Answering service for plumbing: what it costs and when a text back is enough
An answering service for plumbing picks up the calls you can't and passes the details to you. On November 2, 2026, published prices started at $44 a month plus $1.54 a minute for live answering (Specialty Answering Service) and $0 for 25 calls a month for an AI receptionist (Smith.ai), so your bill depends on how many calls you send it and how long they run.
Below are four published plans priced at small-shop volumes, what the caller gets with each option, and where a missed-call text back fits.
Three ways to handle a call you can't pick up
| Option | What the caller gets | How it's priced |
|---|---|---|
| Live answering service | A person answers and takes a message | Monthly base plus minutes (PATLive, Specialty Answering Service) |
| AI receptionist | Software answers by voice | Monthly base plus calls or minutes (Smith.ai, Rosie) |
| Missed-call text back | No one answers. The caller gets a text, and their reply goes to your phone. | Flat monthly price (Reply) |
Reply is the third one. It does not answer calls or book jobs (Reply FAQ). If you want a voice on the line, you want one of the first two.
What it costs when you only send it missed calls
Most pricing guides assume an answering service takes all your calls. A small shop that answers most calls itself only needs coverage for the ones it misses. So this table prices only missed calls.
The inputs:
- Minutes per call: 2.5. PATLive describes its 50-minute plan as "About 20 calls" (PATLive). That works out to 2.5 minutes a call.
- Cheapest plan at each volume. Each cell uses whichever published plan costs least for that many minutes, including overage.
- Prices before tax. PATLive notes taxes and fees are extra.
| Missed calls a month | Minutes | PATLive (live) | Specialty Answering Service (live) | Smith.ai AI | Rosie AI | Reply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 25 | $99.00 | $82.50 | $0 | $49 | $199 |
| 20 | 50 | $99.00 | $121.00 | $0 | $49 | $199 |
| 40 | 100 | $189.00 | $159.00 | $45.00 | $49 | $199 |
| 60 | 150 | $293.50 | $231.00 | $105.00 | $49 | $199 |
How each cell was worked out:
- PATLive. 10 and 20 calls fit the 50-minute plan at $99. 40 calls is the 100-minute plan at $189. 60 calls is $189 plus 50 extra minutes at $2.09 (PATLive).
- Specialty Answering Service. 10 and 20 calls are Economy at $44 plus $1.54 a minute. 40 calls is the 100 Minute plan at $159. 60 calls is $159 plus 50 minutes at $1.44 (SAS).
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist. The free plan includes 25 calls, then $3.00 a call (Smith.ai). 40 calls is 15 extra calls, or $45. 60 calls is 35 extra, or $105. At 75 calls this equals the $150 Pro plan.
- Rosie. The $49 Professional plan includes 250 minutes (Rosie). Every row here is under that.
- Reply. $199 a month after the first $299 payment, which covers setup and your first 30 live days (Reply). It does not change with call count. Usage details are agreed before you start.
For comparison, Abby Connect's live plans start at $164 a month for 50 minutes (Abby).
Cost per missed call
| Missed calls a month | PATLive | Specialty Answering Service | Smith.ai AI | Rosie AI | Reply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $9.90 | $8.25 | $0 | $4.90 | $19.90 |
| 20 | $4.95 | $6.05 | $0 | $2.45 | $9.95 |
| 40 | $4.73 | $3.98 | $1.13 | $1.23 | $4.98 |
| 60 | $4.89 | $3.85 | $1.75 | $0.82 | $3.32 |
At these volumes, both AI plans cost less than Reply. The live services cost less than Reply until about 40 to 50 missed calls a month.
If your calls run longer
Plumbing and HVAC calls can run longer than 2.5 minutes when the caller explains a leak or a no-heat problem. Here is the live-service math at 4 minutes a call, using the same plans.
| Missed calls a month | Minutes | PATLive | Specialty Answering Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 40 | $99.00 | $105.60 |
| 20 | 80 | $167.70 | $159.00 |
| 40 | 160 | $314.40 | $245.40 |
| 60 | 240 | $428.60 | $297.80 |
At 2.5 minutes a call, the cheapest PATLive plan passes $199 at 42 missed calls a month. Specialty Answering Service passes it at 52. At 4 minutes a call, both pass $199 before 40 calls.
To run your own number: missed calls a month x minutes per call = minutes. Then check that against each plan's included minutes and overage rate.
Which one fits
Price is only part of it. The bigger question is what you want the caller to get.
Pick a live answering service if you want a person on every call you miss, and your callers expect that.
Pick an AI receptionist if you want a voice to pick up and take details for the lowest monthly price. The two plans above cost less than Reply at every volume in the table.
Pick a missed-call text back if you don't want anyone answering for you. You want the caller to get a text right away, and you want to handle the job yourself by text when you're free. This is what Reply does. It is not a fit if you want something to answer calls or book jobs, or if someone already answers your phones all day (Reply).
Some shops use both. In that case, add the costs together.
How Reply works
Reply sends a text after a qualifying missed call and forwards the customer's response to your phone. A qualifying missed call is any unanswered call from someone other than you. Callers who opted out never get a text, and the same caller doesn't get a repeat text within a few minutes or within 24 hours (Reply FAQ).
Setup uses missed-call forwarding or a local tracking number. It covers one location and one Reply number. You pay once the number is live and tested. The $299 covers setup and the first 30 live days, then it's $199 a month only if you choose. There's no auto-renew (Reply).
To see if $199 a month pays for itself at your ticket size, use the missed call text back calculator. For wording ideas, see missed call auto reply messages.
Reply is based in Carteret, NJ. See how it works.
Sources
- PATLive pricing (live receptionists; Pay as you go $49/mo with no included minutes, $2.99 per additional minute; 50 minutes 'About 20 calls' $99, then $2.29/min; 100 minutes 'About 40 calls' $189, then $2.09/min; 200 minutes $349, then $1.99/min; taxes and fees extra; checked 2026-11-02)
- Specialty Answering Service pricing (Economy $44/mo + $1.54/min; 100 Minute $159/mo + $1.44/min overage; 220 Minute $269/mo + $1.44/min; billed in 1-second increments; no setup fee; month to month; checked 2026-11-02)
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing (Free $0/mo, 25 calls/mo, $3.00/call after that; Pro $150/mo for 75 calls; checked 2026-11-02)
- Rosie pricing (AI answering; Professional $49/mo, 250 minutes; Scale $149/mo; Growth $299/mo; checked 2026-11-02)
- Abby Connect pricing (Starter $164/mo for 50 Abby minutes; checked 2026-11-02)
- Reply pricing and FAQ ($299 setup and first 30 live days, then $199/month only if you choose; no auto-renew; pay once live and tested; 'Is this an AI receptionist? No.'; does not answer calls or book appointments; qualifying missed call rules; one location and one Reply number; checked 2026-11-02)