Buyer's guide · For funded teams of 30 to 200 people
The AI receptionist buyer's guide for mid-size teams.
When a company passes 30 people, the phone stops being something the founder covers between meetings. Buyers call during demos, partners call during board prep, and customers call after hours. There are five common ways to cover those calls. This guide lays them out side by side so your team can pick on fit, not on a sales pitch.
Plain disclosure: First Deploy sells one of these options, the managed, done-for-you AI desk. We've written the others as fairly as we can. No vendors are named, and no prices other than ours are quoted, because they vary by provider and change often. Ask each provider for current terms in writing.
The five options
1. Self-serve AI receptionist
You sign up for a tool, write the script, connect your number and tune it yourself. Fits teams with someone who has the time and the taste to own the setup and keep it current. Watch for how billing works (often per minute or per call), how much setup lands on your team, and who notices when the script drifts out of date.
2. Managed, done-for-you AI desk
A provider writes the plan with you, builds the desk on your number, tests it and keeps tuning it. You approve the work; they run the machinery. Fits teams that want the result in their brand's voice without assigning an owner internally. Watch for whether you get a written plan before anything goes live, whether the monthly is flat or metered, and whether you can reach the person who built it.
3. Live answering service
Trained people answer your calls from a shared center, usually from a script you provide. Fits teams that want a human voice on every call and are comfortable with a shared staff learning their business. Watch for per-minute or per-call billing, how after-hours and weekend coverage is priced, and how closely the agents can match your brand's tone.
4. Hybrid AI plus human
AI takes the first pass and a person steps in for some calls. Fits teams with a mix of routine and sensitive calls. Watch for which calls go to a human and who decides, how the handoff sounds to the caller, and how the two parts are billed.
5. In-house overflow routing
Your phone system rings a sequence of your own people (a ring group or hunt order) before voicemail. Fits teams with enough people free at any moment to catch the overflow. Watch for what happens when everyone is in the same demo, the same offsite or asleep, and the hidden cost of pulling senior people out of meetings to answer the phone.
Side by side
| Option | Who does the setup | Common pricing model | After hours | Brand voice control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-serve AI | Your team | Often per minute or per call; varies | Yes, if you configure it | High, if someone owns the script |
| Managed, done-for-you AI | The provider, with your sign-off | Setup plus a monthly; ask if it's flat or metered | Yes, under rules you approve | High, set in a written plan |
| Live answering | Shared, from your script | Often per minute or per call; varies | Depends on the plan | Medium; shared staff |
| Hybrid AI plus human | Shared | Often a mix; varies | Depends on the plan | Medium to high |
| In-house overflow | Your team and phone system | Your own people's time | Only if someone is on | High, when someone picks up |
Questions to ask any provider
- Do we get a written plan, with escalation rules and off-limits topics, before go-live?
- Is the monthly flat, or is there a per-minute or per-call charge?
- Can we keep our existing number?
- How is it tested before a buyer hears it?
- Where do call details go, and how fast?
- Who tunes it after launch, and can we reach that person directly?
- Does every call start with a recording notice?
Where First Deploy fits
First Deploy is option 2, built so your team's phones still ring first. Calls nobody can take go to a desk that answers in your company's name and voice, and the details reach the right person right away. You get a written plan first and practice-call testing before go-live, and the $100/mo is flat, with no per-minute or per-call charge. See AI receptionist for growing teams for the full picture.
Founding offer
$250 one-time setup for the first 5 businesses, then $100/mo. After those 5, it goes back to the standard $500 setup, then $100/mo.
Claim a founding spotSecure checkout by Stripe. Checkout covers the setup and your first month.
More: the founding offer, AI receptionist for growing teams, missed sales calls, missed call cost calculator, common questions from growing teams.
Questions
What are the main ways a mid-size team can cover its phones?
Five common options: a self-serve AI receptionist, a managed done-for-you AI desk, a live answering service, a hybrid of AI plus human, and in-house overflow routing to your own people.
What's the difference between self-serve and done-for-you AI?
With self-serve, your team writes the script, connects the number and tunes it. With done-for-you, a provider writes the plan with you, builds and tests the desk, and keeps tuning it while you approve the work.
How are these options usually priced?
Pricing models vary by provider and change often: per minute, per call, a setup fee plus a monthly, or your own staff's time. Ask each provider whether the monthly is flat or metered, and get current terms in writing.
Which option fits a team of 30 to 200 people?
It depends on who can own the setup. If nobody on your team has time to write and keep tuning a script, a managed desk or a live service fits better than a self-serve tool. If people are usually free, in-house overflow can cover much of the day, though after hours still needs a plan.
Which option is First Deploy?
First Deploy is a managed, done-for-you AI desk. Founding offer: $250 one-time setup for the first 5 businesses, then $100/mo. After those 5, it goes back to the standard $500 setup, then $100/mo. The $100/mo is flat, with no per-minute or per-call charge.