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AI Receptionist Statistics 2026

This page collects 54 figures on AI receptionists and the problem they are sold to fix: calls that nobody answers. It covers how many business calls go unanswered, what those missed calls cost, what callers do when no one picks up, what a human receptionist costs in wages and benefits, what live answering services and AI receptionists charge, and how many businesses use AI at all. Sources include the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, the SBA Office of Advocacy, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, call data companies Invoca, NextPhone and Hiya, and answering vendors Smith.ai, Ruby, Goodcall, Dialpad, RingCentral, CallRail and Numa. Most figures describe the United States in 2025 and 2026.

Figures
54
Publishers
18
Updated
Nov 13, 2026

Quotable findings

By the DBotMaker research desk

  1. Finding 012026
    56%

    Across 10 industries, 56% of calls to businesses were answered by a person in Invoca's 2026 analysis of 70 million calls.

    Source: Invoca

  2. Finding 022024
    $853,000

    Car dealership service departments risk losing an average of $853,000 a year by failing to answer calls and book appointments, according to Numa's 2024 industry trends report.

    Source: Numa

  3. Finding 032025
    78%

    In a 2025 CallRail survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, 78% said they have abandoned a business after an unanswered call.

    Source: CallRail

  4. Finding 042025
    $38,010

    The median annual pay for U.S. receptionists was $38,010 in May 2025, or $18.27 an hour.

    Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

  5. Finding 052026
    $46.89

    U.S. private employers paid an average of $46.89 per hour worked in total compensation in June 2026, across all occupations.

    Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

  6. Finding 062026
    $150

    Smith.ai's AI Receptionist Pro plan costs $150 a month for 75 calls, or $2.00 a call.

    Source: Smith.ai

  7. Finding 072026
    $1.50 to $1.90

    Goodcall says a live answering service typically costs about $1.50 to $1.90 a minute.

    Source: Goodcall

  8. Finding 082026
    19.8%

    In the Census Bureau's survey period ending May 3, 2026, 19.8% of U.S. businesses reported using AI in their business functions.

    Source: U.S. Census Bureau

  9. On file54figures in 7 channels, each with the exact source sentence.Browse allCSV

THE BOT'S SHORT ANSWER

Only 56% of calls to businesses are answered by a person (Invoca, 2026), and 78% of U.S. consumers say they have abandoned a business after an unanswered call (CallRail, 2025). A human receptionist earns a median $38,010 a year before benefits (BLS, 2025), while AI receptionist plans start at $79 a month at Goodcall and about $2.00 per call at Smith.ai, against $300 a month for 30 calls with Smith.ai's live receptionists.

54 FIGURES · 18 PUBLISHERS · NOVEMBER 13, 2026

Reading the numbers

Unanswered calls are common across industries. Invoca's analysis of 70 million calls found 56% of callers to businesses reach a person, rising to 71% for calls longer than 30 seconds. Numa puts the dealership answer rate at 60% to 70%, and its 2024 data from about 600 service departments found an average of 158 missed appointment calls a month. NextPhone's 2026 call data shows 14.1% of calls to small businesses arrive after hours, when many offices have no one at the desk.

Those calls are worth money. Numa estimates service departments risk losing an average of $853,000 a year to unanswered calls and unbooked appointments. NextPhone found after-hours calls turn into a lead or booking more often than daytime calls (23.6% against 18.6%), and Invoca found 42% of phone leads convert on the call. Callers do not wait: CallRail's 2025 survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers found 78% have abandoned a business after an unanswered call and 41% hang up after one to two minutes on hold.

The human alternative has a clear price. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median receptionist wage at $38,010 a year in May 2025, and benefits made up 30.0% of private employer compensation costs in June 2026. On those two figures, a median full-time receptionist costs roughly $54,000 a year, our own estimate, for one person covering business hours. Live answering services charge by the call or minute: Smith.ai's live plan starts at $300 a month for 30 calls, about $10 a call, and Ruby charges $250 a month for 50 minutes.

AI receptionists are priced well below that. Smith.ai's AI plan costs $150 a month for 75 calls, or $2.00 a call, Goodcall starts at $79 a month and says its Starter plan works out to about 13 cents a minute, and Dialpad reports a 62% deflection rate for its AI agents. Adoption is still early: the Census Bureau found 19.8% of U.S. businesses used AI in May 2026, and fewer than 20% of the smallest firms. Interest is higher than use, with 78% of businesses in a RingCentral survey interested in an AI receptionist.

Facts the bot knows

CH 01How many business calls go unanswered

6 figures
  1. #00156%

    Across 10 industries, 56% of calls to businesses were answered by a person in Invoca's 2026 analysis of 70 million calls.

    Invoca, The Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026 (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Across all industries, 56% of calls to businesses are answered by a person.
  2. #00271%

    For calls lasting more than 30 seconds, the share answered by a person rose to 71% in Invoca's 2026 data.

    Invoca, The Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026 (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    For calls over 30 seconds, it reaches 71%.
  3. #00330% to 40%

    Numa, which sells call answering to car dealers, puts the average U.S. dealership answer rate at 60% to 70%, meaning 30% to 40% of inbound calls go unanswered.

    Numa, The True Cost of Missed Calls in a Dealership (Jun 2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Industry data puts the average dealership answer rate at 60–70%, meaning 30–40% of inbound calls go unanswered.
  4. #004158

    Numa's 2024 data from about 600 franchise dealership service departments found they missed about 158 appointment calls a month, and 216 at the 75th percentile.

    Numa, Numa Releases 2024 Industry Trends in Auto Service & Repair (Digital Dealer) (Dec 2024)

    Exact wording at the source
    Insights from around 600 franchise dealership service departments found dealerships miss about 158 appointment calls per month, with those in the 75th percentile missing 216 calls.
  5. #00514.1%

    In NextPhone's 2026 call data from U.S. small businesses, 14.1% of calls arrived after hours: 7.4% on weekends and 6.6% on weekday evenings and early mornings.

    NextPhone, The Comprehensive 2026 AI Receptionist Call Report (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    14.1% of calls to small businesses arrive after hours: 7.4% on weekends and 6.6% on weekday evenings and early mornings (before 8am, after 6pm).
  6. #00642 to 43%

    About 4 in 10 calls in NextPhone's 2026 data were someone calling back within a week, which suggests many callers try more than once after a first call fails.

    NextPhone, The Comprehensive 2026 AI Receptionist Call Report (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    4 in 10 calls are someone calling back within a week (42 to 43% on both kinds of lines).

Chart

Share of business calls answered by a person, by call length

Invoca platform data from more than 70 million calls across 10 industries, 2026 report

  • All inbound calls56%
  • Calls over 15 seconds65%
  • Calls over 30 seconds71%

Source: Invoca, The Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026

CH 02What missed calls cost a business

8 figures
  1. #007$853,000

    Car dealership service departments risk losing an average of $853,000 a year by failing to answer calls and book appointments, according to Numa's 2024 industry trends report.

    Numa, Numa Releases 2024 Industry Trends in Auto Service & Repair (Digital Dealer) (Dec 2024)

    Exact wording at the source
    Service departments risk losing an average of $853,000 a year by failing to answer customer calls and schedule service appointments.
  2. #008$1.17 million

    Numa estimates franchise dealerships leave up to $1.17 million a year on the table because of unanswered service department calls.

    Numa, Stop Losing Millions a Year: Future-proof Your Service Department with Numa's 2024 Trends (2024)

    Exact wording at the source
    Every year, franchise auto dealerships leave up to $1.17 million on the table simply because of unanswered calls in their service departments.
  3. #00942%

    Across industries, 42% of phone leads who reached a person converted on the call in Invoca's 2026 benchmarks.

    Invoca, The Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026 (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Our data reveals that across all industries, 38% of calls answered by a person are leads, and 42% of those leads convert on the call.
  4. #01064%

    Invoca found 64% of businesses do not ask phone leads to buy or book an appointment during the call.

    Invoca, The Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026 (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    64% of businesses don't ask leads to buy or book appointments
  5. #01140%

    Invoca calculates that raising the answer rate, lead rate and conversion rate by five percentage points each would bring roughly 40% more conversions from the same call volume.

    Invoca, The Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026 (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    If your results align with the benchmarks in this report, improving your answer rate, lead rate, and conversion rate by just five percentage points each would drive roughly 40% more conversions from the same call volume.
  6. #01223.6%

    In NextPhone's 2026 small business call data, 23.6% of after-hours calls became a lead or booking, against 18.6% of calls during business hours.

    NextPhone, The Comprehensive 2026 AI Receptionist Call Report (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    23.6% of after-hours calls became a lead or a booking, against 18.6% of calls in business hours, so 17.2% of all leads and bookings arrived after hours.
  7. #01317.2%

    Because after-hours callers convert more often, 17.2% of all leads and bookings in NextPhone's 2026 data arrived outside business hours.

    NextPhone, The Comprehensive 2026 AI Receptionist Call Report (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    23.6% of after-hours calls became a lead or a booking, against 18.6% of calls in business hours, so 17.2% of all leads and bookings arrived after hours.
  8. #01426%

    In a RingCentral survey of more than 200 tech leaders and small business owners, 26% said a single missed call can cost their business $500 or more.

    RingCentral, RingCentral AI Receptionist: Redefining customer communications (2025)

    Exact wording at the source
    And 26% said a missed call can cost their business $500 or more.

Chart

Small business calls that became a lead or booking, by time of call

Real calls to U.S. small business lines answered by NextPhone, 2026

  • After hours23.6%
  • Business hours18.6%

Source: NextPhone, The Comprehensive 2026 AI Receptionist Call Report

CH 03What callers do when nobody answers

6 figures
  1. #01578%

    In a 2025 CallRail survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, 78% said they have abandoned a business after an unanswered call.

    CallRail, Why businesses can't afford to miss calls (Sep 2025)

    Exact wording at the source
    New research from CallRail, based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, shows 78% have abandoned a business after an unanswered call.
  2. #01621%

    When a business does not answer, 21% of U.S. consumers say they immediately call another business, CallRail found in 2025.

    CallRail, Why businesses can't afford to miss calls (Sep 2025)

    Exact wording at the source
    21% immediately call another business.
  3. #01742%

    Only 42% of U.S. consumers say they leave a voicemail when a business does not answer, according to CallRail's 2025 survey.

    CallRail, Why businesses can't afford to miss calls (Sep 2025)

    Exact wording at the source
    42% of consumers leave a voicemail.
  4. #01841%

    In CallRail's 2025 survey, 41% of U.S. consumers said they hang up after one to two minutes on hold.

    CallRail, Why businesses can't afford to miss calls (Sep 2025)

    Exact wording at the source
    41% of consumers hang up after just 1–2 minutes on hold.
  5. #01939%

    Long hold times were the top phone complaint for 39% of U.S. consumers and for 49% of Gen Z respondents in CallRail's 2025 survey.

    CallRail, Why businesses can't afford to miss calls (Sep 2025)

    Exact wording at the source
    Nearly four in ten consumers (39%) said long hold times are their biggest complaint, with almost half of Gen Z (49%) ranking it number one.
  6. #02041%

    When an unknown number calls, 41% of consumers in Hiya's 2026 State of the Call survey let it ring to see if the caller leaves a voicemail and 28% reject it immediately.

    Hiya, Eroding trust is crippling the voice channel (Apr 2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    They’re more likely to either reject the call immediately (28%) or ignore it and see if the caller leaves a voicemail (41%).

Chart

How long U.S. consumers wait on hold before hanging up

CallRail survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, 2025

  • 1 to 2 minutes41%
  • 3 to 5 minutes30%
  • More than 5 minutes18%

Source: CallRail, Why businesses can't afford to miss calls

CH 04What a human receptionist costs

10 figures
  1. #021$38,010

    The median annual pay for U.S. receptionists was $38,010 in May 2025, or $18.27 an hour.

    U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Receptionists (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    2025 Median Pay $38,010 per year $18.27 per hour
  2. #022$13.83

    The lowest-paid 10% of U.S. receptionists earned less than $13.83 an hour in May 2025.

    U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Receptionists (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    The lowest 10 percent earned less than $13.83, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $24.01.
  3. #023$24.01

    The highest-paid 10% of U.S. receptionists earned more than $24.01 an hour in May 2025.

    U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Receptionists (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    The lowest 10 percent earned less than $13.83, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $24.01.
  4. #024947,500

    There were 947,500 receptionist jobs in the United States in 2025.

    U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Receptionists (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Number of Jobs, 2025 947,500
  5. #025105,100

    BLS projects about 105,100 receptionist openings a year from 2025 to 2035, mostly to replace workers who leave, even as total employment declines slightly.

    U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Receptionists (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Despite declining employment, about 105,100 openings for receptionists are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
  6. #026$46.89

    U.S. private employers paid an average of $46.89 per hour worked in total compensation in June 2026, across all occupations.

    U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (Sep 2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Total employer compensation costs for private industry workers averaged $46.89 per hour worked in June 2026.
  7. #02730.0%

    Benefits made up 30.0% of private employer compensation costs in June 2026, with wages and salaries the other 70.0%.

    U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (Sep 2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Wages and salaries averaged $32.82 and accounted for 70.0 percent of employer costs, while benefit costs averaged $14.07 and accounted for the remaining 30.0 percent.
  8. #02840%

    In RingCentral's survey of more than 200 tech leaders and small business owners, 40% said they spend one to two hours a day answering customer calls.

    RingCentral, RingCentral AI Receptionist: Redefining customer communications (2025)

    Exact wording at the source
    40% of respondents spend one to two hours per day answering customer calls
  9. #02975%

    In the same RingCentral survey, 75% said those calls significantly interrupt their ability to complete other work.

    RingCentral, RingCentral AI Receptionist: Redefining customer communications (2025)

    Exact wording at the source
    75% said those calls significantly interrupt their ability to complete other work
  10. #03077 seconds

    The typical small business phone conversation in NextPhone's 2026 data lasted 77 seconds, and 90% ended in under 3.5 minutes.

    NextPhone, The Comprehensive 2026 AI Receptionist Call Report (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    The typical business conversation lasts 77 seconds (median), and 90% end in under 3.5 minutes (last 90 days).

CH 05What answering services and AI receptionists charge

11 figures
  1. #031$300

    Smith.ai's live virtual receptionist Starter plan costs $300 a month for 30 calls, about $10 a call.

    Smith.ai, Smith.ai Plans & Pricing for 24/7 Sales & Support (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Starter For solopreneurs or small teams, where every lead matters. 30 calls $300 / month
  2. #032$11.50

    Calls beyond the 30 included in Smith.ai's live Starter plan cost $11.50 each.

    Smith.ai, Smith.ai Plans & Pricing for 24/7 Sales & Support (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Overage: $11.50/call over 30
  3. #033$150

    Smith.ai's AI Receptionist Pro plan costs $150 a month for 75 calls, or $2.00 a call.

    Smith.ai, Smith.ai Plans & Pricing for AI Receptionist Products (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Pro Set it up yourself with dedicated support. $150 /mo $2.00/call (~2–3 calls/day)
  4. #03425 calls

    Smith.ai's free AI Receptionist plan includes 25 calls a month, with $3.00 a call after that.

    Smith.ai, Smith.ai Plans & Pricing for AI Receptionist Products (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    $0 mo 25 calls/mo ($3.00/call after that)
  5. #035$250

    Ruby's smallest live virtual receptionist plan costs $250 a month for 50 minutes, or $5.00 a minute.

    Ruby, Ruby Receptionist Pricing: Scalable Virtual Support (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    50 minutes per month Great for startups $250 /month
  6. #036$720

    Ruby's most popular plan, aimed at small businesses, costs $720 a month for 200 receptionist minutes, or $3.60 a minute.

    Ruby, Ruby Receptionist Pricing: Scalable Virtual Support (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    200 minutes per month Great for small businesses of all kinds $720 /month
  7. #037$79

    Goodcall's AI answering Starter plan costs $79 a month and covers 100 unique customers, about 150 calls.

    Goodcall, Goodcall Pricing: AI Answering Service from $79 a Month (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Starter $79 a month For a solo operator who misses calls while on the job.
  8. #038$1.50 to $1.90

    Goodcall says a live answering service typically costs about $1.50 to $1.90 a minute.

    Goodcall, Goodcall Pricing: AI Answering Service from $79 a Month (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    A live answering service runs about $1.50 to $1.90 a minute.
  9. #03913¢

    Goodcall estimates its Starter plan works out to about 13 cents a minute at four-minute calls, around a twelfth of a live answering service.

    Goodcall, Goodcall Pricing: AI Answering Service from $79 a Month (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Even at four-minute calls, Starter works out to about 13¢ a minute, around a twelfth of the cost, and it answers every hour of every day.
  10. #04062%

    Dialpad reports a 62% deflection rate for its AI agents, meaning the share of contacts handled without a human agent.

    Dialpad, Dialpad Plans & Pricing (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    62 % AI Agent deflection rate
  11. #041$15

    Dialpad's Standard business phone plan, which includes AI call transcripts and summaries, starts at $15 per user per month.

    Dialpad, Dialpad Plans & Pricing (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Standard $15 user/month Seamless customer and team communication with unlimited calls

Chart

Ruby live receptionist plans, monthly price by included minutes

Monthly price in U.S. dollars from Ruby's U.S. pricing page, checked November 2026

  • 50 minutes$250
  • 100 minutes$395
  • 200 minutes$720
  • 500 minutes$1,725

Source: Ruby, Ruby Receptionist Pricing: Scalable Virtual Support

CH 06How many businesses use AI

9 figures
  1. #04219.8%

    In the Census Bureau's survey period ending May 3, 2026, 19.8% of U.S. businesses reported using AI in their business functions.

    U.S. Census Bureau, Large Firms With at Least 20 Employees Biggest AI Users (May 2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    As of May 3, 2026, the AI use rates in the Information (39.7%) and Finance and Insurance (33.9%) sectors were both higher than the national rate (19.8%) but neither reported significant shifts since December.
  2. #04320%

    Fewer than 20% of U.S. firms with four or fewer employees reported using AI in early 2026, according to the Census Bureau.

    U.S. Census Bureau, Large Firms With at Least 20 Employees Biggest AI Users (May 2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Less than 20% of firms with four or fewer employees reported using AI.
  3. #04437%

    Among U.S. firms with at least 250 employees, 37% reported using AI in their operations in 2026.

    U.S. Census Bureau, Large Firms With at Least 20 Employees Biggest AI Users (May 2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    For example, 37% of firms with at least 250 employees reported using AI in their business operations.
  4. #04536,207,130

    There are 36,207,130 small businesses in the United States, the potential market for receptionist services of every kind.

    SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business 2026 (Feb 2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    There are 36,207,130 small businesses in the U.S.
  5. #0467.6%

    Using the Census Bureau's earlier, narrower question, 7.6% of U.S. businesses used AI between September 2024 and August 2025, the SBA Office of Advocacy reported.

    SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business 2026 (Feb 2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Between Sept. 2024 and Aug. 2025, 7.6 percent of businesses used artificial intelligence (A.I.).
  6. #04710 percent

    In the Census Bureau's April 2026 AI supplement, 10% of AI-using firms said AI now performs tasks previously done by employees, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reported.

    Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, AI adoption in business grows steadily but unevenly (May 2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    However, 10 percent of AI-using firms reported that AI is now performing tasks previously done by employees.
  7. #04896 percent

    Roughly 96% of U.S. companies using AI reported no change in total employment over the prior six months, according to the same Census supplement.

    Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, AI adoption in business grows steadily but unevenly (May 2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    The survey supplement asked how AI use affected businesses' total employment in the six months prior to survey participation, and roughly 96 percent of companies using AI nationwide reported no change.
  8. #04978%

    In RingCentral's survey of more than 200 tech leaders and small business owners, 78% said they are actively interested in an AI receptionist.

    RingCentral, RingCentral AI Receptionist: Redefining customer communications (2025)

    Exact wording at the source
    And it’s no surprise that, according to the same survey, 78% of businesses are actively interested in an AI receptionist to help close the gap.
  9. #05016,500

    Dealerships using Numa had AI answer an average of 16,500 calls a year per dealership in 2024.

    Numa, Stop Losing Millions a Year: Future-proof Your Service Department with Numa's 2024 Trends (2024)

    Exact wording at the source
    16,500 calls answered annually by AI per dealership, freeing up many weeks of staff time to focus more on in-person customer interactions and creating great customer experiences.

CH 07How callers react to AI on the phone

4 figures
  1. #05152%

    More than half of U.S. consumers (52%) believe companies that use AI assistants after hours provide superior service, CallRail found in 2025.

    CallRail, Why businesses can't afford to miss calls (Sep 2025)

    Exact wording at the source
    The data points to a clear shift: more than half of consumers (52%) believe companies using AI assistants after hours provide superior service.
  2. #05266%

    In CallRail's 2025 survey, 66% of U.S. consumers said they would use AI to check a business's hours or location.

    CallRail, Why businesses can't afford to miss calls (Sep 2025)

    Exact wording at the source
    Comfort with using AI is also rising: 66% would use AI to check business hours or location.
  3. #0531.6%

    Only 1 in 60 small business phone conversations answered by NextPhone's AI in 2026 included the caller asking whether they were talking to a robot.

    NextPhone, The Comprehensive 2026 AI Receptionist Call Report (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Only 1 in 60 business conversations includes the question (1.6%).
  4. #05421.9%

    Of the callers who asked NextPhone's AI receptionist whether it was a robot, 21.9% still became a lead or a booking in 2026.

    NextPhone, The Comprehensive 2026 AI Receptionist Call Report (2026)

    Exact wording at the source
    Across all business conversations, the callers who asked became a lead or a booking slightly more often than the ones who didn't: 21.9% against 19.2%.

Asked and answered

Questions readers ask

QWhat percentage of business calls go unanswered?
AInvoca's 2026 analysis of 70 million calls found 56% of calls to businesses are answered by a person, so about 44% are not. Numa puts the miss rate at car dealerships at 30% to 40%, and NextPhone found 14.1% of small business calls arrive after hours.
QHow much does a human receptionist cost compared with an AI receptionist?
AThe median U.S. receptionist earned $38,010 a year in May 2025 (BLS), before benefits that average 30.0% of private employer compensation costs. AI receptionist plans start at $79 a month at Goodcall and $150 a month for 75 calls at Smith.ai, which is about $2.00 a call.
QHow much do live answering services charge?
ASmith.ai's live receptionist plan costs $300 a month for 30 calls, with $11.50 for each extra call. Ruby charges $250 a month for 50 minutes and $720 for 200 minutes, and Goodcall says live answering services run about $1.50 to $1.90 a minute.
QWhat do callers do when a business does not answer?
AIn CallRail's 2025 survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, 78% said they have abandoned a business after an unanswered call, 21% immediately call another business and only 42% leave a voicemail. 41% hang up after one to two minutes on hold.
QDo callers accept AI receptionists?
AMostly. CallRail found 52% of U.S. consumers think companies using AI assistants after hours provide superior service. In NextPhone's 2026 call data only 1.6% of callers asked whether they were talking to a robot, and 21.9% of those still became a lead or booking.
QHow many small businesses use AI?
AThe Census Bureau found 19.8% of U.S. businesses used AI as of May 2026, but fewer than 20% of firms with four or fewer employees. In a RingCentral survey, 78% of businesses said they are actively interested in an AI receptionist.

Where these numbers come from

We used primary sources only: federal agencies (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, SBA Office of Advocacy), a Federal Reserve Bank (Minneapolis), call data companies reporting on their own networks (Invoca, NextPhone, Numa), companies that ran their own surveys (CallRail, Hiya, RingCentral) and the published U.S. pricing pages of answering vendors (Smith.ai, Ruby, Goodcall, Dialpad). Every quote was checked against the live source page. Call data comes from each vendor's own customers, who already track or automate calls, so answer rates may not match the average small business. Lost revenue figures are vendor estimates built on their own assumptions. Survey samples differ in size and audience, and vendor surveys may favor the products their publishers sell. Prices change often and use different billing units, so per-call and per-minute comparisons on this page are our own arithmetic from the published plans. The roughly $54,000 full cost of a median receptionist is our estimate, dividing the BLS median wage by the private industry wage share of compensation. We store the sentence each number appears in, and a script loads the publisher's page again to make sure that sentence is still there. Our methodology has the details.

Input log

Sources

  1. 01CallRail. Why businesses can't afford to miss calls (Sep 2025).
  2. 02Dialpad. Dialpad Plans & Pricing (2026).
  3. 03Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. AI adoption in business grows steadily but unevenly (May 2026).
  4. 04Goodcall. Goodcall Pricing: AI Answering Service from $79 a Month (2026).
  5. 05Hiya. Eroding trust is crippling the voice channel (Apr 2026).
  6. 06Invoca. The Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026 (2026).
  7. 07NextPhone. The Comprehensive 2026 AI Receptionist Call Report (2026).
  8. 08Numa. The True Cost of Missed Calls in a Dealership (Jun 2026).
  9. 09Numa. Numa Releases 2024 Industry Trends in Auto Service & Repair (Digital Dealer) (Dec 2024).
  10. 10Numa. Stop Losing Millions a Year: Future-proof Your Service Department with Numa's 2024 Trends (2024).
  11. 11RingCentral. RingCentral AI Receptionist: Redefining customer communications (2025).
  12. 12Ruby. Ruby Receptionist Pricing: Scalable Virtual Support (2026).
  13. 13SBA Office of Advocacy. Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business 2026 (Feb 2026).
  14. 14Smith.ai. Smith.ai Plans & Pricing for 24/7 Sales & Support (2026).
  15. 15Smith.ai. Smith.ai Plans & Pricing for AI Receptionist Products (2026).
  16. 16U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Receptionists (2026).
  17. 17U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (Sep 2026).
  18. 18U.S. Census Bureau. Large Firms With at Least 20 Employees Biggest AI Users (May 2026).

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DBotMaker. (2026, November 13). AI Receptionist Statistics 2026. https://dbotmaker.io/ai-receptionist-statistics

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