A virtual receptionist for small business — without the meter.
A virtual receptionist for small business used to mean a shared human desk billing by the minute and clocking off at five. cheaply's AI answers your line in two rings around the clock, books real appointments into your real schedule, and costs the same flat amount every month.
The comparison that matters isn't AI vs human — it's what a rung phone turns into. A message slip means you call back tonight and hope they haven't booked elsewhere; a booked slot means the job is already yours. Weighing an in-house hire instead? Here's that math.
Four ways the desk never closes.
Human virtual receptionists sell minutes — published plans run $250–2,100 a month and busy weeks blow the bundle. cheaply is flat: Solo $97/mo, Crew $197/mo, Shop $397/mo.
Reception desks keep hours and human services price nights on top. Here, nights, weekends and holidays run on the same plan minutes as noon, answered in two rings in English or Spanish.
The classic receptionist deliverable is a message you still have to action. This one offers times checked against your real schedule and lands the booking on your board, confirmation text included.
A caller who needs you gets transferred to your cell; an emergency becomes an urgent 🚨 text with who, where and what's wrong. Everything else is handled without interrupting the job you're on.
Compare every option with real numbers.
What the human services actually charge — the verified answering-service price table. How the answering itself works — the AI phone answering service, explained. And the safety net for the calls that slip by — missed-call text back.
See it for your kind of business.
Fair questions, straight answers.
What does a virtual receptionist cost a small business?
Will my customers know it's AI?
Can it use my existing business number?
What if I still want a human touch on some calls?
Reception that books the job.
Flat price, two-ring pickup, real bookings — live in minutes on the number you already have.