Pricing · Answering services
AI receptionist vs medical answering service: how to compare the real monthly cost
A monthly fee is only comparable when you know what it includes. Start with your practice's phone report, then ask each provider to price the same work.
Start with the same workload
Write down the calls to be covered, average handled duration, open and closed hours, required languages, and busiest simultaneous call volume. Decide whether you need scheduling, routine answers, message taking, clinical triage, or several of these. Different scopes can produce different bills without either quote being wrong.
One practice, transparent arithmetic
For illustration, consider two providers on Callinzo full coverage with 900 handled calls averaging 2.25 minutes. That is 2,025 handled minutes. These are assumptions, not measured customer averages.
| Charge | Calculation | Monthly amount |
|---|---|---|
| Provider fees | 2 × $100 | $200 |
| Handled minutes | 900 × 2.25 × $0.20 | $405 |
| Estimated total | $200 + $405 | $605 |
Questions to put beside every quote
- What counts as a billable minute or call? Does ringing, hold time, transfer time, or after-call work count?
- Is there a minimum plan, included allowance, overage rate, setup fee, or contract commitment?
- Are nights, weekends, holidays, extra languages, additional providers, and additional locations included?
- Can the service complete a booking in our system, or does it leave staff a request to process?
- Who receives a caller who needs a person? Is human or clinical coverage included, or supplied by our practice?
Compare the work that remains
A lower phone-service bill can still leave more staff callback work. Review a sample of completed calls and count confirmed bookings, actionable messages, transfers, and unresolved requests. Price that follow-up work using your own staffing assumptions. Time saved does not automatically reduce payroll, and a booking does not automatically produce collected revenue.
Use a pilot to check the assumptions
Agree the coverage window and success measures, test the escalation route, and review the first calls with staff. Use the actual handled minutes to update your budget. Callinzo lists full coverage at $100 per provider per month, or $50 for nights and weekends, plus $0.20 per handled minute. The pricing estimator lets you change both provider count and minutes.
Bring the same difficult call to every demo: no suitable appointment, a caller asking for a person, and an urgent concern after close.