Frequently Asked Questions

An AI receptionist is software that answers your business phone calls using artificial intelligence. Instead of a human receptionist or voicemail, callers interact with an AI that can understand their questions, provide information about your business, book appointments on your calendar, route calls to the right person, and send follow-up text messages -- all in a natural, conversational voice. NetworkSIP's AI receptionist answers calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When a customer calls your business number, the call is forwarded to NetworkSIP's AI phone answering system. The AI answers in under 2 seconds, greets the caller by your business name, and has a natural conversation to understand what they need. Using natural language processing, the AI determines the caller's intent and takes the appropriate action -- booking an appointment, providing information, or transferring the call.

An AI receptionist is available 24/7/365, never takes a sick day or lunch break, answers every call in under 2 seconds, handles multiple calls simultaneously, and costs $49-$199 per month compared to $3,200-$4,500 per month for a full-time employee. A human receptionist may be better for highly emotional situations. For most businesses, AI handles 90-95% of calls perfectly and transfers the rest to a live person.

Yes. Appointment scheduling is a core feature. The AI connects to your calendar -- Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, and more -- checks real-time availability, books appointments, sends SMS confirmations, prevents double bookings, and handles rescheduling and cancellations.

NetworkSIP offers three plans: Starter at $49/month (100 calls), Professional at $99/month (500 calls), and Business at $199/month (unlimited calls). All plans include a free 14-day trial with no credit card required. There are no setup fees and no long-term contracts. Compared to a human receptionist at $38,000-$54,000/year, AI saves businesses $35,000+ annually.

NetworkSIP is purpose-built for small businesses with 1 to 50 employees. Pricing starts at $49/month with no contracts, setup takes minutes, and it integrates with Google Calendar, HubSpot, Slack, and other tools small businesses already use. Every plan includes appointment scheduling, call routing, and SMS follow-up.

Most AI receptionist providers offer free trials rather than permanently free plans. NetworkSIP offers a full-featured 14-day free trial with no credit card required, so you can test every feature with real calls before committing. Limited free plans from other providers typically lack critical features like appointment scheduling and call routing.

Absolutely. NetworkSIP starts at $49/month -- less than most businesses spend on coffee. If your business misses just 5 calls per week at $100 potential value each, that is $2,000/month in lost revenue. An AI answering service at $49-$99/month pays for itself many times over. No setup fees, no equipment, no contracts.

Not all AI receptionists are HIPAA compliant -- you must verify with each provider. NetworkSIP's Business plan includes HIPAA-compliant configuration with a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA), end-to-end encryption, US-based data storage, role-based access controls with audit logging, and configurable data retention. We never use call data for AI model training.

Yes, dental offices are one of the most popular use cases. NetworkSIP handles scheduling hygiene appointments, exams, and emergency visits; capturing new patient intake information including insurance; sending appointment reminders that reduce no-shows by up to 30%; and routing after-hours emergencies to the on-call dentist. Average dental practices recover $8,000+ in monthly revenue.

Law firms use AI receptionists primarily for client intake and lead capture. The AI captures caller name, contact info, case type, and case description. It qualifies leads based on your criteria and books consultations automatically. Since 42% of potential clients hire the first attorney who responds, capturing after-hours calls significantly increases consultations.

Yes. Restaurants use NetworkSIP to handle reservations by checking table availability, answer questions about hours, location, and menu items, take takeout and delivery orders, capture catering inquiries, and provide daily special information. Bilingual English/Spanish support is included. During peak hours, AI keeps your team focused on guests already seated.