SteadyOps

Smith.ai Costs $230-600/mo. SteadyOps is $79.

Both answer the phone. Only one books the job, looks up the customer mid-call, logs everything in the CRM, and writes the follow-up. And it's the cheaper one.

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What you're actually paying for at Smith.ai

Smith.ai is a respected service that staffs human receptionists for SMBs. The catch is the math: their entry plan is $230/mo for 30 calls (yes, calls — not minutes), and most contractors blow through that in week two. The Pro plan is $600/mo for 200 calls. By month three you're paying more than a part-time employee for what's still a glorified answering service.

✗$230/mo for 30 calls — overage is $7-12 per additional call
✗$600/mo for 200 calls — and most painters/roofers in season exceed that
✗Live receptionists don't have your calendar, so most calls end with 'we'll have someone call you back'
✗CRM integration is via email parsing or Zapier — fragile, lossy, and you're paying Zapier on top
✗Outbound calling (lead follow-up, appointment confirmations) costs extra and is per-call
✗Setup is a 2-week onboarding with a Smith.ai account manager — not 'plug it in and go'

What SteadyOps replaces it with

Your AI voice agent answers in under 2 seconds, books the appointment on your calendar, sends a confirmation SMS to the caller, creates the contact and deal in your CRM, and queues the follow-up email — all before you hear about it. Outbound calls (callback campaigns, no-show recovery, review requests) happen automatically too. One $149/mo plan replaces a $400-600/mo Smith.ai bill plus your Zapier and review-request tools.

✓Flat $79-349/mo with included voice minutes — the whole team, no per-call fees
✓Native CRM integration (it IS the CRM) — every call writes to the right contact, no Zapier
✓Outbound automation included: appointment reminders, no-show recovery, review requests
✓Setup is under an hour — the onboarding wizard configures your voice agent for your trade
✓AI Copilot writes the follow-up email, the estimate, the proposal — all from plain English
✓AI sentiment routing: angry calls, urgent emergencies, and high-value leads get escalated to your phone

Where Smith.ai still wins

Honest scope: there are use cases where a Smith.ai human is still the right call. We won't pretend otherwise.

✓Complex legal intake with sensitive client conversations — AI is improving but not yet at lawyer-grade discretion
✓Spanish-only or multilingual call volumes where the AI's voice agent doesn't yet have full coverage
✓Businesses that explicitly market 'real human answers every call' as a brand promise — switching contradicts the positioning
✓Solo practitioners with extremely low call volume (<10 calls/month) where the savings are marginal

What Makes SteadyOps Different

AI That Actually Works for You

Built-in CRM

Smith.ai pipes data into your CRM via Zapier. SteadyOps IS the CRM — every call lands in the right contact record automatically, with the transcript and summary attached.

AI Voice Agent

Same job as Smith.ai's receptionists, except it books appointments mid-call and never costs more in season than the off-season.

Outbound Calling Included

Smith.ai charges extra for outbound. SteadyOps does appointment reminders, no-show recovery, and review-request calls automatically — no extra fee.

AI Copilot for Follow-up

Smith.ai hands you a message. SteadyOps drafts the follow-up email, the estimate, and the proposal — you review and send.

Setup in an Hour

Smith.ai is a 2-week onboarding with an account manager. SteadyOps is a 30-minute self-serve wizard, then your first AI-answered call.

No Per-Call Charges

Smith.ai's overage is $7-12 per call past your plan. SteadyOps gives you minutes, not call counts — a 4-minute booking call is much cheaper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the AI voice agent really as good as a Smith.ai receptionist?

For 90-95% of contractor and SMB calls — booking jobs, qualifying leads, rescheduling, answering price/availability questions — yes. The AI is consistent, fast, and books in the conversation rather than promising a callback. For high-touch legal intake or emotionally sensitive calls, a human still has the edge. Most contractors who switch find that the missing 5% isn't enough to justify 3-5× the price.

How does the cost compare for a typical painter or roofer?

A painter doing 15-30 jobs/month with off-hours and weekend calls typically receives 80-150 calls/month. On Smith.ai's Pro plan ($600 for 200 calls), they're at $600-700/mo. On SteadyOps Growth ($149/mo, 300 voice minutes), the same volume runs about 250-300 minutes — fitting comfortably. Net savings: ~$5,400/year, with better CRM integration and no Zapier bill.

What about businesses outside contracting — does Smith.ai still make sense for lawyers?

For solo lawyers and small firms, SteadyOps' AI receptionist handles standard intake (contact info, case type, conflict check questions) and books the consultation. Smith.ai still has an edge for high-stakes initial calls where you want a trained human discretion. Many small firms run SteadyOps as the 24/7 default and use Smith.ai as overflow for business hours — at half the combined cost of full Smith.ai coverage.

How long to migrate from Smith.ai?

About a day. Most painters and roofers have their forwarded number rerouted to SteadyOps in 30 minutes, the AI agent configured in the onboarding wizard in another 30 minutes, and the historical contact CSV imported the same afternoon. The Smith.ai contract typically requires 30 days notice — start the SteadyOps trial first, run them in parallel for 2 weeks, then cancel Smith.ai once confidence is there.

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