An answering service is a team of people who answer your calls when you can't. They've been around for decades, and for a lot of owners they were the only option. An AI receptionist does the same job with software. Both answer in your business's name, so the difference is in what happens during the call and what you get after it.
How an answering service works
You forward your calls to the service. An agent answers with your business name, reads from a script you gave them and takes a message. The message is sent to you, usually by email or a call.
Agents usually answer for many businesses at once, so they know a little about each one. They often can't answer detailed questions or book appointments without extra setup. And when lots of their clients' customers call at the same moment, someone may wait on hold.
How Cally works
You forward your calls to Cally. Cally answers with your business name and already knows your hours, services and common questions, because it learned them from your website. You check and change anything in your dashboard.
It talks with the caller, answers their questions and either books them into your calendar or takes their details. Within minutes, you get the lead by email, by phone alert and in your dashboard, with a short summary and the full conversation.
$99 a month. Cancel anytime.
Side by side
| Answering service | Cally24 | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | A person reading a script | An AI receptionist trained on your business |
| Knows your services | Only what's in the script | Learns from your website |
| Books appointments | Sometimes, often extra | Yes, into your calendar |
| Calls at once | Depends on staffing | Up to 20 |
| Wait or hold time | Can happen at busy times | Answers right away |
| Full record of the call | Usually a short message | Summary plus full conversation |
| Spam and sales calls | Often billed as calls | Ended politely |
| Pricing | Often per minute or per call | From $99 a month, 240 minutes |
Where an answering service is strong
Some calls need a human voice. A very upset caller, a delicate family matter or a complicated emergency can go better with a trained person on the line. If most of your calls are like that, a human service can make sense.
Where Cally fits better
For most small businesses, calls are simple: "Can you come out Tuesday?", "Do you do X?", "How much is Y?" Cally handles those well every time, and it knows your business better than a shared agent reading a card.
It also helps that Cally doesn't put anyone on hold. When three people call in the same minute, all three get answered.
What three calls in one minute look like
It's 10:05 AM on a Monday and you're with a customer. Three people call within the same minute. The first wants to know if you're open Saturday. The second wants a quote. The third is a robocall.
Cally answers all three at once. The first caller gets the answer from your website hours. The second is booked into a free time on Wednesday. The robocall is ended politely. When you check your phone at 10:30 AM, you have one booked job and one answered question, and nothing to call back about the spam.
Before you switch
Ask any service, AI or human, these questions:
- What exactly do I get after each call?
- Can it book into my calendar?
- What happens with spam calls? Do I pay for them?
- Can I keep my own phone number?
- Can I cancel any time?
With Cally, you get a summary and the full conversation, it books into your calendar, spam is ended politely, you keep your number, and you can cancel any time.
What it costs
Cally costs $99 a month with 240 minutes included, and extra minutes are $0.29 each. You pay for the minutes Cally talks, and spam calls end in seconds. To see what other services charge, read what an AI receptionist costs.
Quick decision guide
- Calls are mostly simple questions and bookings: Cally.
- You want every call written down in full: Cally.
- Most calls are very emotional or complex: a human service.
- You want to try it today without a contract: Cally.
More on the AI answering service page, or hear your own receptionist, built from your website in 30 seconds.
Common questions
Do spam calls use up my Cally24 minutes?
Only a few seconds. Spam calls are short because Cally ends them politely, and they don't reach you or fill your inbox.
Can I read what was said on a call?
Yes. Every call has a short summary, and the full conversation is saved in your dashboard. You can read exactly what the caller said, any time.
What happens if I use more than my included minutes?
Cally keeps answering. You can see your minutes in your dashboard, and extra minutes are added so no call is dropped.
