A receptionist or a phone that answers itself? An honest comparison
If the phone rings dozens of times a day while you and your crew are at the cars, sooner or later the question comes up: hire someone for the phone, or connect a system that answers by itself? This article compares the two without sugar-coating.
Sławomir Kwaśny
Cold to Close
What a person on the phone does
A good person on the phone knows your regulars, can hear in someone's voice that they're upset, and can give advice and suggest something extra. Along the way they'll hand back a car, take a payment and make coffee for a client who's waiting.
Limits: they work business hours, talk to one client at a time, get ill and go on holiday. While they're looking after a client in the studio, the phone goes unanswered anyway.
Cost: check what a full-time hire costs where you are - the wage plus employer contributions, holidays and sick leave. Even at minimum wage it's a multiple of the system. Someone with experience costs more.
What a phone that answers itself does
AI answers in Polish at any hour: in the evening, at the weekend and on public holidays. It introduces itself as your business's assistant, answers questions about your services, gives price ranges from your price list and books a slot in your calendar. It can talk to several people at once.
Limits: it won't see the car, won't pick up on every emotion and won't stand in for you on a difficult complaint. When a conversation goes beyond what we've taught it, it doesn't guess - it notes the matter and passes it to you to call back.
Cost: the phone that answers itself is part of the system, which is priced individually. The price depends on the number of calls, the number of locations and what we need to connect.
What makes sense when
- ●A few calls a day, mostly during business hours: an SMS after a missed call and calling back are enough. That's the system, (+ VAT).
- ●Lots of calls during the day and clients in the studio to look after: a person on site makes sense.
- ●Lots of calls in the evening and at weekends, or several locations: a phone that answers itself catches what no one would handle.
- ●Heavy traffic and someone in the office: a mix of the two. The person looks after clients on site, the system answers when the office is busy or closed.
Count before you decide
For two weeks, write down how many calls go unanswered and at what time. If most of them come while you're working, the problem is a lack of free hands. If they come in the evenings and at weekends, the problem is your working hours - and no full-time hire stretches those without extra cost.
Frequently asked questions
Will the system replace the person on the phone?
It doesn't have to. It can answer only when the office is busy or closed. The person stays for the conversations that need a person.
Can clients tell it's not a person?
The system introduces itself as your business's assistant and doesn't pretend to be a person. It speaks Polish and answers in full sentences, but it doesn't hide what it is.
What if the system doesn't understand a client?
It asks again. If it still doesn't understand, or the matter goes beyond what we've taught it, it notes it down and passes it to you to call back.
How much does the phone that answers itself cost?
It's part of the system, which is priced individually. We give you the price after we talk, because it depends on the number of calls, the locations and what we need to connect.
Let's see how much you're leaking
15 minutes on the phone. We'll work out how much is leaking at your place, and at the end you'll see on your own phone what a client gets when nobody picks up.
Book 15 minutes