Question 1

How long does setup take?

Accepted Answer

About 2 minutes if you have a website. We scan your site and automatically extract your services, hours, FAQs, and pricing. You review and approve before going live. No website? We'll ask a few simple questions to set up your receptionist.

Question 2

Do I need any technical skills?

Accepted Answer

No. SimpleAnswering is built for business owners, not engineers. Everything is point-and-click. No coding, no API integrations, no consultants needed.

Question 3

I'm not tech-savvy. Can I really set this up myself?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. If you can copy and paste a website URL, you can set up SimpleAnswering. We designed it specifically for business owners who don't have time to learn complicated software. Most users are live within 5 minutes.

Question 4

Can I test the receptionist before going live?

Accepted Answer

Yes. After setup, you can make test calls to verify everything works as expected. Adjust the knowledge base, greeting, or settings until you're satisfied. Only then do you go live.

Question 5

Do I need to get a new phone number?

Accepted Answer

You get a free local number with your account. You can use it directly, or keep your existing number and forward calls to it.

Question 6

Can I use my existing business phone number?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can forward calls from your existing number to the SimpleAnswering number we provide. This way, you keep your current number and callers won't know the difference.

Question 7

How do I forward calls from my current phone?

Accepted Answer

We provide step-by-step instructions for all major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.) and VoIP providers. Usually it's a simple code you dial or a setting in your carrier's app. Takes about 5 minutes.

Question 8

How does the 7-day free trial work?

Accepted Answer

Building your receptionist and testing it is free — no card, no account needed. The card only comes in when you claim your phone number, because that reserves a real line for your business. That's when your 7-day trial starts: full access, real calls, nothing charged until day 8. Cancel any time before then and you pay nothing.

Question 9

What happens if I go over my included minutes?

Accepted Answer

You'll be charged for overage at your plan's rate ($0.55/min for Starter, $0.45/min for Pro, $0.35/min for Scale). We don't cut off your calls mid-conversation. You can track your usage in your dashboard at any time.

Question 10

Can I change plans later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Upgrade or downgrade anytime from your account settings. Changes take effect on your next billing cycle. If you upgrade mid-cycle, you'll get prorated access to the higher tier immediately.

Question 11

Is there a setup fee?

Accepted Answer

No. There are no setup fees, no hidden costs, and no long-term contracts. You pay only the monthly subscription and any overage minutes you use.

Question 12

What payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) through our secure Stripe payment processor. We don't store your card details on our servers.

Question 13

Can I cancel anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Cancel from your account settings with one click. No phone calls, no retention tactics, no cancellation fees. If you cancel, you'll keep access until the end of your current billing period.

Question 14

Do you offer refunds?

Accepted Answer

If you're not satisfied, contact us within the first 7 days of your paid subscription and we'll work with you to make it right. We want you to succeed, not feel stuck.

Question 15

Do unused minutes roll over?

Accepted Answer

No. Minutes reset at the start of each billing cycle. We recommend starting with a plan that matches your typical call volume, then upgrading if you consistently need more.

Question 16

Why not just hire a receptionist?

Accepted Answer

A full-time receptionist costs $3,000-5,000/month including benefits, works limited hours, takes vacations, and can only handle one call at a time. SimpleAnswering costs under $300/month, works 24/7/365, never calls in sick, and can handle unlimited simultaneous calls.

Question 17

Will callers know they're talking to an AI?

Accepted Answer

Most callers don't notice or don't mind. Our AI uses natural language with realistic pauses and conversational flow. It sounds professional and helpful, which is what callers care about most.

Question 18

How accurate is the AI receptionist?

Accepted Answer

Our AI is powered by state-of-the-art language models and achieves over 95% accuracy in understanding caller intent and extracting key information. It's trained on thousands of real business conversations across dozens of industries.

Question 19

Can the AI handle complex questions about my business?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The AI learns from your website and any information you provide. It can answer questions about your services, pricing, hours, location, and FAQs. For questions it can't answer, it will politely take a message and flag it for your follow-up.

Question 20

What if a caller wants to speak to a human?

Accepted Answer

You decide. Turn on call transfers in Settings → Receptionist and give us a number, and the AI will hand the call straight to you: the caller hears "Let me transfer you now, one moment" and is connected directly. It's a straight transfer, so the call reaches you without a summary first. If transfers are off, or the call can't be connected, the AI captures their name, number, and reason for calling and lets them know someone will call back. Either way you get an email and text marked urgent.

Question 21

Can I customize what the receptionist says?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You control the greeting, the information the AI shares, and how it handles different types of inquiries. You can also customize the voice (Emma or James) and personality to match your brand.

Question 22

Does it work for my industry?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We support 30+ industries including restaurants, law firms, medical offices, contractors, real estate, salons, and more. The AI adapts its conversation style and terminology to your specific business type.

Question 23

Can it take appointments or reservations?

Accepted Answer

The AI captures all appointment and reservation requests with full details (date, time, service needed, contact info) and notifies you immediately via email and text. Direct calendar integration is coming soon.

Question 24

How does the action item extraction work?

Accepted Answer

After each call, our AI analyzes the conversation and extracts key action items: callbacks needed, quote requests, urgent matters, appointment requests, etc. Each item is flagged with urgency level so you know what to prioritize. You receive the summary and action items via both email and text.

Question 25

How do email and SMS notifications work?

Accepted Answer

After every call, you get both an email and a text message with a summary — who called, their phone number, what they needed, and any action items. The text message is concise so you can react quickly. You choose which team members receive notifications and whether they get email, SMS, or both. The number of team members who can receive alerts depends on your plan.

Question 26

Can I search through past calls?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Search by caller name, phone number, keywords in the transcript, date range, or action item type. Find any conversation in seconds.

Question 27

Can I listen to the calls?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every call is recorded. You can play it back, read the full transcript, or just read the summary.

Question 28

Do you handle after-hours calls?

Accepted Answer

Yes. SimpleAnswering works 24/7/365, including nights, weekends, and holidays. When your office is closed, your receptionist is still answering. You'll get an email and text summary after each call so you can follow up the next business day, or immediately if it's urgent.

Question 29

What languages does the receptionist speak?

Accepted Answer

Currently English only. We're working on Spanish support and plan to add more languages soon.

Question 30

Can I have multiple receptionists for different businesses?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Pro plan includes 3 receptionists and Scale includes 10. Each receptionist can be configured for a different business with its own knowledge base, phone number, and settings.

Question 31

What if my website changes?

Accepted Answer

You can re-scan your website anytime to update your receptionist's knowledge base. Or manually edit the information in your settings. Changes take effect immediately.

Question 32

What's the audio quality like?

Accepted Answer

Crystal clear. We use enterprise-grade telephony infrastructure with HD audio. Callers will hear natural, professional-sounding responses with no robotic artifacts.

Question 33

Is there an app?

Accepted Answer

SimpleAnswering works on any device through your web browser. No app download required. The interface is fully responsive and works great on phones, tablets, and desktops.

Question 34

Can I integrate with my existing CRM?

Accepted Answer

We have a built-in CRM that captures all contacts and call history. API integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and other CRMs are on our roadmap. Contact us if you have a specific integration need.

Question 35

What's the uptime guarantee?

Accepted Answer

We maintain 99.99% uptime. Our infrastructure is built on enterprise-grade cloud providers with automatic failover. We've never missed a call due to system downtime.

Question 36

Are my call recordings secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All recordings are encrypted at rest and in transit. Access is restricted to your account only. We never share, sell, or use your recordings for any purpose other than providing the service.

Question 37

Who can access my business data?

Accepted Answer

Only you and anyone you explicitly authorize. Our support team can access your account data only with your permission and only to help resolve issues you report.

Question 38

How long are recordings stored?

Accepted Answer

Recordings are stored for the duration of your subscription plus 30 days after cancellation. You can delete individual recordings at any time from your dashboard.

Question 39

Do you train AI on my calls?

Accepted Answer

No. Your call data is never used to train our AI models. Your business information stays private and is used only to serve your callers.

Question 40

What happens to my data if I cancel?

Accepted Answer

You can export all your contacts and call data before canceling. After cancellation, we retain your data for 30 days in case you change your mind, then permanently delete it.

Question 41

Is SimpleAnswering HIPAA-compliant?

Accepted Answer

No. SimpleAnswering is not HIPAA-compliant and we do not offer Business Associate Agreements (BAAs). If your business requires HIPAA compliance, SimpleAnswering is not the right fit for you.

Question 42

How is this different from voicemail?

Accepted Answer

Voicemail just records messages. SimpleAnswering actually converses with callers, answers their questions, extracts key information, and notifies you by email and text with actionable summaries. Callers get instant help instead of leaving a message and hoping for a callback.

Question 43

How does this compare to a human answering service?

Accepted Answer

Human answering services cost $1-2 per minute, have limited hours, and can't learn your business as deeply. SimpleAnswering costs $0.35-0.55 per minute, works 24/7, and knows everything about your business. Plus, it never has a bad day or puts callers on hold.

Question 44

What about other AI phone services?

Accepted Answer

Most AI phone services require technical setup, API integrations, or coding. SimpleAnswering is the only service built specifically for non-technical business owners. Paste your website, approve the setup, and you're live in minutes.

Question 45

Can't I just use a chatbot on my website?

Accepted Answer

Chatbots only help visitors who reach your website. 60% of local business leads come from phone calls, especially urgent ones. SimpleAnswering captures the leads that chatbots miss entirely.

Question 46

What if the AI makes a mistake?

Accepted Answer

Our AI is highly accurate, but if it does make an error, you can easily correct it. Review transcripts to catch any issues and update your knowledge base to prevent them in the future. Mistakes become less frequent over time.

Question 47

Is this too impersonal for my business?

Accepted Answer

Many business owners worry about this, but feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Callers prefer getting immediate help and answers over leaving voicemail and waiting. The personal touch comes from your prompt follow-up, not from making them wait.

Question 48

What if I get a lot of calls? Will it scale?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Unlike human receptionists, SimpleAnswering can handle unlimited simultaneous calls. High call volume? No problem. Every caller gets answered immediately, every time.

Question 49

What if my business is unique or complicated?

Accepted Answer

We support businesses across 30+ industries with widely varying needs. The AI learns from your specific information and adapts to your business. If you have truly unique requirements, our Enterprise plan includes custom configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

Pricing & Billing

Features & Capabilities

Technical & Integration

Security & Privacy

Comparisons

Common Concerns

Still have questions?

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

01How long does setup take?

02Do I need any technical skills?

03I'm not tech-savvy. Can I really set this up myself?

04Can I test the receptionist before going live?

05Do I need to get a new phone number?

06Can I use my existing business phone number?

07How do I forward calls from my current phone?

Pricing & Billing

01How does the 7-day free trial work?

02What happens if I go over my included minutes?

03Can I change plans later?

04Is there a setup fee?

05What payment methods do you accept?

06Can I cancel anytime?

07Do you offer refunds?

08Do unused minutes roll over?

09Why not just hire a receptionist?

Features & Capabilities

01Will callers know they're talking to an AI?

02How accurate is the AI receptionist?

03Can the AI handle complex questions about my business?

04What if a caller wants to speak to a human?

05Can I customize what the receptionist says?

06Does it work for my industry?

07Can it take appointments or reservations?

08How does the action item extraction work?

09How do email and SMS notifications work?

10Can I search through past calls?

11Can I listen to the calls?

12Do you handle after-hours calls?

13What languages does the receptionist speak?

14Can I have multiple receptionists for different businesses?

Technical & Integration

01What if my website changes?

02What's the audio quality like?

03Is there an app?

04Can I integrate with my existing CRM?

05What's the uptime guarantee?

Security & Privacy

01Are my call recordings secure?

02Who can access my business data?

03How long are recordings stored?

04Do you train AI on my calls?

05What happens to my data if I cancel?

06Is SimpleAnswering HIPAA-compliant?

Comparisons

01How is this different from voicemail?

02How does this compare to a human answering service?

03What about other AI phone services?

04Can't I just use a chatbot on my website?

Common Concerns

01What if the AI makes a mistake?

02Is this too impersonal for my business?

03What if I get a lot of calls? Will it scale?

04What if my business is unique or complicated?

Still have questions?