Managed Agents at ~~Previously $0.06~~ $0.03/minManaged Agents are ~~Previously $0.06~~ $0.03/min.See pricing

#1 on EVA-Bench

#1 on Speech Agent Arena

Overflow answering service that picks up when your lines fill.

Pick up calls in a spike, log outage reports, and sort the rest by reason.

Talk to sales Start building

Trusted by leading teams

Ranked #1

on EVA-Bench and Speech Agent Arena

Resolve routine calls and route the rest to the right team

Callers get an answer right away, up to your plan's concurrency limit. Outage reports finish on the call, and the rest reach the right team.

Every call gets its own session, up to your plan's concurrency limit. The agent asks one open question, then verifies the account holder.

An overflow answering service for the calls your team can't reach

What is an overflow answering service?

An overflow answering service picks up the calls your team can't get to, so a spike doesn't turn into busy signals and long holds. You send it only the calls your staff miss, or every call, and this voice agent finishes the routine ones.

Verify account holder
Log outage report
Transfer to field dispatch
Transfer to billing queue

What does an overflow call answering service do in a blackout?

Each call runs as its own session up to your plan's concurrency limit, so callers don't wait behind one another. The agent asks one open question, verifies the account holder, logs the outage and reads back a reference.

Our power is out on Maple Court.

I'm sorry about that. I can log it. What's the phone number on the account?

206-555-0188.

How is this different from a live overflow phone answering service?

Operators take one call at a time and usually pass a message along. This agent reads your records once they return a match and closes the routine report itself. A person still does better with a caller who needs some improvising, so those transfer.

Outage on Maple Court1:12
Wire down, sent to dispatch0:49
Bill dispute, sent to billing1:36

Which calls does an overflow AI phone answering service pass on?

A downed line or a water main break gets safety steps first, then field dispatch. Billing disputes and anything that fits no reason on your list go to the billing queue, and the agent says so before it transfers.

Resolved or routed right

Did the call end with the resolution or the queue that matches the caller's stated reason, with no second transfer?

What a spike looks like with the agent on the line

Overflow only matters on your worst days. Here is what changes on those days, and what stays with your people.

Callers don't wait behind one another

Each call gets its own session, up to your plan's concurrency limit, so the end of the spike reaches the agent as fast as the start.

Repeat reports finish on the call

The outage gets logged and the reference read back. Crews see it with the other reports from the area, and your staff never touch it.

Safety comes before the queue

You list what counts as an emergency. Those callers hear how to stay safe first, then reach field dispatch.

Your team keeps the calls that need them

A billing dispute lands in the billing queue with a caller who already knows why they're being transferred.

Your queues stay where they are

Transfers go to phone numbers you configure, so the calls that need a person land in your existing contact center.

It won't guess at a call it can't place

Account details stay closed until your records return a match, and a call that fits no reason on your list gets transferred.

Steady with a caller standing in the dark

People calling in a spike are stressed and short on patience. Cartesia's speech models handle clipped answers and a caller who cuts in.

$0.03per minute
#1on Speech Agent Arena and EVA-Bench
24/7answers every call, at any hour

Takes the interruption

Callers jump in to say the whole street is dark before the question ends. The agent stops, listens and picks the thread back up.

Verify, log, then route

Choose the LLM, then give it the tools to verify the account holder, log the outage and transfer to field dispatch or the billing queue.

Calm on your worst day

Choose a library voice your front line would recognize, level and clear when the reference number matters.

Overflow options when every line is busy

Overflow usually comes down to these three. An overflow AI call answering service differs most in what happens after the call connects.

	Cartesia agent	Live overflow service	Hold queue
Capacity in a spike	Up to your plan's concurrency limit	Limited by the operators on shift	Callers wait, and many hang up
Finishes a routine report	Yes, logged with a reference	Usually a message passed along	No
Follows your safety script	On every call, in your order	Depends on the operator	No
Reads your account records	After your records return a match	Rarely has access	No
A caller who needs some improvising	Transfers to your team	A person can think on their feet	Waits for your staff
How you pay	$0.03 per minute plus LLM usage	Usually a monthly plan with per-minute fees	Your phone system, plus the callers who give up

See which calls ended in the right place

Every call is recorded and transcribed. See which outages were logged on the call, which calls reached the right team, and which needed a second transfer.

Launch AI inbound call handling in three steps

Start building

Clone the intake line
Copy this agent into your account, then replace the sample reasons with your own list and your own emergencies.
Get a Cartesia Number
We'll provision a free US phone number for you.
Limitations
US phone numbers only
Outbound calls to US numbers only
Name
e.g. My Agent Number
Inbound Agent (optional)
02
Connect records and overflow routing
Link account lookup and report logging through tools you configure, set your transfer numbers, then send overflow calls from your phone system to the agent.
Run a spike drill
Place several calls at once with an outage, a downed line and a bill dispute, read the transcripts, and go live when they pass.

Enterprise-grade security

HIPAA compliant
SOC 2 Type 2
GDPR

Call handling FAQs

What is AI inbound call handling?

AI inbound call handling puts a voice agent on your main number. It works out why each person is calling, resolves routine requests through the systems you connect, and transfers the rest to the right queue.

How is AI call handling different from an IVR or an auto attendant?

An IVR or auto attendant only decides where a call goes. AI call handling can also look up a record or log a request before it transfers.

Can it work as an overflow answering service?

Yes. The agent answers every call that reaches its number, so you can send it only the calls your team can't pick up, such as a spike after an outage, or every call. Each call is a separate session up to your plan's concurrency limit, so callers don't wait behind one another.

Who verifies the caller in AI inbound call handling?

Your systems do. The agent shares account details only after your records return a match.

Can we keep our existing contact center with AI inbound call handling?

Yes. Transfers go to phone numbers you configure, so the calls that need a person land in your existing queues. See how an AI call center works and what to automate first.

Can the agent transfer a caller to a person?

Yes. Emergencies on your list go to field dispatch after the safety steps, and billing disputes go to the billing queue. You control exactly when the agent transfers.

How much does AI inbound call handling cost?

Agent time follows your overflow, because it's billed by the minute. The agent is $0.03 per minute of call time, so a one-minute outage report is $0.03 in agent time. LLM usage is billed separately, and a Cartesia phone number adds $0.014 per minute, or nothing if you bring your own Twilio account or SIP trunk. The free plan includes $1 of agent calls a month, so you can test the agent before you pay. See pricing.

Find your voice

Talk to an expert.

Connect with a member of our team and learn how Cartesia can help you build world-class voice experiences.

Contact Sales

Start building.

Access our models via API and bring an agent into production with our SDKs and developer tools.

Try Cartesia

We’re hiring!

Build the future of interactive intelligence

Careers page