Can an AI receptionist replace your answering service?
If you already pay a per-minute answering service, here's how to tell whether an AI receptionist can do the same job for less — and the one situation where a human service still earns its keep.
Short answer: for most home-service businesses, yes — an AI receptionist can replace a traditional answering service, and usually for less. An answering service is humans in a call center who pick up and take a message, often billed by the minute. An AI receptionist like Merit answers every call itself, 24/7, captures the caller's details, and texts you the lead — for a flat monthly price. The exception is if your calls routinely need real human judgment. Here's how to decide.
When an AI receptionist can replace your answering service
If this sounds like your business, an AI receptionist covers what you're paying an answering service to do:
- →You mostly need every call answered and every lead captured — not long, complex conversations.
- →Your call volume spikes with the season or with emergencies, and you don't want a per-minute bill or a busy signal.
- →You want the lead texted to you the second the call ends — name, number, and what they need — so you can call back and close.
- →You'd rather pay one flat monthly price than watch the bill climb in a busy month.
When to keep a human answering service
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Be honest about the trade-off. If your calls regularly need a person to make a judgment call, calm an upset customer, or work through something that isn't a simple FAQ, a trained operator handles nuance an AI won't — and some owners just prefer a person on the line. If that's most of your calls, keep the service.
The cost difference
This is where the AI usually pulls ahead. Answering services are commonly billed per minute or per call with a monthly minimum, so a busy month costs you more. Merit is a flat monthly price with unlimited calls under fair use — it starts at $99/month, and the bill doesn't move when the phone gets busy.
Not sure what your missed calls are worth in the first place? Run your numbers on the free calculator at mavrick.pro/missed-call-calculator.
The bottom line
If you need humans on genuinely complex conversations, an answering service earns its keep. If what you're really losing is simple calls while you're on a job — the after-hours emergencies, the second caller who gets a busy signal — an AI receptionist captures those around the clock for a fraction of the cost. Most home-service owners are in that second camp.
Want the full side-by-side — availability, speed, booking, recording, and pricing? We laid it all out here: mavrick.pro/ai-receptionist-vs-answering-service.
Try Merit free for 7 days — no charge until the trial ends, and cancel before then to avoid being billed. Keep your number, and get set up in minutes at mavrick.pro/onboarding.
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Brian MacDonald
Brian MacDonald is the founder of Merit, the AI coworker for marketing teams. Previously ran SetupClaw.tech, an AI deployment service for SMBs. Read more about Brian and the mission.
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