The honest comparison.
Four ways to handle your phone. Only two of them book jobs — and only one does it around the clock without payroll.
| Sarah247 | Human receptionist | Answering service | Voicemail | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Availability | 24/7/365 | ~40 h/week | Varies by plan | Always on, never acted on |
| Simultaneous calls | Unlimited | One | Queue & hold music | — |
| Books jobs into your systems | ||||
| Qualifies leads with your questions | Basic script | |||
| Texts missed callers back | Seconds | Sometimes | ||
| Outbound follow-up ladders | If they have time | |||
| Every call recorded & summarized | Sometimes | — | ||
| Cost structure | From $350/mo + 15¢/min | $3,000–4,000+/mo | Base fee + per-minute | “Free” |
| Turnover, sick days, holidays | Never | Always eventually | Different agent every call | — |
vs. hiring a receptionist
A great office manager is worth every dollar — for the work only a human can do. Answering the same twenty questions and playing calendar Tetris is not that work. Sarah takes the phone; your best person takes the business. Payroll math: one receptionist ≈ a year of Sarah at heavy usage — with 4× the coverage hours.
vs. an answering service
An answering service’s product is a message. You still call the customer back — hours later, when they’ve already booked elsewhere. Sarah’s product is a booked job with intake notes in your FSM. The difference shows up directly in your week’s schedule.
vs. voicemail
Voicemail is where jobs go to die: most service callers hang up and dial the next company rather than leave one. The “free” option quietly costs more than everything else on this page combined.
Pick your comparison
Run the comparison on your own phone line
Leave your number — hear Sarah live, then decide what your front desk should cost.
We’ll call you back with Sarah on the line — typically the same business day. No long-term contracts · Cancel anytime