Twelve questions, and what a bad answer sounds like
Buying an AI receptionist goes better with a list. These are the questions we would ask if we were buying rather than selling.
The short version
- Anything about money should be answered in writing, with a number.
- Anything about capability should be answered with a mechanism, not a percentage.
- Anything about compliance should be answered with a named layer or a named statute.
- Anything about failure should be answered with the path a call takes, step by step.
Money
What is the overage rate at my tier, in writing? Four of the eight vendors we track do not publish one, so this is the question that separates them fastest.
What counts as a billable unit, including hang-ups, wrong numbers and immediate transfers? And what is the billing increment, if you charge per minute?
Is there a setup fee, and what is the contract term? A month-to-month arrangement and a twelve-month commitment are different products at the same monthly price.
What happens to my rate if my volume doubles? The answer reveals whether their pricing is designed for your growth or for your surprise.
Capability
Does it write into my calendar or only read it, and what exactly lands in the entry? A blank slot at the right time is a much weaker product than one carrying the caller's details.
What happens when the assistant cannot help? Ask for the mechanism: who the transfer reaches, and what the caller hears if that rings out. That last part is the failure mode that actually occurs.
Which languages are verified rather than planned? And how were they tested?
Can the assistant announce itself as an AI at the start of the call, in my wording? In Maine and Utah that is a legal question; everywhere else it is a design one.
Compliance and candour
If you handle patient information: will you sign a business associate agreement, and which of your own suppliers do you hold one with? HIPAA compliance is contractual rather than a certification, and this question is where confident claims get quieter.
What is stored, for how long, and can recording be turned off while transcripts continue? Ask who your subprocessors are by name.
What happens to a call when a transfer rings out? The answer should be a path you can test yourself, such as a second number and then a message, rather than a promise.
And finally: can I hear it on my own calls before I commit? GreetKeeper runs a demo on your own scenario, with your wording and your awkward question, and it costs nothing.
Hear it handle one of your own calls
Your scenario, your greeting, a couple of minutes.