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AI receptionist vs a call answering app
Screening apps and AI voicemail have got good at telling you what a call was about. They still leave you to make the booking.
| Callso | Screening app | |
|---|---|---|
| Whose business it answers as | Yours, by name, with your greeting | Usually generic, or your own voicemail with a smarter transcript |
| What it does with an enquiry | Answers the question and books the appointment | Records, transcribes and summarises it for you |
| Answers questions about price | Yes, from your own list | No |
| Writes to your diary | Yes, with read-back confirmation | No |
| Cost | £39 a month and up | Often free or a few pounds a monthTheir point |
| Setup effort | Twenty minutes, plus telling it about your business | Usually instantTheir point |
2 of 6 points go the other way. We would rather tell you that than have you find out after you have paid.
The honest verdict
A screening app makes missed calls less painful. An AI receptionist stops them being missed calls. They solve genuinely different problems, and the cheaper one is the right answer if you are happy to do the booking yourself.
When to pick screening app
Use a screening app if you mainly want spam filtered and a tidy summary of who rang, and you are content to ring people back yourself.