01
What happens when an AI answering service takes a call?
With Conduit, four things happen on every call it takes. It answers in your assistant's name, and the first sentence tells the caller it's an AI assistant and that the call is recorded — that sentence can't be removed. It works out what the caller needs and books the visit into your Google Calendar, offering only open times and writing only a time the caller accepted. After the call it texts the customer a confirmation, and texts back anyone who hung up before it could help. And every morning it sends you one short briefing: calls answered, visits booked, messages taken, and the short list that needs you.
- Answers in your assistant's name, with the AI-and-recording sentence first
- Books into your Google Calendar — open times only, no double-booking
- Texts confirmations and missed callers once carrier registration clears (typically 1–3 weeks)
- Briefs you every morning; every recording and transcript is kept in Calls
02
How does an AI answering service compare with a human one?
A human answering service bills for people's time. Ruby's published plans run $250 a month for 50 receptionist minutes ($5 a minute) and $720 for 200 ($3.60); Smith.ai's human plans start at $300 for 30 calls ($10 a call) — October 2026, per ruby.com and smith.ai. An AI answering service prices like software: Conduit Solo is $79 a month for 150 minutes, minutes count only when a real person is talking, and it can take more than one call at a time. People still win the hardest calls — a distressed caller, a complaint that needs judgment, an intake that needs warmth. If most of your calls are like that, hire people. If most need an answer, a booked time and a text, software does that at any hour.
03
What won't an AI answering service do?
Conduit's assistant never states a price: a caller who asks what something costs has their details taken, and the question waits for you as a lead. It takes no payments and drafts no quotes or invoices. It answers calls in English. It sticks to your business's calls — off-topic requests get a polite no, and nothing a caller says changes its rules. And it doesn't stand in for your judgment where it matters most: a real emergency goes to a person.
- Never states a price — price questions become leads for you
- No payments, quotes or invoices
- Answers calls in English
- Only your business's calls; callers can't change its rules
AI answering service
An answering service that books the work.
An AI answering service answers your business phone with software instead of human operators: it picks up the calls you send it, works out what each caller needs, and books the visit or takes the message, on a monthly plan rather than a per-minute operator bill. Conduit is an AI answering service for owner-run businesses — one named assistant that tells every caller it's AI, books into your Google Calendar, texts the customer once your carrier registration clears, and briefs you every morning, from $79 a month for 150 minutes.
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Pricing
What an AI answering service costs here
Every plan gets the whole assistant. Plans differ by minutes, texts and locations — never by what it can do. Free to set up, no card; paid when you go live.
Solo
One person, one line.
$79/month
150 minutes · 300 texts
about a dozen real conversations a week
TeamMost popular
A busy line or a small team.
$149/month
350 minutes · 750 texts
about 30 real conversations a week
Office
Two locations, one bill.
$299/month
600 minutes · 1,500 texts
2 locations · about 50 real conversations a week across both locations
Minutes only count when a real person talks to your assistant. Spam, robocalls, and hang-ups under ten seconds are refunded to your pool. At your plan's limit, your assistant takes messages — no overage, ever.
Texting switches on after a one-time carrier registration — typically 1–3 weeks after you sign up, sometimes longer. Calls work from day one.
If Conduit isn't right for you, cancel within 30 days of going live and your first payment is refunded in full. The guarantee covers your first subscription payment; minute and text packs aren't refundable. How the guarantee works
Common questions
AI answering service, answered
Is an AI answering service the same as a virtual receptionist?
Close. "Virtual receptionist" is used for human services and for software alike; an AI answering service is the software kind. Conduit answers, books, texts and briefs you the way a receptionist would, and it tells every caller it's an AI assistant.
Do I need a new phone number?
No. Your assistant gets its own local number, which you can hand out as it is. Or keep the number your customers already know and forward it to your assistant once — every call, or only the ones you don't pick up. Forwarding is reversible: dial the off code and your phone works as before.
What happens with an emergency call?
When a caller describes something dangerous, your assistant advises 911 or the utility where life safety is involved, puts the caller through to the first person on your emergency list, then texts each contact in turn until someone opens the alert — by email until your texting is approved. It's always on.
What if a caller wants a real person?
You decide, in settings: put them through to you (if you can't pick up, it takes a full message), only when they ask for you by name, or always take a message. A real emergency reaches you whichever you choose.
Do spam calls use my minutes?
No. Robocalls and solicitors get one polite sentence and the call ends. They're filed under Screened, never sent to you, and the seconds they used go back to your pool when the call settles.
When does texting start?
Texting switches on after a one-time carrier registration — typically 1–3 weeks after you sign up, sometimes longer. Calls work from day one. We prepare and file the registration for you and chase it until it clears.
Can I cancel?
Yes — from Billing, any time. Your plan runs to the end of the period you paid for, then your assistant stops answering and its number is released; if you forward your own number, dial your carrier's off code. If Conduit isn't right for you, cancel within 30 days of going live and your first payment is refunded in full. The guarantee covers your first subscription payment; minute and text packs aren't refundable.
Free to set up.Live when you are.
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