Can I use Maisie alongside a human answering service?

Yes, and some businesses do. A common setup is Maisie on every call first, with a warm transfer to your office or to a human service for the calls that need a person. You only pay for the minutes Maisie actually talks.

Will my callers know they're talking to a receptionist that isn't human?

If they ask, she tells them she's the virtual receptionist — we never pretend otherwise. Most callers simply say what they need and get on with it, because she listens, asks sensible follow-up questions and doesn't read a script at them.

What happens if Maisie can't help a caller?

She doesn't guess. She takes the caller's name, number and what they need, tells them when you'll be back to them, and texts you straight away. If it's urgent by the rules you set, she transfers the call to you instead.

Comparison · updated 2026

AI receptionist vs telephone answering service

Three ways to stop losing calls: pay a team of people to answer them, set up an AI app yourself, or have a receptionist built for you. They suit different businesses, and we've tried to be straight about which is which.

We don't name competitors here. The first two columns describe how these services generally work in the UK — check the specifics with any provider you're considering, because terms vary a lot.

Comparison of a traditional answering service, a self-serve AI app and Hey Maisie
	Traditional answering service	Self-serve AI app	Hey Maisie
Monthly cost	Typically a monthly retainer plus per-call or per-minute charges, so a busy month costs more	Low headline price, then per-minute top-ups once you're past the bundled minutes	£99–£449 a month, all in. Overage 35p a minute. No setup fee
Hours covered	Often office hours only, with out-of-hours as a paid add-on	24/7	24/7, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays
When five people ring at once	Callers queue until a receptionist is free, or roll to voicemail	All five answered at once	All five answered at once, in one ring, each with its own summary
Setup time	Usually a few days: account setup, scripts, a training call	Minutes — but you write the prompts, record the greeting and test it yourself	One working day. She rings you so you can hear her before you go live
Who sets it up	Their onboarding team, from a script you supply	You do	A real person on our team builds and tests her from your website and your answers
Appointment booking	Sometimes, if they have access to your diary — often an add-on	Usually only if you wire up the integration yourself	Built in on Pro and Scale — Google, Outlook or Apple diaries via Cal.com
Call summaries	An email or a message taken down by hand; detail varies by operator	Transcript in a dashboard; texts depend on the plan	Text, WhatsApp and email the moment the call ends (60 seconds at most), plus recording and transcript
Contract	Minimum terms are common, with notice required to cancel	Monthly, self-cancel	No contract. Cancel any time. 14-day money-back guarantee from the day she's ready

Answering-service pricing and terms vary by provider, so we describe how they usually work rather than quoting figures we can't cite. Hey Maisie's own prices are exact.

When a human answering service is the better choice

Your callers need genuine emotional judgement — bereavement, safeguarding, distressed patients or clients in crisis.
Every call is complex, one-off and negotiated, so there is no repeatable pattern for Maisie to learn.
You need someone to handle post, greet visitors, chase invoices and do the other jobs a person in the office does.
Your regulator or insurer requires a named, trained human to take particular categories of call.
Your call volume is so low that a family member picking up is genuinely enough.

If that's your business, we'd tell you so on the phone rather than sell you a plan you'd cancel.

When Maisie is the better choice

You lose enquiries because nobody can reach the phone — you're with a client, mid-treatment, driving between jobs or on site.
Most calls are the same handful of questions: what do you charge, do you cover my area, when can you come out, can I book in.
Calls cluster — a burst at 8am, another after 6pm, and several at once when an advert or listing goes live.
You want the diary filled, not just a message taken, and you want the notes in writing.
You want predictable monthly cost with no minimum term, and you want to hear the receptionist before you pay.

That covers most clinics, salons, garages, lettings offices, accountants and independent professionals we speak to — and you can hear her before you spend anything.

And the middle column?

Self-serve AI apps are cheap because you do the work

Writing the prompt, recording the greeting, wiring the calendar, testing what she says when someone asks an awkward question — that's a weekend, and it's the part that decides whether callers trust her. With Maisie a person does it for you and shows you the result before you pay.

FAQ

Common questions about switching

Judge her yourself — she'll ring you as your business

It takes about twenty seconds and costs nothing. No setup fee, no contract, and you don't pay until she's ready.

Hear Maisie now See pricing