25 Questions to Ask an AI Receptionist Vendor Before You Buy
Use this list during a sales call or trial so that the buying decision is based on workflow facts rather than a polished demo.
Pricing and usage
- What exactly counts as a billable call/minute/customer?
- How are spam and hangups treated?
- What are overage rates?
- Are telephony charges separate?
- Can the plan change mid-cycle?
Calls and transfers
- What happens when a transfer target does not answer?
- Can transfers cascade through multiple people?
- Can the AI warm-transfer with context?
- Can we set different after-hours rules?
- Can we force certain intents to message-only?
Booking and data
- Does it read live calendar availability?
- Can it reschedule/cancel?
- Can we restrict booking by service area?
- What CRM objects can it create/update?
- Can we export transcripts and recordings?
Governance
- How is caller data retained?
- Can we disable recording?
- How do we disclose AI use?
- What model/providers process the call?
- What is the deletion process?
Operational support
- Is onboarding included?
- Is there a sandbox/demo number?
- How quickly can we roll back?
- What support SLA applies?
- Can we cancel month-to-month?
Decision this guide addresses
What must be proven for evidence requests?
A workflow that exposes the problem
A seller answers yes to every requirement without showing the plan, workflow or failure path.
Requirements to put in the buying brief
Ask for written scope and demonstrations tied to your test record. Tag each claim as documented, demonstrated or still unresolved, and distinguish a supported feature from a configured result.
Configuration details that matter
Keep a written record of scope, accountable staff, required fields and exception paths. Match the caller’s understanding of the next step with the actual operational status.
| Checkpoint | Evidence to request | Reject the pilot when |
|---|---|---|
| Before the call | Written scope for this exact workflow | Only a broad integration or feature label is offered |
| During the call | Accurate request and truthful next-step wording | The caller is given a promise the business cannot keep |
| After the call | Record status and a named owner for exceptions | The transcript exists but nobody can act on it |
Acceptance test before purchase
Use five gates: bill definition, completed intake, scheduling authority, no-answer recovery and downstream record. A required gate without evidence delays purchase rather than becoming a guessed score.
Costs beyond the advertised tier
Budget the subscription, the billing unit used by the vendor, connector fees, phone charges and staff time spent correcting exceptions. Illustrative example: a $120 monthly tool plus $30 connector and two staff hours at $25/hour costs $200 before any additional usage. A lower base price does not establish lower operating cost.
Decision rule
Use the evidence from your own pilot to choose the workflow. A missing required action is a purchase blocker even when the advertised price is attractive.
Frequently asked questions
What must be proven for evidence requests?
Ask for written scope and demonstrations tied to your test record. Tag each claim as documented, demonstrated or still unresolved, and distinguish a supported feature from a configured result.
What evidence is still missing?
TradeCall Lab has not completed controlled calls for this workflow. The acceptance test above is a proposed buyer test, not a measured vendor result.
How should a failed pilot be handled?
Pause the affected route, preserve the failure record and return calls to the existing staff or voicemail path. Resolve ownership and configuration before expanding coverage.
Phase 4 verification: official pricing for Rosie, HighLevel, Frontdesk, OnCrew, Smith.ai and Goodcall was retrieved on October 3, 2026. Dialzara’s official monthly fees, included minutes and per-minute overages were directly verified in Phase 4.1 on October 3, 2026. Other inherited integration and feature claims require an account-specific demonstration. View the source-status ledger.