Every call
answered.
An AI receptionist for your business. It answers, assists callers and captures the next step — forward your line and callers never dial anything new.
Stay focused
on the work.
Your team stays present with the client in front of them, on the hour that client is paying for.
Opportunity doesn't wait.
Someone who has been meaning to call you finally picks up the phone. Every incoming call could be your next client.
Always connected.
The call reaches your business whether or not anyone is free to pick it up.
Your team keeps moving.
The meeting carries on. Nobody breaks off, and nobody reaches for the phone.
Every opportunity answered.
Your receptionist takes the call, helps the caller, and puts the next step in the book.
Your team stays focused.
Your AI receptionist handles every opportunity. Never miss another important call.
AI receptionist · live 24/7
An AI receptionist
that answers every call.
Updated · By Byron Gray, founder, Gray-Works Technologies & Solutions LLC, Washington, DC
An AI receptionist is software that answers your business phone in a natural voice, 24 hours a day, from $39 a month. It answers questions from your knowledge base, takes messages, books appointments and transfers calls, on the number you already have. GrayWorks builds one from your business details. Call (202) 335-4047 to hear it answer.
Key takeaways
- Plans run $39 to $199/month with 40–500 included minutes. Overage is $0.35/minute, no setup fee, month-to-month.
- Guided setup takes 15–20 minutes. Your receptionist goes live right after payment.
- Every plan includes 1 phone number (Premier includes 2). Forward your existing line to it and callers dial what they always have.
- Answers 24/7 in English. Spanish answering on Premier.
Or hear it first — call the AI receptionist on (202) 335-4047
Answers 24/7 on your number
Every call transcribed
Books straight into your calendar
Pricing
Four plans, $39 to $199 a month
Starter
$39/month
40 minutes · 1 phone number
- 24/7 answering on your number
- Transfers, messages & callbacks
- Transcripts & summaries
- Answers from your knowledge base
- Email alert on every lead
Essential
$69/month
100 minutes · 1 phone number
- Everything in Starter
- 100 included minutes for busier phones
- Invite your team
- Full voice library
- Flexible after-hours handling
Professional
$129/month
250 minutes · 1 phone number
- Everything in Essential
- Appointment booking, rescheduling & tracking
- Messages inbox — every message & callback in your dashboard
- Call recordings & playback
- Website chatbot — same brain as your receptionist
Premier
$199/month
500 minutes · 2 phone numbers
- Everything in Professional
- Support intake & ticketing
- English and Spanish answering
- Hybrid voice-and-chat widget
Overage $0.35/minute — connected call time only. No setup fee. Cancel anytime from your billing page.
Cost per call: on Essential ($69/month, 100 minutes) a 3-minute call uses about $2.07 of included time. Past the included minutes the same call costs 3 × $0.35 = $1.05.
Why isn't there a free trial?
Your receptionist is generated from your actual business details — hours, services, escalation rules — so there isn't a generic version to trial. Hear it first instead: call the demo line on (202) 335-4047 — it's the same AI you'd be paying for. Plans are month-to-month with no contract, so you can cancel anytime from your billing page if it's not a fit.
What your receptionist does
Your AI receptionist answers questions, takes messages and routes calls
Never miss an opportunity
Calls are answered promptly — after hours, during meetings, or while your team is helping another customer.
Give callers immediate help
Your receptionist answers common questions, takes messages, routes calls, and follows your business instructions.
Keep your team focused
Your staff concentrates on the work in front of them while GrayWorks handles routine incoming calls.
How it works
Setup takes 15–20 minutes and goes live right after payment
Tell us about your business
Add your hours, services, FAQs, and call-handling preferences.
Personalize your receptionist
Choose a voice, greeting, routing rules, and the actions it can perform.
Go live
Connect or forward your number and let your AI receptionist start answering.
Compared
An AI receptionist answers every call for a flat monthly price
The same six questions, put to the four ways a small business can answer its phone.
| Feature | AI receptionist (GrayWorks) | Human receptionist | Live answering service | Voicemail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answers 24/7 | Yes | Business hours only | Varies by provider | Records, no one answers |
| Answers questions about your business | Yes, from your knowledge base | Yes | Limited to a script | No |
| Books appointments | Professional and Premier | Yes | Varies by provider | No |
| Takes messages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Only if the caller leaves one |
| Monthly cost | $39–$199, no setup fee | Salary plus benefits | Varies by provider | Usually included with your line |
| Setup time | 15–20 minutes | Hiring and training | Varies by provider | Minutes |
Per minute or per call
GrayWorks bills by the minute, so a short call costs cents, not a full call
Per-call pricing charges the same for a 20-second wrong number as for a 6-minute booking. Per-minute pricing charges connected time, rounded up to the next minute, at $0.35a minute past your plan's included minutes.
What GrayWorks costs at three call volumes, assuming a 3-minute average call. Competitor prices are as stated on each vendor's pricing page as of September 2026.
| Calls a month | Minutes needed | GrayWorks plan | Monthly total | Per call | Smith.ai (as of Sep 2026) | Goodcall (as of Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 90 | Essential | $69.00 | $2.30 | Free tier, 25 calls; $3.00 a call after | $79 per agent |
| 75 | 225 | Professional | $129.00 | $1.72 | $150 (Pro, 75 calls) | $79 per agent |
| 150 | 450 | Premier | $199.00 | $1.33 | $1.80 a call on the 150-call tier | $79 per agent, plus $0.50 per customer past 100 |
Answers
Questions buyers ask before they sign up
What is an AI receptionist, and how is it different from an auto-attendant or IVR?
An AI receptionist holds a natural conversation and acts on it. It answers questions from the knowledge base you give it, takes messages, books appointments (on Professional and Premier), and transfers calls to a person. An auto-attendant or IVR plays a menu and waits for a keypress. Callers to an AI receptionist speak the way they would to a person at the desk, and it responds in kind.
How does it connect to the phone number I already have?
Forward your existing number to the line we provision, or use the new number on its own. Callers dial what they always have; nothing about how they reach you changes. During setup you rank up to three preferred area codes and we try them in order. Starter, Essential, and Professional include one number; Premier includes two.
How much does an AI receptionist cost, and how does that compare with a human receptionist?
GrayWorks costs $39 to $199 a month: Starter $39 (40 minutes), Essential $69 (100), Professional $129 (250), Premier $199 (500). Overage is $0.35 a minute, there is no setup fee, and plans are month-to-month. A human receptionist is a salary plus benefits; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median receptionist wage at $38,010 a year (May 2025).
Is an AI receptionist worth it, and what can it not handle?
It is worth it when missed calls cost you jobs; the cheapest plan is $39 a month and there is no contract. It cannot do work that needs a person on site, and it will not guess. When it lacks an answer, it takes a message or transfers the call according to the escalation rules you set during setup. Judgment stays with your people.
Is there a free AI receptionist or a free trial?
Some providers do: Smith.ai lists a free AI receptionist tier of 25 calls a month, as of September 2026. GrayWorks does not, because your receptionist is generated from your own business details — hours, services, escalation rules — so there is no generic version to trial. Hear one for free instead: call the demo line on (202) 335-4047. Plans are month-to-month, and you can cancel from the billing page.
Is it legal to record calls, and is it suitable for medical offices?
Every call produces a transcript and a summary; recordings are playable on Professional and Premier, and the receptionist announces recording in its greeting. Call-recording notice and consent laws vary by state, and you are responsible for compliance where you operate — see our call recording policy. We make no HIPAA claim: if you are a covered entity, our Terms put the decision on whether the service is appropriate with you, so read both before signing up.
Which industries does it work for, and can it answer in Spanish?
Plumbers, HVAC contractors, property managers, medical offices, law offices, salons, landscapers, and personal trainers each have their own page on this site, and any business that takes calls can use it. Spanish answering is on Premier. A website chatbot is included from Professional; Premier adds a hybrid voice-and-chat widget and support ticketing. Everything here is what ships in 2026, not a roadmap.
What should a small business check before choosing an AI receptionist?
Seven things. Does it work on the number you already have? Is the price published, and is it per minute or per call? Can you hear it before you pay? What happens when it cannot answer: transfer, message, or on-call alert? Do you get a transcript of every call? Is it month-to-month? Does it tell callers the call is recorded? A provider that answers all seven plainly is one you can hold to it.
The full list is on the FAQ page.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Receptionists (May 2025), FCC, Recording Telephone Conversations, Smith.ai AI receptionist pricing, Goodcall pricing.
Who built this
GrayWorks Services is built and operated by Gray-Works Technologies & Solutions LLC in Washington, DC, founded by Byron Gray. We run our own receptionist on our business line, (771) 223-4274: call it and you reach the product before you reach a person.
From our own data. 30% of inbound calls to GrayWorks customer accounts (27 of 90, 2 accounts, 21 July 2026 to 13 September 2026) arrived outside 8am–6pm Eastern, Monday to Friday. Counted from our call logs on 14 September 2026; the sample is small and we will update it as it grows.