← Research · competitor features · 8 Sep 2026 PT · TM485
Competitor features to add
Flat $199 after-hours AI vs human-minute and hybrid incumbents. Wedge: owner-named shops that close — answer, book next open, text the owner.
Map
- Ruby — live human, ~$250+/mo per-minute. Warm voice; expensive junk minutes.
- Smith.ai — hybrid; human ~$300/30 calls + add-ons; AI cheap tier. Strong intake/CRM.
- AnswerConnect — live 24/7, ~$325+ per-minute. Bilingual humans.
- receptionist.ai / Virtual Reception AI — AI flat or minute packs (~$14–$249). Calendar, spam, SMS alerts.
P0 — add now
- Spam / robocall filter (don’t burn owner attention).
- Owner SMS + morning recap list in every demo.
- Real calendar book (Google Calendar) — kill double-book fear.
- Urgent-only escalate to owner cell with transcript (never Fuller).
P1
- Vertical-tuned intake (HVAC/plumbing/auto/dental/legal).
- Shared one-book collision hold (Demo A).
- Personalized three-door demos in every email.
- Recording + transcript included in $199 (no Smith-style add-on nickels).
P2 later
Spanish line · on-call payments · CRM webhooks · outbound reminders — after first paying shops.
Won’t copy
Human-minute packs · per-call add-on menus · free-forever AI · Fuller number anywhere.
Full write-up: competitor-features.md · Marketing: marketing-plan/