Elavo Answer · AI answering service

Every call answered. Keep your number.

Elavo Answer is the AI answering service for local business: it picks up 24/7 in a natural voice, takes proper messages, transfers urgent callers to whoever is on call, and books jobs while the customer is still on the line.

Choose a plan — from $299/month How it works

1,200 minutes included · no per-minute overage · no setup fee · month to month · live the same day

In short

Elavo Answer is an AI answering service for local and home-service businesses. It answers every call 24/7 in a natural voice, takes a proper message (name, callback number, what they need, how urgent), transfers urgent callers to whoever is on call, and books appointments on the call. Plans start at $299/month with 1,200 minutes included and no per-minute overage.

What you get

📞

Every call answered

First ring, 24/7, in a natural voice. After hours, on the job, on the weekend.

📝

Real messages

Name, callback number, what they need, how urgent — texted and emailed to you, in your inbox.

🚨

Urgent calls reach a human

Your urgency words transfer the caller to whoever is on call, with a backup and then you.

🗓️

Books on the call

Checks your live calendar and books, reschedules or cancels while the customer is on the line.

☎️

Keep your number

Forward your existing line with your carrier’s codes. A guided setup verifies it with one test call.

💵

No per-minute overage

Minutes included. Run low and add one 300-minute block for $75. Transferred minutes and spam are never billed.

Three plans. Same features. Pick your minutes.

Need more? Add one 300-minute block for $75 — never a per-minute overage. No free trial: billed at checkout, minutes start today.

Essentials

One crew, after-hours and overflow coverage.

$299 / month

1,200 minutes included every month

Choose Essentials

Growth · Most popular

Growing shop, every call all day and night.

$599 / month

2,600 minutes included every month

Choose Growth

Pro

Multi-truck or multi-location volume.

$999 / month

5,000 minutes included every month

Choose Pro

Billed at checkout — no free trial. Included minutes reset each month; purchased blocks never expire. Transferred minutes, spam and calls under 10 seconds are never billed. Cancel anytime.

Compare

Published pricing and what each option does with an after-hours emergency.

Elavo Answer vs Ruby

Ruby sells live US-based receptionists by the minute, from $250 for 50 minutes a month, with overage billed in arrears.

Elavo Answer vs AnswerConnect

AnswerConnect sells 24/7 live agents from about $350 for 200 minutes plus a setup fee, with overage around $1.85 to $2.50 a minute.

Elavo Answer vs PATLive

PATLive's published plans run from $75 plus $2.60 a minute, or $250 for 75 minutes, up to $1,170 for 600 minutes, with overage around $2 a minute.

Elavo Answer vs Smith.ai

Smith.ai bills live receptionists per call: about $292.50 for 30 calls, $532.50 for 60, $975 for 120, with extra calls around $7.50 to $10.50 each.

Elavo Answer vs Voicemail

Voicemail is free and most callers hang up on it: industry surveys consistently find a large majority of people who reach voicemail do not leave a message and call the next business instead.

Elavo Answer vs Hiring a receptionist

A full-time receptionist costs roughly $3,000 to $4,000 a month in wages alone before taxes and benefits (approximate, based on US median receptionist pay), covers about 40 hours a week, and is off nights, weekends and holidays.

Built for your trade

The urgency phrases, bookings and on-call rules that fit how your calls actually go.

Elavo Answer for HVAC contractors

Calls from homeowners with no heat or no AC, often at night or on the first hot weekend.

Elavo Answer for plumbers

Calls from homeowners with a leak, a backed-up drain or no hot water.

Elavo Answer for electricians

Calls from homeowners and property managers with outages, tripping breakers or a panel upgrade to quote.

Elavo Answer for roofers

Calls from homeowners after a storm, insurance adjusters, and people comparing quotes.

Elavo Answer for garage door companies

Calls from homeowners stuck with a door that will not open or close.

Elavo Answer for cleaning companies

Calls from homeowners wanting a quote, recurring customers rescheduling, and move-out cleans on a deadline.

Elavo Answer for landscapers

Calls from homeowners wanting estimates, seasonal clean-ups and recurring mowing.

Elavo Answer for pest control companies

Calls from homeowners with an active infestation who want someone today.

Elavo Answer for locksmiths

Calls from people locked out, right now, often late at night.

All industries →

Guides

How much does an answering service cost in 2026?

Published pricing for live answering services (Ruby, AnswerConnect, PATLive, Smith.ai) and AI answering services, what drives the price, and how to compare per-minute, per-call and flat plans..

AI answering service vs voicemail: what a missed call costs

Why most callers hang up on voicemail, what that costs a service business, and what changes when an AI answers instead..

Answering service vs virtual receptionist vs AI receptionist

The differences between a traditional answering service, a virtual receptionist and an AI receptionist, with what each costs and does..

All guides →

Common questions

Is there a free trial for Elavo Answer?

No. Plans are billed from day one because your line and minutes are live the moment you check out. Month to month, cancel anytime.

What happens when I run out of minutes?

You get a low-balance alert first. Add a 300-minute block for $75 with one click, or turn on auto-recharge with a monthly cap. With auto-recharge off and a zero balance, calls are not answered until you recharge — you are never billed per minute in arrears.

Do I need a new phone number?

You keep your existing business number. Elavo Answer gives you a local number in your area code and you forward your line to it with your carrier's standard forwarding code — always, only when busy or unanswered, or only after hours. A guided setup verifies it with one test call.

How does it handle emergencies?

You define what counts as urgent in plain words ("no heat", "water everywhere", "locked out"). A caller who matches is transferred to the person on call for that time window; if they do not answer, the backup is paged, then the owner. Everyone else gets a message taken and a promised callback.

Which minutes count?

Only minutes the AI is on the call, metered in 6-second increments. Calls under 10 seconds (misdials, robocall hang-ups) are free, screened spam is free, and once a call is transferred to a person the clock stops.

Can it book appointments or just take messages?

Both. It checks your live availability, respects hours, buffers and travel time, and books, reschedules or cancels on the call. When a job needs a human decision it takes a structured message instead and notifies you immediately.