Smith.ai vs. Answer Midwest: Live Answering Service Comparison

If your business is in need of some help from a virtual receptionist, make sure you choose the right service for your business. Discover the differences in pricing and features between Smith.ai and Answer Midwest.

Setup Fees & Trials

Smith.ai

• No setup fee
• No contracts
• Free consultation
• 14-day money-back guarantee
  

Answer Midwest

• $150-$325 setup fee
  
  

Discussion: At Smith.ai, we offer a free trial period and do not require you to sign a contract. That way, it’s easy and stress-free to get started with our services. Answer Midwest, on the other hand, charges a $150 or $325 fee just to get started, depending on the plan you choose.

Monthly Plans

Smith.ai and Answer Midwest offer the following monthly plans:

Smith.ai

• $292.50 for 30 live receptionist calls and 1 live phone transfer
• $787.50 for 90 live receptionist calls and 2 live phone transfers
• $2,025 for 300 live receptionist calls and 10 live phone transfers
• Custom plans available
  

Answer Midwest (Basic Plan only)

• $140/month for 100 minutes
• $274/month for 200 minutes
• $644/month for 500 minutes
• $1,238/month for 1,000 minutes
  

Discussion: Although Answer Midwest may seemingly offer cheaper pricing, the pricing model is per minute, which racks up very quickly. Plus, you won’t get the same level of quality service that you’ll get with Smith.ai. We offer affordable monthly pricing based on the level of your call volume, and each plan includes many advanced features that Answer Midwest does not.

Overage Costs

Smith.ai

• $11.00/call on the $292.50/month plan
• $10.00/call on the $787.50/month plan
• $8.00/call on the $2,025/month plan

Answer Midwest

• $1.45 per minute on the $140/month plan
• $1.42 per minute on the $274/month plan
• $1.34 per minute on the $644/month plan
• $1.30 per minute on the $1,238/month plan
  

Discussion: Smith.ai charges only per call, regardless of how long the call is. Our per-call rate of $6.75 per call on the lowest tier may seem more expensive than the $1.40 Answer Midwest charges per minute, but if you compare a 6-minute call, Answer Midwest comes out charging $8.40, $1.65 more than Smith.ai's per call rate. Even so, our quality customer service and advanced features are worth the investment. With Smith.ai, you’re hiring a team that can help grow your business. With Answer Midwest, you’re only hiring overflow call help, something Smith.ai can help you with while providing dozens of other valuable services.

Features

Smith.ai and Answer Midwest both offer the following features:

• 24/7 live answering
• Call forwarding
• Custom call handling procedures
• Message delivery
• Appointment scheduling
  

Smith.ai has the following additional features:

• Live call transfers
• Integration with all major calendaring and scheduling software programs
• Integration with all major CRMs, like Clio, Clio Grow, HubSpot, Lexicata, Capsule CRM, and more
• One free CRM integration
• Integration with helpdesk ticketing software programs
• Ability to map client history to the incoming number so clients receive personalized attention
• Messages texted to you
• Recommended business referral
• After-hours and overflow answering
• Facebook, webchat, and SMS answering
• Custom greetings
• Lead qualification and lead intake form completion
• Payment collection
• Daily call summary reports
• No charge for spam calls or wrong numbers
• Call recording and transcription
  

Answer Midwest offers the following additional features:

• Scheduled fax or email
• Inbound order entry
  

Discussion: Smith.ai is a viable option that will grow with your business. With many advanced features like mapping client history, integration with popular CRMs, and daily call summary reports, Smith.ai can offer tools that not only handle calls, but organize your business overall.

Summary

At Smith.ai, we have a talented and experienced team of virtual receptionists. They each take the time to learn about the ins and outs of your business. At Answer Midwest, however, many of their receptionists’ interactions with callers are prompted from a dry script verbatim. This reliance on a script can lead to an impersonal interaction on the phone -- which you don’t want for your customers.

Smith.ai Client Testimonial

Here’s what a happy Smith.ai client had to say:

“Amazing service especially for new small business owners providing a breath of fresh air in direct contrast of having artificial intelligence taking over creating such as disconnection without customers. Smith has been great as it allows calls to be filtered before they are transferred to me.”

- Ernest Santos

Learn More About Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists

Our virtual receptionists are here to support your growing business. To learn more about our services and features, sign up for a free consultation with our team or get started risk-free with our 14-day money-back guarantee!