An AI receptionist that answers, books and writes it all down

What the AI receptionist for small business does on each call

Here is what ai appointment booking by phone looks like when a customer calls your number:

1. It greets the caller with your business name.
2. It figures out what they need and checks that the address is inside your service area.
3. It looks at real availability, using your services, staff hours and buffers, and offers open times.
4. It books the appointment, or takes the request for you to approve, depending on your settings.
5. It saves everything: the customer, the lead, the transcript and the recording, all on one record.
6. It texts you a summary of who called, what they wanted and what was booked.

Callers can also reschedule or cancel their own appointments. If you would rather approve every booking, take message mode keeps the AI to collecting details.

Built into your CRM, not bolted on

Most ai phone answering service options hand you a message and stop there. You still have to type it into your system. Because Dheed's receptionist lives inside the CRM for service businesses, the call creates the contact, opens the lead and places the appointment on the same calendar your team uses for field service scheduling. Bookings land in the right workspace for the service, and other calls create leads in the workspace you choose.

Every call comes with call summaries and transcripts plus the recording, filed on the customer. Urgent calls are marked so they get handled first.

AI call-backs for new leads

Speed matters most in the first few minutes after someone asks for a quote. When a lead fills in your website form, a Google Sheet or an ad form and agrees to be called, Dheed can have the AI Receptionist call them within minutes, answer questions and offer a time. The rules are strict on purpose:

• It only calls people who agreed to calls.
• It only calls between 9 AM and 8 PM in your time zone.
• It calls each person at most once in 24 hours.
• It always says it is an AI assistant.
• The call, the summary and any booking land on that lead.

What it costs, compared with a front desk

The AI Receptionist is $250 a month with 500 minutes, plus $50 per extra 50 minutes, on the Pro or Business plan. Setup is a one time $299 on Pro or $149 on Business. Your plan is separate, so see plans and pricing for the full package.

For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the median pay for receptionists at $18.27 an hour as of May 2025. A person covers the hours they work. The AI can answer around the clock. That does not mean you should replace your team; many owners use it for after hours answering service coverage and overflow while staff handle the day.

A quick way to estimate your own virtual receptionist cost:

• Count your calls per month and multiply by your average call length in minutes.
• If that total is under 500, the base $250 covers it.
• If it is over, add $50 for each extra 50 minutes.

For a trade-specific view of ai call answering for contractors, see how it fits plumbing business software or pair it with business texting so the AI and your team share one local number.

How to get ready before you turn it on

A good receptionist needs good information. Before setup, gather:

• Your services, with how long each one takes and what you charge if you share prices by phone.
• Your hours, holidays and service area ZIP codes or cities.
• What counts as an emergency in your trade, and who should get the alert.
• The questions you always ask on a new call.

Our free guide on how to never miss a business call has a call script and checklist you can use with or without AI. When you are ready, start free and add the AI receptionist for small business when your plan supports it.

Frequently asked questions