Compare
AI receptionist or voicemail?
Voicemail is free and already on your phone. The receptionist costs money and answers the call instead. Here's what each gives you, and when voicemail is all you need.
Side by side
| What's compared | Buildrok AI receptionist | Voicemail |
|---|---|---|
| What the caller gets | A conversation. It answers what it can and asks for what you'd need. | Your greeting and a beep. |
| What you get | The job written up: name, number, address, what's wrong, how urgent, and when to call back. | A recording, if they leave one, to listen to when you get a minute. |
| If they don't leave a message | Doesn't come up. It asks for the details as part of the call. | A missed call and a number, and nothing else. |
| Urgent calls | Marked urgent, so it's the first thing you see. | You find out when you listen. |
| Sounds like | An AI assistant, in your business's name. | You, on your own greeting. |
| Price | $49 a month, 150 minutes of calls included, or $99 for 400. | Free with your phone plan. |
| Setup | Done for you. You dial one code to forward missed calls. | Already on your phone. |
Which one is right for you
Pick voicemail if
- You miss very few calls, and the people who call you usually call back
- Most of your callers already know you
- You'd rather not pay anything for the calls you miss
Pick the receptionist if
- Your callers are often new customers who could ring someone else instead
- You want the urgent calls to stand out from the rest
- You'd rather read a job sheet than listen to messages
- You want every call recorded and written down
Questions
Something not covered here? Book a demo
Do I lose my voicemail?
The calls you don't answer go to the receptionist instead of voicemail while forwarding is on. Dial your carrier's cancel code and they go back to voicemail.
Can it sound like me?
No. It answers in your business's name with one of three voices, and it says it's an AI if a caller asks. It never pretends to be you.
What if someone just wants to leave a message?
It takes one. It still asks for a name and the best number, so you have them even if the caller keeps it short.
Let it get the next one.
Set up for you, on your number, and you hear it before it takes a real call.