Ansaaro builds AI front desks for service businesses — a human-sounding voice, trained on your business, answering every call.
Whether you're looking at a human answering service, an AI front desk, or a virtual receptionist, the sales conversation tends to cover the same ground: how friendly the team is, how quickly they answer, how many industries they serve. None of that is what goes wrong six months in.
These are the twelve questions that actually determine whether you'll be happy. Copy them, ask every vendor, and compare the answers side by side. We've answered them for ourselves at the end.
On money
- What is the overage rate, and where is it published? The single most common cause of a surprise invoice. If it's not on the pricing page, ask why not. - Are transfers to a human billed separately? Some providers charge again the moment a call is passed on — which is exactly when you most want it passed on. - Is there a minimum call duration before a call is billable? Determines whether you're paying for wrong numbers and hang-ups. - Is 24/7 included, or a higher tier? After-hours coverage is usually the whole reason you're buying. Check it isn't the upsell.
On the calls themselves
- Can it quote my prices, or only take a message? A message is admin you still have to process. Know which you're buying. - Does it book into my calendar, or send me a booking request? Same distinction, and vendors use the word "booking" for both. - What happens when it can't answer something? The right answer is: it says so, captures the details, and escalates. The wrong answer is a confident guess at your prices. - How does a caller reach a human? Ask them to demonstrate it. It should work first time, without a fight.
Ansaaro's AI Front Desk answers all twelve of these on the demo call — ask it yourself. Hear it answer your phone.
On control and risk
- Do I hear it before it goes live? You should sign off on how your business sounds before a single customer does. If there's no approval step, that's a red flag. - What's the contract length and notice period? Month-to-month with no contract is now standard. Twelve-month lock-ins are a choice the vendor made, not an industry norm. - Who owns the call data, and where is it stored? Matters everywhere, and matters enormously in regulated sectors. Get it in writing. - What happens to my setup if I cancel? Specifically: does my number revert cleanly, and do I keep my call records?
How to use the answers
Put the responses in a spreadsheet with a row per question and a column per vendor. Two things become obvious immediately: who publishes their pricing mechanics and who deflects, and who talks about your control of the system versus their features.
Any vendor who won't answer question one in writing has told you something more useful than a demo would have.
Our answers
In the interest of not writing a checklist we'd fail, here are ours, question by question.
On money
- Overage rate, and where published: Published on our pricing page — $0.60/min on Starter, $0.50/min on Growth, $0.40/min on Pro, and custom on Scale (typically $0.30–$0.35/min). We notify you as you approach your allowance and when you reach it — never auto-charged, never auto-upgraded. - Transfers billed separately: No. Transfer to a human is part of the monthly plan, not billed separately. - Minimum call duration before billable: None. Calls are billed by the connected minutes they use against your included allowance. - 24/7 included or a higher tier: Included on every plan. The plans differ only by included minutes.
On the calls themselves
- Quotes prices or takes a message only: Quotes your prices where you've set them in your onboarding form. - Books into your calendar, or sends a booking request: Books the slot straight into your calendar on the call, and you get a written summary. - When it can't answer something: It says so, captures the details, and escalates to you on the rules you've set. - How a caller reaches a human: Any caller who asks for a person gets one — first time, without a fight.
On control and risk
- Hear it before it goes live: Yes — nothing goes live until you've heard your AI Front Desk and approved it. - Contract length and notice: Month to month, no contract, cancel any time. - Call data ownership and storage: Ansaaro owns the call data, hosted on our voice provider (Bland AI, SOC 2 Type II + HIPAA + PCI DSS). Clients keep their call records — retained and available or exportable on request. - Setup if you cancel: Your call records are yours and are provided on request. If you brought your own number, it stays yours — there's nothing to revert. If we provisioned a number for you, it returns to Ansaaro on cancel, and your call records are provided on request.
Ask us the same twelve on the demo call — hear it answer your phone and interrogate it while you're there.