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What if your business answered every call, 24/7, and you didn’t need to hire any more help?
For about $1 a call, it can.
In the last article, a missed call got a text back. This time, the call doesn’t get missed. AI picks it up.
Here’s the math first. Nextiva’s AI receptionist costs $99 a month for 100 conversations. That’s about $1 a call.
Book one $200 job off those 100 calls and this tool is paid for.
You don’t need it to work every time. You need it to work once a month.
If your business does one of these three things, you should consider getting an AI voice receptionist:
Service calls and appointments.
Emergency response. Burst pipes and broken A/C units.
Consultation booking. Med spas, dental and orthodontic offices, law offices, accounting firms
In each case, the owner wakes up to a call summary and their schedule booked for them.
Voicemail won’t do any of this for you. Quo, the phone company from Quick Win #3, cites a YouGov survey. Only 6% of people said they’d leave a voicemail when a business doesn’t pick up.
People don’t leave voicemails anymore because they don’t know if they’ll ever get a call back. You can provide better service and make more money at the same time with an AI receptionist.
“Customers hate talking to robots.” Yeah I totally agree … but you’re probably thinking of old, inflexible robocall bots. This one reads directly off your menu and script so it talks like you.
Here’s how I’d set it up
Most owners let the phone go to voicemail after close. Instead, give an AI assistant a short list of jobs and a shorter list of rules.
You already know I’m a huge fan of HighLevel, so I’m going to show you how to build this in one night using that. But first I’ll show you some other tools to consider.
Pick your tool first
HighLevel isn’t the only option, and it isn’t the right one for everybody. If you don’t already run your business in it, one of these is the faster start.
Prices are from each company’s pricing page in September 2026. Check before you buy.
Nextiva XBert: $99 a month for 100 conversations, then $0.99 each. 14-day free trial.
Rosie: $49 a month for 250 minutes. Booking on your calendar and live transfers start on the $149 plan. 7-day free trial.
Smith.ai: Free for 25 calls a month, then $3 a call. Paid plans start at $150 a month.
CloudTalk: Starts at $99 a month for 200 minutes, with the first 50 minutes free. Their phone system is priced separately, starting at $25 per user.
HighLevel: What I use, because the texting number, calendar, and reviews already live there. Pay as you go runs about 6 cents a minute, plus normal phone charges. A three-minute call is about 18 cents. Or $97 a month for unlimited, subject to fair use.
Pick the one that matches your call volume. Then the setup below looks about the same in all of them.
Building it in HighLevel
Go to AI Agents, then Voice AI, then Create Agent. Name it, pick a voice, and write the greeting:
Hi, thanks for calling Mike’s Plumbing. This is Ava, Mike’s AI assistant. How can I help?
Give the assistant its own name. NEVER allow an AI agent to pretend to be you. Your customer will know immediately or if they find out later, they’ll feel like they’ve been tricked.
Load what it should know about your business. HighLevel calls this the Knowledge Base. Put in your service menu, published prices, hours, service area, and answers to the ten questions you get most.
Give it jobs. Under Actions, HighLevel lets the agent do things while the caller is still on the line. Here are 4 things you might want it to do for you:
Appointment Booking offers open times on your calendar and books one.
Update Contact Field saves the name, number, and what they need.
Send SMS texts the caller a confirmation.
Call Transfer sends the caller to your cell when a rule you write is met. For the plumber, that’s “water everywhere.” For an HVAC shop, it might be “no heat” in January.
Write the never list. This is what makes it safe to turn on. It goes in the agent prompt:
Never quote a price that isn’t on the menu. Never give medical, legal, or financial advice. Never promise a discount or a result. Never say you are the owner. If you’re not sure, take a message. Tell the caller the owner will call back in the morning.
Set the number and the hours. On the Deploy tab, assign the texting number from Quick Win #3.
Choose “Use as Backup” instead of “Answer Calls Directly.” This is to ensure you receive the call first. Then set a custom schedule, like 6 PM to 7 AM, or any hours you don’t want to answer the business line yourself.
Now try to break the AI. HighLevel’s test panel places a real phone call to the agent. Book an appointment. Ask something off the menu. Ask for a real person. Say nothing.
Even better, have your spouse or friend try to break it. They’ll ask for things you would never expect. This is how you find your weird cases and refine your agent prompt and script.
For the first two weeks after you implement this system, read every call in the call history. Every wrong answer is one more line for the Knowledge Base or the never list.
The law
In February 2024, the FCC ruled that AI-generated voices count as “artificial” under the TCPA. That means calling someone with one needs their consent first. Violations can cost $500 per call, and up to $1,500 if it’s willful.
This doesn't apply when a customer calls you, however. So let the AI answer calls. Don’t let it dial people who never asked.
The greeting above says it’s an AI assistant. If calls are recorded, say that too. Some states require everyone’s consent.
This is not legal advice so make sure you check the laws in your own state.
Do it by hand tonight
The hardest part needs no software. The agent is only as good as what you write down.
Write the greeting. Two sentences. Business name, the assistant’s name, “how can I help?”
List your ten most common questions. Answer each one the way you’d say it on the phone.
Write your never list. Start with the one above. Add anything that’s burned you before.
Pick your transfer rule. Finish this sentence: “Forward the call to me if the caller says ___.”
Count the nightly calls. For seven days, log every call that comes in after you close.
That one page is the whole brain of the agent. When you want the automatic version, paste it into HighLevel.
Your Quick Win tonight
Write your ten questions tonight. Start serving your customers when they want to be served.
Or if you need help, shoot me an email.
Go get this quick win!
Did you miss the earlier Quick Wins?
Catch up here:
#1: Review Catch-Up Go back through your old customers and turn past work into new reviews.
#2: The Automatic Review System Make asking for reviews part of your normal customer process.
#3: The Missed Call Text-Back Every missed call gets a text back in under two minutes.