Guides · · 5 min read
What's the cheapest answering service for a one-person business?
The cheapest answering service for a one-person business might be none at all. How to tell when voicemail is enough, and what to pay for once it stops being enough.
By the Global AI team
The cheapest answering service for a one-person business is often no service at all: a clear voicemail greeting and fast callbacks cost nothing, and they're fine if you rarely miss a call. Once missed calls start costing you jobs, an AI receptionist tends to be the cheapest option that really answers. Ours starts at $99 a month, so weigh our opinion accordingly.
Is voicemail enough when you work alone?
You're on a ladder, or under a sink, or halfway through someone's haircut. The phone buzzes. For a lot of solo owners, the answer that's worked for years is simple: let it ring and call back at the next break. If your work comes mostly from referrals and repeat customers, those people know you and they'll wait. Don't let anyone talk you out of that plan just because it's free.
A better greeting helps more than you'd expect. Say who you are and when you'll call back, then ask for an address or a job description along with the number. Our guide on how to write a business phone greeting has examples you can read straight into your phone.
Voicemail has one weakness: you never hear from the person who didn't leave a message. And a stranger who found you on a search has your competitor's number one tap away.
How do you know when free stops being cheap?
Count. For two weeks, write down every call you didn't pick up, whether a message was left, and whether they answered when you called back. Unknown numbers with no message go in their own column. You won't know what they all wanted, and some will be robocalls. You'll still have a far better number than the guess you've got now.
Now do one sum. Take what a typical job leaves you after materials and gas, and compare it with the monthly cost. With a $99 plan, a job that clears $150 pays for it once a month with money left over. If you can't honestly point to one job a month slipping away, keep your money. That job figure is only an example, so use your own.
What are your options, cheapest first?
Having your spouse or a friend catch the calls belongs on this ladder too. It costs nothing, and for a busy couple of weeks it works. As a long-term plan, it tends to wear thin. They have their own job, and they can't quote your work.
An AI receptionist answers whenever you can't, takes the details and sends you a summary. On our Starter plan you get 200 call minutes, which is about 66 calls a month at three minutes each. You don't need to send it everything. You can forward calls only when your line is busy or only after hours, which keeps your minutes for the calls you'd have missed. The limits matter on this plan: it takes booking requests for you to confirm, there's no Google Calendar booking and no live transfer, and urgent calls are flagged and sent to you. Texting customers isn't available yet.
A live service costs more, in general, because you're paying people. It earns that when your callers really need one. Be wary of a low advertised price, since the first tier often doesn't fit a real month. We don't quote other companies' prices because they change, but our post on answering service hidden fees shows you how to read what they send you, and our cost guide lays out the pricing models.
What does a slow month cost on each option?
This is the question solo owners should ask, and few pricing pages answer it. Voicemail costs the same in January as in June. A flat plan does too, which means $99 in your quietest month even if it answered six calls. Ours is month to month, so you can cancel if it stops earning its keep. Pay-as-you-go pricing tracks your slow months more closely, but check for a monthly minimum first.
When is an AI receptionist the wrong choice for you?
If customers call for you specifically, and the whole value of your business is that they talk to you, a receptionist of any kind may feel like a step back. A handyman with thirty loyal customers and a full calendar should probably leave things alone. The same goes for a brand-new business with almost no calls yet. Spend that money getting known first, then come back to this when the phone starts ringing while you're busy.
Questions solo owners ask
What is the cheapest answering service for a small business?
There's no single answer, since prices change and fees vary. Voicemail with fast callbacks is free. Our AI receptionist starts at $99 a month with 200 minutes. Live services usually cost more because people answer.
Do I need an answering service if I only get a few calls a week?
Probably not. If you're returning those calls within a few hours and rarely lose one, a clear voicemail greeting is enough. Count your missed calls for two weeks to be sure.
Can I forward only the calls I miss?
Yes. Most phones let you forward calls only when the line is busy or only after hours, so you keep answering when you can. Our forwarding guide has the steps.
Is there a contract if I try it?
No. Start with 30 free minutes and no card. Paid plans are month to month, and you can cancel any time.
Start with the count
Two weeks of tally marks will tell you more than this article can. If the count says you're losing work, set up the free trial from your phone in about 10 minutes, and forward only the calls you can't take. Curious what it sounds like first? Ava is at (856) 595-0295.