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

ServiceNow#1 on EVA-Bench

Artificial Analysis#1 on Speech Agent Arena

AI receptionist for small business that books jobs while you work.

Quote your price list, book open slots on your calendar, and ring you only for calls you pick.

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Trusted by leading teams

ServiceNowArtificial Analysis

Ranked #1

on EVA-Bench and Speech Agent Arena

ServiceNow
Indeed
SpeakX
Supernova
1Point1
ELSA

Book customers and take messages while you work

Callers get your prices and an open slot. Your phone rings only for the calls you picked.

The agent quotes prices by dog size and service area from the list you write. Anything else turns into a message.

An AI receptionist for small business owners with full hands

What is an AI receptionist for small business?

An AI receptionist for small business answers your phone when you can't, quotes from your price list and puts customers on your calendar. If you run the whole operation yourself, you're the receptionist right now, stopping work for every ring or hoping they call back.

  • Read the price list
  • Find open slots
  • Book a grooming visit
  • Save a message for the owner
  • Transfer to the owner

What happens to a call when I'm mid-job?

Picture a mobile groomer with a wet dog on the table and a new customer asking about Thursday. The agent quotes by dog size from her list, offers only the slots her calendar shows open, takes the details and writes the booking.

Do you have anything Thursday?

find_grooming_slotsThu 10:00, 2:30

I have Thursday at 10:00 or 2:30. Which suits you?

When does my own phone still ring?

Only for the call types you pick. Scruff and Tumble chose an injury after a groom, a complaint and a same-day change. If the owner can't pick up, the agent saves an urgent message with the caller's name and number.

  • Bath and trim booked, Pickle2:07
  • Price question, mid-size dog0:48
  • Injury call, owner rung1:25

Is there a free AI receptionist for small business?

The free plan's $1 a month covers testing, not a working phone line. After that you pay per minute of calls, which suits a line that's busy Tuesday and silent Wednesday. You build it yourself, so swap the dogs for your own trade.

Booking or message complete

Did the caller leave with a booking or a saved message that includes a name and a number the owner can use?

Keep your hands on the job while the phone gets handled

Lists of the best AI receptionist software for small business compare features. These cards compare calls, each one something you take one-handed or miss today.

Prices come off your list

A mid-size bath and trim is $85 because your sheet says so. Callers get the same number whether you're free or under a van.

Your calendar fills between jobs

Callers see only the slots you left open, and the visit writes to the calendar you already use, such as Google Calendar, Square or Calendly, through tools you configure.

You pick what interrupts you

Choose the call types worth stopping for. An injury rings you right away. A question about nail trims waits as a message until your lunch break.

Cheap to try, cheaper on a quiet week

You pay for minutes on calls, so a slow week costs less than a busy one. The free plan gives you $1 of agent calls a month to test with.

Changes take a sentence

Raised your prices or dropped a neighborhood? Edit the list and the instruction in plain English, then test it from your browser before any customer hears it.

It won't price what it hasn't seen

Anything off your list becomes a message with the caller's name and number. If a job needs your eyes first, the agent says so and stops there.

Speech tuned for an AI voice receptionist for small business

Customers of a small shop expect a friendly voice and a straight answer. The agent says up front that it's an AI assistant, then gets on with helping.

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

Lets them talk about the dog

Callers tell you the breed, the nervous puppy and the address in whatever order they like. The agent waits, then asks only for what's missing.

Five tools, one small business

Choose the LLM, then give it the tools that read your price list, find open slots, book the visit, save a message and ring you.

A voice that fits your shop

Audition a few in the voice library until one matches how you'd greet a regular. The business should sound like yours, and nothing like a call center.

Three ways a small shop covers the phone

When people ask for the best AI receptionist for small business, they're usually weighing it against two things they already know.

Cartesia agentLive answering serviceYou, between jobs
Calls during a jobAnswered right awayAnswered by an operatorRing out, or you stop work
Quoting your pricesFrom your list onlyIf your script covers itYes, and you can price on instinct
Booking the slotDone on the call, from your calendarOften a message for you to returnYes, if you have a minute
Knowing your regularsOnly what your tools returnRarelyYes, by name, and they like that
Calls after 6 p.m.Keeps answeringUsually coveredUp to you and your family
A quiet weekCosts only the minutes used, plus LLM and telephonyUsually a monthly minimumFree, minus the bookings you missed

See which calls booked a visit or left a message

Every call is recorded and transcribed. See which calls booked a visit, which left a message for the owner, and which ended with neither.

Launch an AI receptionist for small business in three steps

Start building

  1. Clone the owner line

    Copy this agent, then type in your own prices, service area and the call types you want to take yourself.

  2. Connect your calendar and number

    Link Google Calendar, Square or Calendly through tools you configure, add your mobile for transfers, and forward your business number.

  3. Book a test customer

    Call in, get a quote, book a slot and report a complaint. Go live once the booking shows on your calendar and your own phone rang.

Enterprise-grade security

  • HIPAA compliant badge

    HIPAA compliant

  • SOC 2 Type 2 badge

    SOC 2 Type 2

  • GDPR badge

    GDPR

AI receptionist for small business FAQs

What is an AI receptionist for small business?

A voice agent that works as a virtual receptionist for a business of one or two people. It quotes your price list, books your open slots and takes messages.

What is the best AI receptionist for small business?

One that answers from your own price list, books only the slots your calendar shows open, and rings you only for the calls you pick. Check that it books into the calendar you already use and records every call, and compare the price per minute with LLM usage and telephony counted. This agent is $0.03 per minute plus those.

Is there a free AI receptionist for small business?

Cartesia's free plan includes $1 for voice agents each month, so you can set up the agent and test it on calls before you pay. That covers a test, not a working phone line. After that, agents are $0.03 per minute of call time, plus LLM usage and telephony. See pricing.

Can a small business answering service quote a price that is not on my list?

No. The agent reads only your list, and a job outside it, like a badly matted coat, becomes a message so you can answer with a real number.

When does a small business answering service ring my phone?

Only for the call types you choose, such as an injury after a visit. If you don't pick up, it saves an urgent message with the caller's name and number.

Does a small business answering service connect to Google Calendar, Square or Calendly?

Yes. The agent books into the calendar you already use through tools you configure.

How is an AI receptionist different from a live answering service?

A live service puts an operator on your line who takes a message from a script, and one operator covers many businesses. The agent answers from your own price list, books the open slot during the call, and records and transcribes every call so you can read what was said.

How much does an AI receptionist for small business cost?

For a shop this size, the bill tracks your phone. Agents are billed at $0.03 per minute of call time, so a one-minute price question costs pennies and a slow week costs less than a busy one. LLM usage is billed separately. 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.

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