AI Receptionist Buyer's Checklist: 25 Questions to Ask Before You Pay

Before you sign with any AI receptionist, get written answers to 25 questions: what the call produces, how you are billed, what happens to your recordings and data, what the vendor can prove, and how you leave. A demo shows the product on its best day, and these answers tell you what you are agreeing to. Each question below says why it matters and what a good answer sounds like, with links to the rule or vendor term behind it, and a sheet at the end lets you compare vendors side by side.

Disclosure: TheKeyBot, which publishes this checklist, makes an AI receptionist. Ask us every question too; where our own terms answer one, we say so.

Key takeaways

• Start with what the call produces: a message, a quote, a booking or a dispatched job. Everything else depends on that answer.
• Convert every price to your own volume, because vendors bill by minutes, calls or unique callers and count them differently. Ruby, for example, rounds each call up to the next 60-second mark and counts hold time.
• Read the overage and cancellation terms before the feature list. Rosie's terms say going over your minutes moves you to a higher plan that stays, and Smith.ai asks for 30 days' notice to cancel its AI plan.
• Recording rules depend on the state. Washington requires the consent of all parties but treats a recorded announcement as consent (RCW 9.73.030). This is not legal advice; check your state.
• Ask for proof, not percentages. The FTC has said there is no AI exemption from the laws on the books, so any performance figure should come with how it was measured.

How should you use this checklist?

Send the questions before the demo and ask for written answers with links to the terms that back them up. A salesperson's "yes" on a call is worth less than one sentence in the contract. During the demo, watch for the answers you couldn't get in writing, then run your own test calls (question 21) before you pay anything.

Not every question matters equally to every shop. A solo operator may care most about billing and cancellation; a multi-truck shop about booking, dispatch and where the data lands. Mark your deal-breakers before you talk to anyone, so a good demo doesn't talk you out of them.

Part 1: What does the call produce?

1. What does the caller have when the call ends?

Products called "AI receptionist" range from message-takers to systems that quote, book and dispatch. A good answer names the level for each of your call types and shows a sample of what lands on your phone. Our guide to the difference between booking and dispatching explains the four levels.

2. Where do prices come from, and what happens when a job isn't in the price book?

A good answer: the AI quotes only from your price list or rules, and says a technician will confirm when a job isn't covered. Goodcall's page, for example, says its agent can give the price range from the price list you load. TheKeyBot Lite doesn't quote at all, on purpose; its Lite page says it tells callers the team will call back with an exact price. The red flag is any number you never gave it. Our price book guide covers what to load.

3. Which languages does it answer in, and at which hours?

Ask for the after-hours answer in writing, because published policies differ. Rosie lists English and Spanish on every call, and Goodcall answers its own language question with "English, today". Ruby's FAQ says Spanish bilingual service is included at no extra cost, while another answer on the same FAQ page limits bilingual service to Monday to Friday, 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific. Our guide to handling Spanish-speaking callers has test calls to run.

4. How does it hand a call to a person, and what does it say if asked whether it's human?

A good answer covers who gets the transfer for each call type, what the person hears before the caller is connected, and what happens if nobody picks up. Rosie's $149 plan lists warm transfers, where it briefs your team before connecting; Smith.ai says complex calls can be transferred to a live receptionist. Also ask what the AI says when a caller asks if they're talking to a person, and decide whether that answer suits your brand. Our guide to warm and blind transfers covers the setup.

5. What does it do with emergencies and safety calls?

Some calls should never reach a booking flow. The National Weather Service says it is never safe to leave a toddler, disabled person or pet locked in a car, so a caller reporting one should hear "call 911" first. A good answer is a fixed script for safety calls plus a flag that reaches you at once. TheKeyBot Lite's page says callers reporting a child or pet locked in a car are told to call 911 first. See our child-or-pet-in-car protocol.

Part 2: How will you be billed?

6. What is the billing unit?

Vendors bill in units that don't compare directly. Ruby sells minutes, starting at $250 a month for 50 minutes; Smith.ai's AI plans bill per call, from a $0 tier with 25 calls a month and $3.00 a call after that; Goodcall bills per unique caller, from $79 a month for 100 unique customers. Take last month's calls and minutes from your phone log and price each option at that volume. Our guides to sizing your minutes and per-minute vs flat-rate pricing show the math.

7. How is each call counted?

Rounding and counting rules move the bill as much as the rate. Ruby's FAQ says minutes are billed in 60-second increments, rounded up, and that hold time is included. Rosie's terms also round each call up to the next 60-second mark. Smith.ai says every call answered by its AI counts toward your quota by default, while Goodcall's FAQ says the same person calling five times in a month is one customer. Ask how spam, wrong numbers and your own test calls are counted.

8. What happens when you go over?

Get the overage rate and the mechanism in writing. Rosie's terms say the subscription is automatically upgraded to a higher plan to cover extra minutes and stays there until you downgrade. Ruby's FAQ says extra minutes are billed at your plan's overage rate, and its pricing page doesn't list that rate. On our side, the pricing page lists the overage for every plan: Lite is 50 cents a minute after 100 calls, and Core is 45 cents a minute after 500 minutes.

9. What does the trial include, and when does billing start?

A trial should let you load your own data and call your own number. Published offers vary: Rosie and Dialzara list 7-day free trials, Goodcall offers a free demo agent instead of a trial, and Ruby's FAQ describes a money-back guarantee for first-time customers who cancel within 21 days or before 500 minutes, whichever comes first. TheKeyBot has a 14-day free trial on Core, Pro and Elite, and Lite's first 5 answered calls are free (up to 7 days), per our Lite page. Ask whether a card is required and the exact moment billing starts.

10. How do you cancel, and what do you lose?

Ask about notice periods, refunds, and what happens to your number and data on the way out. Smith.ai's pricing page says it needs 30 days' notice if you cancel; Rosie's terms say all payments are non-refundable. TheKeyBot's pricing page lists no contracts and cancel-anytime terms. Our guide to answering service contract terms lists the clauses to read.

Part 3: Your number, recordings and data

11. Can you keep your number, coming and going?

The FCC says that if you stay in the same geographic area, you can keep your existing phone number when you switch providers, between wireline, IP and wireless companies, and that FCC rules require simple ports to be processed in one business day. It also warns not to cancel your old service before starting the new one. Ask whether the vendor ports your number in, or has you forward to a number it provides, and whether you can take that number with you if you leave. Our guide to keeping your number covers forwarding and porting.

12. Are calls recorded, and what does the greeting say?

Federal law allows recording when one party consents, under 18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d), but some states require everyone's consent. Florida's statute makes interception lawful when all of the parties have given prior consent, and Washington's law adds that consent is obtained when one party announces the recording in a reasonably effective manner and the announcement is itself recorded (RCW 9.73.030). Rosie's terms describe template notices so callers can consent by continuing the call. A good answer is a recording notice at the start of every call that you can edit. This is not legal advice; check your state, and see our call-recording consent guide.

13. Who can hear the recordings, and how long are they kept?

The FTC's guide to protecting personal information puts it plainly: "Keep only what you need for your business." A good answer gives you a retention period you choose, access limited by role, and a record of who listened to what.

14. Can you export everything, and is it deleted when you leave?

Ask for the list: call logs, recordings, transcripts, messages, customer records and bookings. Ask for the export format, how long the export stays available after you cancel, and whether you get written confirmation that the rest was deleted. The same FTC guide says to properly dispose of what you no longer need, and that applies to your vendor's copy too.

15. Is your callers' data used to train AI models, and can the vendor change that later?

Get the answer in the contract, not the FAQ, along with how you'll be told about changes. In February 2024 the FTC warned that "it may be unfair or deceptive for a company to adopt more permissive data practices", such as using data for AI training, if consumers are told only through a surreptitious, retroactive change to the terms or privacy policy.

Part 4: Security and compliance

16. Does it ever take card numbers on the call?

AI calls are usually recorded, and recordings are where card data leaks. The PCI Security Standards Council's phone-payment guidance says that if the card security code "is received and recorded, the entity MUST render all data unrecoverable upon completion of the authorization process." A good answer is a payment link sent by text, or a card-capture method that keeps card data out of the recording; Ruby, for one, says it offers optional PCI-compliant service.

17. What security report can the vendor show?

Ask whether the vendor has a SOC 2 report, the AICPA's report on controls at a service organization relevant to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality or privacy, and whether you can read it under a nondisclosure agreement. Ask which other companies handle your call audio, such as the telephone carrier, the speech-recognition provider and the AI model provider. The FTC's guide tells businesses to put security expectations in writing in contracts with service providers and then verify compliance.

18. How and when will they tell you about a breach?

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in a summary updated in January 2022, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have laws requiring private businesses to notify individuals of breaches involving personal information. Your customers' data is your problem even when it sits on a vendor's server, so ask for a notification commitment in the contract. The FTC's guide says to insist that service providers notify you of any security incidents they experience.

19. Does it make outbound calls or texts, and under what consent?

Outbound AI calls carry their own rules. In a February 2024 declaratory ruling, the FCC confirmed that "the TCPA's restrictions on the use of 'artificial or prerecorded voice' encompass current AI technologies that generate human voices" (FCC 24-17), so such calls require the prior express consent of the called party unless an emergency purpose or exemption applies. Ask how the product records consent, honors opt-outs and limits calling hours. This is not legal advice.

20. Do you need HIPAA, and will the vendor sign a business associate agreement?

Most trade businesses don't. HHS says that if an entity does not meet the definition of a covered entity or business associate, it does not have to comply with the HIPAA Rules, and covered entities are health plans, clearinghouses and health care providers that transmit health information electronically in standard transactions. If you are a medical practice, or handle patient information for one, ask whether the vendor will sign a business associate agreement. Our privacy and HIPAA guide for trades goes further.

Part 5: Proof, setup and support

21. Can you test it on your own line with your own data before paying?

A good answer is yes, with your price book, hours, service area and calendar loaded, and a number you can call from a phone the vendor doesn't know. Our 20-call trial script lists the calls to place.

22. How was every number in the sales pitch measured?

Pickup speed, accuracy and "booking lift" claims need a method behind them. Announcing a 2024 crackdown on deceptive AI claims, then-FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said there is "no AI exemption from the laws on the books" (FTC), and a 2025 FTC order over an AI accuracy claim required "competent and reliable evidence to support the claim at the time it is made". Ask on whose calls, over what period, and what counted as a success.

23. Who does the setup, and how long does it take?

Ask what you have to provide (price book, calendar access, roster, greeting) and who tunes the system after the first week. Dialzara says every paid plan includes a one-to-one onboarding call with a prompt engineer; TheKeyBot's Lite page describes a setup wizard and about 10 minutes to go live. Our first-week setup guide covers the tuning.

24. Where does each call's result land?

A good answer shows you a real message from a real test call, in the place you'll actually read it: a text, an email, an app, or the scheduling and customer software you already use. Goodcall's page says it takes the details and texts you; TheKeyBot Lite delivers each message to Telegram. If you need the result in other software, ask exactly which fields it writes and test it; our integrations guide explains how those connections work.

25. What happens when something breaks, and who answers?

Ask what callers hear if the service is down, whether calls fall back to a phone you choose, how you'll be told, and when support is staffed. Then test the fallback yourself. Our guide to phone continuity during outages covers backup forwarding.

The side-by-side sheet

Copy this table into a spreadsheet, write each vendor's answer in a few words, and mark whether you have it in writing.

What should you do this week?

1. Pull last month's call log and write down calls, minutes and after-hours calls, so you can price every option at your volume.
2. Mark your deal-breakers on the sheet before you talk to any vendor.
3. Email the 25 questions to your top two or three vendors and ask for links to the terms behind each answer.
4. Read the terms pages yourself, especially overage, cancellation, recording and data sections.
5. Book trials and run the test-call script with your own data loaded.
6. Decide with the sheet in front of you, not the demo.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I ask an AI receptionist vendor before signing?

Ask what the caller has when the call ends, how you are billed and what happens when you go over, how calls are recorded and data is kept, what proof stands behind any performance claim, and how you cancel and keep your number. Get the answers in writing with links to the terms.

How do I compare AI receptionist prices across vendors?

Price every option at your own monthly volume, because vendors bill by minutes, calls or unique callers. Then check rounding, hold time, overage and automatic upgrades, which can move the bill as much as the headline price.

Do AI receptionists have to announce that calls are recorded?

It depends on your state. Federal law allows recording with one party's consent, while states such as Florida and Washington require all parties' consent, and Washington treats a recorded announcement as consent. This is not legal advice; check your state's statute.

Does an AI receptionist for a plumbing or HVAC company need to be HIPAA compliant?

Usually not. HHS says an entity that is not a covered entity or a business associate does not have to comply with the HIPAA Rules, and most trade businesses are neither. A medical practice, or a company handling patient information for one, should ask for a business associate agreement.

Can I keep my business phone number with an AI receptionist?

Usually yes. The FCC says you can keep your number when switching providers in the same geographic area, and many AI receptionists also work by forwarding your existing line. Ask whether you can take any number the vendor provides with you if you leave.

What are TheKeyBot's terms?

TheKeyBot Lite is $149 a month with 100 calls included, then 50 cents a minute, and takes messages without quoting or booking. Core is $500 a month with 500 AI minutes, then 45 cents a minute. Every plan has a dedicated AI phone number, no setup fees and no contracts, and Core, Pro and Elite include a 14-day free trial.

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Sources

1. Ruby, FAQs: https://www.ruby.com/faqs/
2. Ruby, plans and pricing: https://www.ruby.com/plans-and-pricing/
3. Rosie, pricing: https://heyrosie.com/pricing
4. Rosie, terms of service (updated February 5, 2026): https://heyrosie.com/legal/terms
5. Smith.ai, AI Receptionist pricing: https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist
6. Goodcall, pricing: https://www.goodcall.com/pricing
7. Goodcall, FAQ: https://www.goodcall.com/faq
8. Goodcall, how it works: https://www.goodcall.com/how-it-works
9. Dialzara, pricing: https://dialzara.com/pricing
10. National Weather Service, "Children, Pets and Vehicles": https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat-children-pets
11. Federal Communications Commission, "Porting: Keeping Your Phone Number When You Change Providers" (reviewed December 10, 2025): https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/porting-keeping-your-phone-number-when-you-change-providers
12. Federal Communications Commission, Declaratory Ruling FCC 24-17 (released February 8, 2024): https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-24-17A1.pdf
13. 18 U.S. Code § 2511, Cornell Legal Information Institute: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2511
14. Florida Statutes § 934.03: https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/934.03
15. Revised Code of Washington 9.73.030: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9.73.030
16. Federal Trade Commission, "Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business": https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/protecting-personal-information-guide-business
17. Federal Trade Commission, "AI (and other) Companies: Quietly Changing Your Terms of Service Could Be Unfair or Deceptive" (February 13, 2024): https://www.ftc.gov/policy/advocacy-research/tech-at-ftc/2024/02/ai-other-companies-quietly-changing-your-terms-service-could-be-unfair-or-deceptive
18. Federal Trade Commission, crackdown on deceptive AI claims (September 25, 2024): https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/09/ftc-announces-crackdown-deceptive-ai-claims-schemes
19. Federal Trade Commission, final order against Workado (August 28, 2025): https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/08/ftc-approves-final-order-against-workado-llc-which-misrepresented-accuracy-its-artificial
20. PCI Security Standards Council, "Protecting Telephone-Based Payment Card Data" (November 2018): https://listings.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/Protecting_Telephone_Based_Payment_Card_Data_v3-0_nov_2018.pdf
21. AICPA & CIMA, System and Organization Controls (SOC) suite of services: https://www.aicpa-cima.com/resources/landing/system-and-organization-controls-soc-suite-of-services
22. National Conference of State Legislatures, "Security Breach Notification Laws": https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/security-breach-notification-laws
23. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "Covered Entities and Business Associates": https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/covered-entities/index.html
24. TheKeyBot pricing: https://www.thekeybot.com/pricing
25. TheKeyBot, KeyBot Lite: https://www.thekeybot.com/lite