needs and the specific build context. A monthly service cost also applies. We quote the build, monthly service, usage, support, and any third-party charges separately. Our website maintenance and search plans do not set AI-agent pricing.
Tell us which requests you want help with, your current tools, expected volume, and who will follow up. We can review compatibility and scope a focused first build. Read about AI agents for service businesses and the pros and cons of AI agents before deciding.