Frequently Asked Questions

An AI answering service is a software system that handles your inbound calls, texts, and chat messages automatically — 24/7, without human staff. Always Answered deploys a custom AI agent trained on your business, services, and service area. It answers calls right away, captures the caller's information, qualifies their need, and either books an appointment directly to your calendar or routes the lead to your team with a full summary.

Most businesses go live within 48–72 hours of completing onboarding. We handle the full setup: writing your custom AI script, configuring your workflows, integrating your calendar or CRM, and running a live test call before launch. You review and approve — we do the build.

No. In most cases your existing business phone number is call-forwarded to the Always Answered system so your customers keep dialing the same number they already know. We handle the technical routing setup during onboarding.

No. Always Answered handles front-line triage — capturing details, qualifying urgency, and booking appointments — so your staff focuses on booked jobs and serviced customers rather than playing phone tag. Think of it as a 24/7 extension of your front desk that never calls in sick.

Yes — that's one of the primary reasons businesses use it. The AI operates continuously, including nights, weekends, and holidays. According to industry research, 35% of service calls come in outside normal business hours. Without an AI system, those leads go to voicemail and often call a competitor before morning.

No. Always Answered is based in San Antonio, Texas, but the platform is fully remote and can be set up for service businesses anywhere in the United States. Setup, onboarding, and support are all handled remotely, so your physical location does not affect deployment time or service quality.

Always Answered offers three monthly plans: Starter at $297/month (missed call text-back, lead capture, SMS follow-up), Pro at $497/month (everything in Starter plus AI lead qualification, appointment booking, website chat, and Facebook Messenger), and Authority at $997/month (everything in Pro plus 24/7 live AI call answering, review automation, and database reactivation). All plans are month-to-month — no contracts.

No contracts. Every Always Answered plan is month-to-month. You can cancel anytime. We believe the system earns your business every month through results — not a lock-in clause.

Yes. If you don't capture at least one measurable inbound lead in your first 30 days, Always Answered will extend your service free until you do — or refund your first month in full.

It depends on your job values and call volume, which is why every engagement starts with a measured baseline. As an illustration: for an HVAC or plumbing company where the average job is $300–$500, recovering just 1–2 missed calls per month covers the Starter plan ($297/month). The Authority plan is designed for businesses handling high call volume where a full-time receptionist would cost $2,000–$3,500/month.

The AI agent is configured with urgency escalation rules specific to your business. When a caller describes an urgent situation — a recent accident, a burst pipe, an HVAC failure in summer, a dental emergency — the AI flags the call as urgent and immediately routes it to your on-call person via call transfer or text alert. Emergency routing rules are set during onboarding based on your specific practice or service types.

Traditional answering services use generic scripts read by human agents working in shifts. Always Answered deploys a custom AI agent trained specifically on your business, services, pricing, and service area. The AI responds right away at any hour, never has an off night, doesn't require management, and costs a fraction of live staffing. It also integrates directly with your CRM and calendar — no manual data entry required.

On the Pro and Authority plans, the AI books appointments directly into your calendar without human involvement. It checks availability, confirms the time with the caller, and sends confirmation messages automatically. You wake up to a calendar with booked jobs — not a pile of messages to return.

Not at this time. The AI receptionist answers calls in English only, because we would rather do one language well than switch languages poorly. Get Always Answered itself is a bilingual agency: our team works with you in English and Spanish for onboarding and support. We may add more languages for the AI as the technology matures.

Every plan includes a built-in CRM as the system of record for leads, and Always Answered integrates with Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar for appointment scheduling, Facebook Messenger for social lead capture, and SMS via text-back automation. The Authority plan includes custom integrations for businesses with specific workflow requirements.

Channel coverage depends on your plan: missed-call text-back by SMS on Starter; website chat and Facebook Messenger follow-up on Pro; and live inbound phone answering on Authority. All channels feed into the same CRM pipeline so you have a unified view of every lead regardless of how they reached out.

Yes. Always Answered handles new-client intake for law firms, gathering contact details and general case-type information while making clear it does not provide legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Time-sensitive matters — a recent accident, an active protective order — are flagged for immediate callback, and qualified inquiries are booked directly onto your consultation calendar. See the law firm AI receptionist page for details.

Yes. Med spas use Always Answered primarily for new client intake, appointment booking, and consultation follow-up. The AI captures service interest (Botox, fillers, laser, etc.), answers common pre-treatment questions, and books consultations directly to the provider's calendar. See the med spa AI receptionist page.

Yes. Always Answered is designed around the call-volume patterns of HVAC businesses — emergency calls after hours, seasonal demand spikes, and the need to qualify urgency before dispatching a technician. The AI handles emergency escalation, service-area validation, and direct calendar booking so your dispatch team handles confirmed jobs, not raw inquiries. See the HVAC AI receptionist page for details.

Yes. Plumbing businesses deal with the same after-hours emergency call pattern as HVAC. The AI captures caller details, qualifies the nature of the leak or issue, validates service area, and routes emergencies to your on-call plumber immediately. Non-emergency requests are captured and scheduled automatically. See the plumbing AI receptionist page.

Yes. Dental practices use Always Answered to handle after-hours inquiries, appointment requests, and new patient intake. The AI captures patient name, contact info, reason for inquiry, and preferred appointment time — and routes dental emergencies (broken tooth, severe pain) to the on-call dentist or emergency line. See the dental AI receptionist page.

The AI captures the caller's information and flags the inquiry for human follow-up with a full transcript. You receive an immediate notification with the caller's name, number, and what they asked. No lead falls through the cracks — it's just routed to you with context rather than handled automatically.

Yes. Every plan includes a custom script written during setup — tailored to your business name, services, tone, and service area. The AI sounds like your business — not a generic call center. Script changes can be requested at any time and are typically implemented within 24–48 hours.

Every lead captured by the AI is logged to your CRM dashboard in real time. You can see the contact's name, phone number, service request, urgency level, and the full AI conversation transcript. You also receive real-time notifications for new leads and escalations via SMS or email.

All plans include ongoing monitoring and support. The Authority plan includes monthly performance reviews where we analyze call data, conversion rates, and script performance, and make optimizations based on what's working. Script changes, integration adjustments, and technical support are handled by the Always Answered team directly — not outsourced to a help desk.