The problem
The starting point is the same for every trade business. Your phone is the whole sales channel, it rings while both hands are busy, and the caller who gets no answer dials the next name on the list. So you go looking for cover.
Per-call billing is where that goes wrong:
- Every enquiry becomes a charge. A good month costs more than a quiet one, and overage rates mean you can't predict the bill.
- You're paying for your front door by the minute. While running a business on quoted day rates.
- The fit problem is hidden behind the pricing. Services built for US small businesses staff and script for US small businesses. Their agents handle intake for law firms and clinics, not call-outs, quotes, and site visits.
They don't know what a consumer unit is, why no heating in January is urgent, or what a caller means when they say the handle went on a uPVC door. A UK trade business needs the opposite: a predictable bill in pounds, a voice that sounds local, and questions that match the work.
What Smith.ai does well
Smith.ai runs a capable hybrid model. AI handles parts of the call, and human agents step in where a person adds value. For businesses that want a real person available on the line, that blend is well executed.
It offers appointment booking, CRM sync, and call recording as add-ons, and covers both phone and live chat. Its agents are trained and its platform is mature. For a US business that wants human-backed answering with software polish, Smith.ai is a strong choice.
Where it falls short for trade businesses
Smith.ai bills per call, and the numbers climb fast. Its published plans run at $300 per month for 30 calls, $810 for 90 calls, and $2,100 for 300 calls, with overage at $11.50, $10.50, and $8.50 per call respectively. There are no setup fees, which is to its credit. But appointment booking is a $1.50 per-call add-on, extra CRM integrations cost $0.50 per call, and call recording adds $0.25 per call. The things a trade business actually needs are all metered.
For a UK trade business, this model has two problems. Per-call billing plus overages makes your monthly cost hard to predict, and a busy month brings a bigger bill. Smith.ai is also US-centric. Pricing is in dollars, and its agents and scripts are tuned to US small businesses, not UK plumbers, sparkies, or builders. They do not know your trade terms or your local call patterns.
You are on-site with your hands full. You need calls answered and jobs qualified, at a price you can predict, by something that sounds like it is from round your way.
How Telphi compares
| Smith.ai | Telphi | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | AI plus US human agents | AI receptionist with a natural voice |
| Availability | 24/7 | Answers your calls 24/7 |
| Business understanding | US small-business script | Configured for local businesses and their services |
| Lead qualification | Included free, against a script you write | Asks trade-specific qualifying questions, filters time-wasters |
| Booking | Add-on, priced per call | Texts the caller a booking link; they book directly into your calendar |
| Pricing model | Per-call plans plus overages and add-ons | Flat monthly subscription – see current pricing in the app |
| Setup time | Onboarding period | Set up in minutes |
| Contract | Plan commitment | No contract, 7-day free trial |
Who should choose which
Choose Smith.ai if you are a US business that wants human agents on the line, you use its CRM and chat features, and per-call pricing with add-ons fits how you work. For US firms that need a human-backed layer, Smith.ai delivers it.
Choose Telphi if you are a UK sole trader or small team. You want a predictable flat bill instead of per-call charges, and a receptionist that understands UK trades and speaks with a natural voice. One captured job worth £100 to £500 covers months of Telphi, with no overages or add-on fees.
Frequently asked questions
Telphi runs on a flat monthly subscription in pounds. No per-call fees, no overages, no add-on charges. Smith.ai's published plans start at $300 per month for 30 calls, with overage from $8.50 to $11.50 per call and per-call add-ons for booking, CRM sync, and call recording. For a trade business, Telphi's flat model is far more predictable and usually much cheaper.
No. Telphi is a fully AI receptionist with a natural voice. Smith.ai blends AI with US human agents. Telphi trades the human layer for a predictable flat price, a natural voice, and call handling configured for local businesses rather than US small businesses.
For UK trades, yes. Telphi is built for local businesses, with a natural voice, UK trade terminology, and pricing in pounds. Smith.ai is US-centric, priced in dollars, with agents tuned to US small businesses. Telphi understands call-outs, quotes, and on-site work the way a UK trade caller expects.
Telphi texts the caller a booking link and they book directly into your calendar, with the job details captured first. With Smith.ai, booking is a per-call add-on. Telphi includes it in the flat subscription.
Minutes, from the App Store app. No onboarding period. You describe your business and how you want calls handled, and it starts answering. There is a 7-day free trial so you can test it before you pay.
Try Telphi free for 7 days
Download Telphi from the App Store and start a 7-day free trial. Set it up in minutes. It answers your calls 24/7, qualifies jobs, and sends you the details while you work. One captured job pays for months of service.
