How to Choose an AI Phone Receptionist for Your Small Business

A practical guide to the questions that actually matter — not a sales pitch.

AI phone receptionists all sound similar in a demo. The differences that matter show up after you've signed up: what you're billed for, how fast you can go live, and what happens the month you get more calls than usual. Here's what to actually check.

1. How is it priced — per call, per minute, or flat?

Three real pricing models exist in this market today:

Per-call fee (e.g., $1.60–$1.90/call) — predictable per interaction, but a busy month with lots of short calls can add up fast.
Pure usage/per-minute (e.g., $0.15–$0.24/min) — you only pay for what's used, but your bill varies month to month.
Flat fee + included minutes, metered overage — a known monthly floor, with a clear per-minute rate only past your included allotment.

Ask for the exact formula, including what happens in your busiest realistic month — not just the advertised starting price.

2. Is there a cap on customers or calls?

Some entry-level plans cap you at a fixed number of unique callers per month (for example, 100). If your call volume varies seasonally, find out what the upgrade path looks like before you're mid-month and over the limit.

3. How long does setup actually take?

"Self-service" varies a lot between vendors. Ask specifically: can you test the exact call flow before paying, and can you go live without booking a call with sales? If the answer requires an onboarding call, factor that into your timeline.

4. What happens on a missed or abandoned call?

A good AI receptionist doesn't just answer — it should also handle a call it can't resolve gracefully: taking a message, or texting the caller back automatically. Ask to see this specific flow, not just the greeting.

The one number that separates vendors: ask each one for their exact overage rate, in writing, before you sign up — not the marketing page's monthly price.

Checklist before you commit

Exact overage/per-minute rate past included usage, in writing
Whether there's a cap on unique callers or customers per month
Can you test the live call experience before paying
What happens to a call the AI can't resolve — message, transfer, or text-back
Cancellation terms — month-to-month vs. annual lock-in

We built AION Voice Receptionist around the answers to these exact questions: flat $89/mo, 300 minutes included, no per-call fee, no customer cap, and a live demo line you can call before signing up.

📞 Try the live demo