# AI Receptionist ROI Calculator: AI vs. Answering Service vs. In-House CSR

AI receptionist ROI is the gross profit from calls you'd otherwise miss, minus what the service costs. A shop missing 25% of 300 monthly calls loses 75 calls; at a 40% booking rate and $225 gross profit per job, that's $6,750 a month. Against a $237 AI plan, the ROI is 2754%.

## Key takeaways

- ROI = (missed calls × booking rate × gross profit per job − monthly cost) ÷ monthly cost.
- Published AI receptionist plans for 750 minutes a month ran $129–$789; human answering services $969–$2,100 (checked 2026-10-12).
- An in-house receptionist costs about $26.59 an hour with benefits at the BLS median wage, or $4,610 a month full time.
- Only an option that covers nights and weekends can recover after-hours calls, which is where most trades businesses miss them.
- Break-even in booked jobs is the number to remember: how many extra jobs a month the option has to book to pay for itself.

## How do you calculate the ROI of an AI receptionist?

Start with the calls you miss today, because those are the only calls any answering option can add. Multiply by your booking rate to get jobs, then by gross profit per job. That's the recovered gross profit. Subtract what the option costs each month and divide by the cost. Do the same for an answering service and an in-house CSR, pricing each on the same calls, and you have a fair comparison.

**Formula**

```
ROI = (M × A × B × T × G − C) ÷ C   ·   Break-even jobs = C ÷ (T × G)
```

Where:
- M = calls missed per month today
- A = share of those calls the option would answer (24/7 services: 100%; a CSR: calls during working hours only)
- B = booking rate: share of answered calls that book
- T × G = average ticket × gross margin = gross profit per job
- C = monthly cost of the option

1. **Count calls and missed calls.** Pull a month from your phone log. Count calls from potential customers and the share that rang out, hit voicemail or were abandoned. The [missed call calculator](https://www.brix.so/tools/missed-call-calculator) walks through it.
2. **Enter booking rate, ticket and margin.** Use gross margin, not revenue: labor and materials have to be paid before a service can earn anything back.
3. **Price each option on the same calls.** Leave the quote fields at 0 to use the median of published plans for your call volume, or enter quotes you've received. The CSR cost uses the BLS median receptionist wage plus the BLS employer benefit share.
4. **Compare net return and break-even jobs.** The option with the highest net return wins on paper. Then check what each one can actually do on a call: book, quote, dispatch, or only take a message.

> **Worked example**
>
> An HVAC company gets 300 customer calls a month, about 2.5 minutes each, and misses 25%: 75 calls. It books 40% of answered calls at a $450 ticket and 50% margin, so each booked job is worth $225 in gross profit.
>
> **AI receptionist:** answers all 75 missed calls, booking 30 jobs worth $6,750 a month. At $237 a month (the median of published AI plans for 750 minutes), net return is **$6,514 a month**, a 2754% ROI. It breaks even on 1.1 booked jobs.
>
> **Human answering service:** same 30 jobs, but the median published plan costs $1,305, so net return is $5,446 (417% ROI), breaking even on 5.8 jobs.
>
> **In-house CSR:** $18.27 an hour (BLS median, May 2025) × 1.456 for benefits and payroll costs × 40 hours × 52 ÷ 12 = $4,610 a month. If 35% of missed calls fall outside their shift, they recover 19.5 jobs worth $4,388: net -$222 on phones alone, though a CSR also dispatches, invoices and handles the office.

**Three options on the same 75 missed calls a month**

| Option | Monthly cost | Missed calls it can answer | Jobs recovered | Gross profit recovered | Net per month | Break-even jobs |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AI receptionist | $237 | All (24/7) | 30 | $6,750 | $6,514 | 1.1 |
| Human answering service | $1,305 | All (24/7) | 30 | $6,750 | $5,446 | 5.8 |
| In-house CSR, 40 hrs/week | $4,610 | 65% (business hours) | 19.5 | $4,388 | -$222 | 20.5 |

_Service costs are medians of published plans for 300 calls × 2.5 minutes, checked 2026-10-12. CSR cost uses BLS figures (sources below). The 35% after-hours share is an example assumption._

## What does an AI receptionist cost compared with an answering service?

Per minute, far less. For the 750 minutes in the example, published AI plans ran $129 (Goodcall) to $789 (Sameday AI) a month, while published human answering plans ran $969 (MAP Communications) to $2,100 (Smith.ai (human receptionists)). The table shows what each would cost per recovered job in the example. Prices change often; confirm with the vendor, and price your exact minutes with the [answering service cost calculator](https://www.brix.so/tools/answering-service-cost-calculator).

**Published plans priced for 300 calls × 2.5 minutes (750 minutes)**

| Service | Type | Cheapest plan that covers it | Monthly cost | Cost per recovered job (example) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Goodcall | AI | Growth (500 callers) | $129 | $4.30 |
| Rosie | AI | Scale (1,000 min) | $149 | $4.97 |
| My AI Front Desk | AI | Business-in-a-Box (200 min) | $237 | $7.88 |
| Dialzara | AI | Business Plus (500 min) | $299 | $9.97 |
| Sameday AI | AI | Scale (1,000 min) | $789 | $26.30 |
| MAP Communications | Human | Premium (500 min) | $969 | $32.30 |
| Specialty Answering Service | Human | 500 Minute | $984 | $32.80 |
| PATLive | Human | 500 min | $1,207 | $40.22 |
| Moneypenny (formerly VoiceNation) | Human | 500 min | $1,403 | $46.75 |
| AnswerConnect | Human | Standard (400 min) | $1,500 | $50.00 |
| Smith.ai (human receptionists) | Human | Pro (300 calls) | $2,100 | $70.00 |

_Checked 2026-10-12 on each vendor's pricing page. Ruby and Abby Connect publish no overage rate and their largest published plans (500 minutes) don't cover this usage, so they're omitted. Goodcall bills per unique caller, modeled as one caller per call. Excludes taxes, setup fees and add-ons._

## What does an in-house receptionist really cost?

More than the wage. The BLS reports a median hourly wage of $18.27 for receptionists (May 2025), with the lowest 10% under $13.83 and the highest 10% over $24.01. On top of wages, employers pay payroll taxes, insurance, paid leave and benefits. The BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation release for June 2026 puts those at $11.51 of a $36.73 hourly total for private-industry office and administrative support workers, 31.3% of compensation. That makes a median receptionist about $26.59 an hour, or $4,610 a month full time, before recruiting, training, a desk and a phone seat.

A CSR also does things a phone service can't: dispatching, collections, permits, walk-ins. If you already need someone in the office, the phone cost is a fraction of their day and the comparison changes. The calculator prices the phone-answering job only, so use it to decide how to cover calls, not whether to hire.

## When is an AI receptionist worth it?

- **You miss calls at all.** Even a handful of missed calls a week usually covers the lowest published AI plans. Check break-even jobs: if it's one job a month, the decision is easy.
- **Calls come after hours or while you're on a job.** That's exactly when a CSR is off the clock and an owner can't pick up.
- **Your calls are bookable.** AI pays off most when the caller can be booked on the spot: service calls, estimates, tune-ups. If every call needs a human judgment call, test it on overflow first.
- **You pay for leads.** A missed call from Local Services Ads or a lead marketplace is a lead you paid for and lost. See the [cost per lead calculator](https://www.brix.so/tools/cost-per-lead-calculator).

When might it not be? If your call volume is tiny and you answer nearly everything, the cost is small but so is the return. And if callers need a long technical conversation before booking, an answering service that only takes messages won't help either; the question is who can actually book the job. See [is an AI receptionist worth it](https://www.brix.so/learn/is-an-ai-receptionist-worth-it) and [AI receptionist vs. answering service](https://www.brix.so/learn/ai-receptionist-vs-answering-service).

## Common mistakes in the comparison

- **Crediting every missed call as a job.** Only the booking-rate share of recovered calls becomes work. The calculator applies your booking rate.
- **Using revenue instead of gross profit.** A $450 job at 50% margin covers $225 of service cost, not $450.
- **Comparing a message-taking service with a booking service.** A message still needs a callback, and some callers will have booked elsewhere by then. Ask each vendor what it does on the call.
- **Forgetting the CSR's other work, or their hours.** The CSR option looks bad on phones alone and better once office work is counted; it also can't answer at 9 pm.

BRIX answers every call around the clock, qualifies the caller, books the job on your calendar and texts back anyone it misses, and the call, the quote and the invoice live in one record.

- [AI receptionist](https://www.brix.so/features/ai-receptionist): Answers every call 24/7, qualifies the caller, books the job and texts back anyone it misses.
- [Missed-call text back](https://www.brix.so/features/missed-call-text-back): Texts a caller back within seconds when a call is missed, so the lead stays with you.
- [Scheduling and dispatch](https://www.brix.so/features/scheduling-dispatch): Assigns the right crew to the right job based on skills, location and availability.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I calculate the ROI of an AI receptionist?

Multiply the calls you miss each month by your booking rate and your gross profit per job to get recovered gross profit, subtract the monthly cost, and divide by the cost. In the example, 75 missed calls × 40% × $225 = $6,750 a month against a $237 plan: a 2754% ROI.

### How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?

Published AI answering plans we checked on 2026-10-12 start at $29 a month for small minute buckets and run to $789 for larger plans built for home services. What you pay depends on minutes used and overage rates, so price your own call volume in the calculator.

### Is an AI receptionist cheaper than an answering service?

On published prices, usually by a wide margin for the same minutes: $129–$789 versus $969–$2,100 a month in the example. The better question is cost per booked job, which depends on whether the service can book the call or only take a message.

### How much does a receptionist cost per hour with benefits?

The BLS median wage for receptionists is $18.27 an hour (May 2025). BLS employer cost data for June 2026 shows benefits and payroll costs are 31.3% of total compensation for office and administrative workers, which puts a median receptionist near $26.59 an hour all-in.

### Can an AI receptionist replace a CSR?

It replaces the phone-answering part of the job, especially after hours and overflow, but not dispatching, collections or office work. Many shops use both: the AI answers and books, the CSR handles exceptions and the back office.

### What booking rate should I assume for an AI receptionist?

Start with your current booking rate on answered calls, then measure. Some calls that would have gone to voicemail book at a lower rate because the caller was shopping around; others book higher because they were emergencies. Track it for a month and update the calculator.

## Related

- [Is an AI Receptionist Worth It?](https://www.brix.so/learn/is-an-ai-receptionist-worth-it)
- [AI Receptionist vs. Answering Service: Which Is Better for Contractors?](https://www.brix.so/learn/ai-receptionist-vs-answering-service)
- [AI Receptionist vs. Virtual Receptionist: What's the Difference?](https://www.brix.so/learn/ai-receptionist-vs-virtual-receptionist)
- [What Is a Customer Service Representative (CSR) in Home Services?](https://www.brix.so/learn/customer-service-representative)
- [Answering Service Cost Calculator](https://www.brix.so/tools/answering-service-cost-calculator)
- [Missed Call Revenue Calculator](https://www.brix.so/tools/missed-call-calculator)
- [True Cost of an Employee Calculator for Trades Businesses](https://www.brix.so/tools/payroll-cost-calculator)
- [The Best AI Receptionist for Contractors in 2026: How to Choose](https://www.brix.so/compare/best-ai-receptionist-for-contractors)
- [AI Receptionist for Contractors That Books the Job, Not Just the Message](https://www.brix.so/features/ai-receptionist)
- [HVAC Answering Service That Triages, Books and Pages Your On-Call Tech](https://www.brix.so/for/hvac/ai-receptionist)

## Sources

- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Receptionists (median pay, May 2025)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/receptionists.htm) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026, Table 4 (private industry by occupational group)](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.t04.htm) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation news release, June 2026 (released Sept. 9, 2026)](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [PATLive pricing](https://www.patlive.com/pricing/) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [AnswerConnect pricing](https://assets.answerconnect.com/answerconnect/us/pdf/AnswerConnectUS_Pricing.pdf) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [MAP Communications pricing](https://www.mapcommunications.com/pricing/) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [Specialty Answering Service pricing](https://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/pricing/) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [Moneypenny (formerly VoiceNation) pricing](https://www.moneypenny.com/us/pricing/) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [Ruby pricing](https://www.ruby.com/pricing/) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [Abby Connect pricing](https://www.abby.com/pricing/) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [Smith.ai (human receptionists) pricing](https://smith.ai/pricing/receptionists) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [Dialzara pricing](https://www.dialzara.com/pricing) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [Rosie pricing](https://heyrosie.com/pricing) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [My AI Front Desk pricing](https://www.myaifrontdesk.com/pricing) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [Goodcall pricing](https://www.goodcall.com/pricing) (checked 2026-10-12)
- [Sameday AI pricing](https://sameday.ai/pricing) (checked 2026-10-12)

---
Written by BRIX Editorial Team. Last updated 2026-10-12.
Canonical: https://www.brix.so/tools/ai-receptionist-roi-calculator