Comparing AI phone assistants
Almost every provider promises the same thing: available around the clock, sounds human, set up in minutes. This guide shows where the real differences are, so you can choose on what the system actually does.
What is an AI phone assistant?
An AI phone assistant is software that answers your business phone on its own, understands what the caller wants and deals with it: giving an answer, booking an appointment or transferring to the right colleague. Unlike a menu the caller presses no keys, and unlike voicemail they get an answer straight away.
The distinction that matters most when comparing is whether the assistant holds the conversation or summarises it. One that summarises only works after you picked up: you get a transcript and an overview. One that handles the call answers it itself, so the call never has to interrupt you.
Both are sold under the same name. The difference decides whether you solve missed calls or merely lighten your admin, so it is the first question to ask.
Four kinds of provider
The market comes in four shapes. They appear to sell the same thing but solve different problems, and they differ sharply in price and flexibility.
Your telecom provider
AI features bundled into your mobile or landline plan. Usually call summaries, voicemail to text and smarter routing.
Good when you get few calls and answer nearly all of them yourself.
Watch out: the AI is tied to your contract and does not move with you if you switch.
Voice AI specialists
Companies focused entirely on telephony. The assistant picks up, holds the conversation and can book appointments or transfer.
Good when phone is your main channel and you structurally miss calls.
Watch out: telephony is often the only channel, so chat and WhatsApp need separate tools.
Customer contact platforms
Platforms serving telephony, chat, email, WhatsApp and social media from one knowledge base, with the same answers everywhere.
Good when customers reach you across several channels and you want one consistent answer.
Watch out: you pay for channels you may not use yet.
Agencies and custom builds
An agency builds a bespoke assistant, often on top of an existing model, and runs it for you.
Good for unusual processes or integrations no standard product covers.
Watch out: highest cost, and you depend on the agency for every change.
Eight criteria that actually matter
Voice quality and language counts appear in every brochure. These eight decide whether it is useful in practice.
Does it pick up itself?
Only an assistant that answers on its own when nobody is available solves missed calls. Ask this explicitly.
Where do answers come from?
Your own website, prices and terms, or a general model? The first gives correct answers, the second guesses.
What happens after hours?
That is usually where the biggest gain sits, because right now nobody picks up at all.
Can it finish something?
Booking in your calendar, writing a lead to your CRM, sending a quote. That is the difference between a note and a resolved call.
How does handover work?
Does your colleague receive the context, or does the customer have to start over? Customers notice immediately.
Does it cover your other channels?
If customers also email, chat or use WhatsApp, you do not want separate systems giving different answers to the same question.
How good is the language?
Ask for a demo in the language your customers actually speak, and test regional accents if that is your market.
What are you locked into?
Does the AI run through your telecom contract or stand alone? That decides whether it moves with you when you switch.
Seven questions to ask before you sign
Take this list into every sales conversation. The answers separate providers quickly.
- 1
Does the assistant pick up on its own when nobody is available, or only after I answer?
- 2
Which source does it use for answers, and how quickly is new information from my website picked up?
- 3
What does it do when it does not know? Does it say so honestly or invent something?
- 4
Can it put an appointment in my calendar and a lead in my CRM, or only take a note?
- 5
How does handover to a colleague work, and does the conversation context travel with it?
- 6
What does an average month cost at my call volume, including phone numbers and any extra channels?
- 7
Can I make changes myself, or does every adjustment have to go through the supplier?
How the pricing models differ
Providers charge in three ways. Which one favours you depends entirely on your call volume and how long your calls run.
Per minute
You pay for the talk time the assistant uses. Predictable for short calls, expensive once conversations run long.
Suits low volumes with short, clear questions.
Per licence or bundle
A fixed monthly fee with an included allowance of calls or messages. You know the number in advance.
Suits predictable volumes and anyone who dislikes invoice surprises.
Per conversation or resolution
You pay per handled conversation regardless of length. Rewards assistants that solve a question in one go.
Suits longer calls where something actually gets completed.
Where Heyloha sits in this
We build Heyloha, so read this part with appropriate suspicion. Below we mostly try to be honest about when we are not the right choice.
Heyloha is in the third category: a customer contact platform. The assistant picks up itself, answers from your own website and documents, and serves telephony, chat, email, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Instagram from the same knowledge base. Set up once, same answer everywhere.
- Picks up on its own, including after hours and during busy spells.
- Books appointments in your calendar and passes leads to your CRM.
- Transfers warmly to a colleague, with the conversation context attached.
- One platform for telephony, chat, email, WhatsApp and social media.
When we are not the right choice: if you get few calls and answer nearly all of them yourself, an AI feature bundled with your telecom plan solves your problem more cheaply. And if your conversations are so specific that every one needs a person, a good transcript serves you better than an assistant trying to answer.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an AI phone assistant and a phone menu?
With a menu the caller presses keys and follows a fixed path. An AI phone assistant understands ordinary speech, grasps the question and deals with it. The caller has nothing to remember or press and gets an answer instead of a queue.
Does a caller know they are talking to AI?
Yes, and since 2 August 2026 it is required. The EU AI Act obliges an AI system to make clear, at the latest at first contact, that the user is interacting with artificial intelligence. Ask each provider how that disclosure sounds and when it happens.
What does an AI phone assistant cost?
Providers charge per minute, per licence or per handled conversation. Which model is favourable depends on your volume and call length. Always model an average month at your own call numbers, including phone numbers and extra channels.
Can an AI phone assistant transfer to a person?
With most providers yes, but quality varies. Ask whether the conversation context travels to your colleague, and whether that still holds if the conversation continues on another channel such as email. Without context the customer repeats themselves.
How good is the assistant's spoken language?
Good enough with most serious providers, but test it yourself. Ask for a demo in the language your customers speak rather than in English, and have someone with a regional accent call if that reflects your customers. That separates providers faster than a spec sheet.
How quickly can an AI phone assistant go live?
Anywhere from half a day to several weeks. Platforms that use your own website as the knowledge base are usually fastest, because no call scripts need writing. Agencies building bespoke solutions take longest.
Hear it for yourself
Call our demo line on +31 970 102 757 79 and ask the assistant a question, or put your own number on it for fourteen days.