Guide
AI phone answering service: how it compares
Short answer
An AI phone answering service picks up the calls you miss, talks with the caller in ordinary speech and sends you what they wanted. Compared with an IVR menu or voicemail, the caller gets answers instead of a menu or a beep; compared with staff or a human answering service, it doesn't get busy at rush hour, but it can't use judgement or make decisions for you. For a small business, a practical setup is often a mix: your phone rings first, the AI answers what you miss, and urgent callers are put through to a person.
Five ways to handle the calls you can't take
An IVR menu
A recorded menu: press 1 for this, 2 for that. It routes calls and plays fixed information, but it can only say what was recorded, and the caller has to fit their question into the menu.
Voicemail
The caller leaves a message, if they choose to. You get audio to listen to later, and you call back to find out the details.
Forwarding to staff
Mobile networks can forward a call to another number when your line is busy, when nobody answers or when your phone is off or out of coverage; Vi's help page lists the codes for each. A colleague who knows the business gives the best answer, when they are free. At rush hour they are usually busy with the same customers you are.
A human answering service
People at an outside company answer in your business's name. They bring judgement and a human voice. Check their hours, the languages they speak, how they learn about your business and how they charge.
An AI phone answering service
A computer voice assistant answers in ordinary speech, gives the information you've approved and notes what the caller wants. It can answer at any hour, but it follows the rules you give it and can make mistakes, so you should get a summary and a transcript of every call.
Side by side
The Ask Myna column describes our AI answering service. The other columns describe forwarding to your staff, an IVR menu, voicemail and a human answering service in general, because the details depend on how each is set up.
| Question | Ask Myna (AI) | IVR menu | Voicemail | Your staff | Answering service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who talks to the caller | Myna, a computer voice assistant who says so | Recordings | Nobody; the caller records a message | Your colleague | A person at the service |
| After hours | Answers 24/7 and takes the caller's details for a callback | Plays the menu | Takes messages | Only if someone picks up | Depends on the service's hours |
| Caller's language | Gujarati, Hindi, English and Marathi, any three per number | The languages recorded | Any; you listen later | Your colleague's languages | Depends on the service |
| Answers questions | The ones you have approved | Fixed recordings only | No | Yes | From the information you give them |
| What you receive | A WhatsApp summary within a minute of the call ending, and the transcript | Depends on the setup | An audio message | Whatever your colleague passes on | Depends on the service |
| Makes decisions or takes payment | No; you confirm | No | No | Yes | Depends on what you allow |
Scroll sideways to see every column.
When each one makes sense
- IVR suits a business with several departments, where most calls only need routing.
- Voicemail is enough when calls are rare and callers are happy to wait for a callback.
- Forwarding to staff works when someone is reliably free to answer.
- A human answering service suits calls that need judgement or long conversations, if it covers your languages and hours.
- AI answering suits frequent, similar questions and requests that arrive when everyone is busy or the business is closed, often in more than one language, where a quick written lead matters.
What AI answering does well, and where it falls short
What it does well
- Picks up at any hour, without a day off.
- Answers from the same approved information every time.
- Answers in the caller's language.
- Writes down every request, so you get a lead rather than a missed-call notification.
Where it falls short
- It can mishear or misunderstand, so read the summaries and check the transcripts when something looks wrong.
- It doesn't use judgement. Prices, discounts and bookings need a person, and Myna leaves them to you.
- It only knows what you've told it. When Myna doesn't know, she says so and sends you the question.
- Some callers want a person. They can ask at any time, and during your hours Myna puts them through to your staff mobile.
- Every answered call uses minutes, spam included. You see every call in your console.
How Ask Myna combines them
Ask Myna is built to work alongside you and your staff:
- Your phone rings first. Calls reach Myna only when your line is busy, nobody answers or your phone is off.
- Myna answers in the caller's language, gives the information you've approved and notes the request.
- During your hours, a caller who needs a person is put through to your staff mobile. Myna saves their details first.
- You get the summary on WhatsApp within a minute of the call ending, and confirm orders and bookings yourself.
- Cancel call forwarding (
##002#on Vi or Airtel,*413on Jio) and every call comes straight back to your phone.
How Ask Myna works covers setup and languages, and the pricing page has the plans. For examples by trade, see the pages for restaurants, clinics, garages and real estate, or read our guide to AI receptionists in India.
Questions to ask any answering service
- Who answers, and in which languages?
- Are callers told who they are speaking to?
- What do you receive after each call, and how quickly?
- What can they promise on your behalf, and what can't they?
- Where are recordings kept, and for how long?
- How are calls or minutes counted, and what happens when you go over?
- Can you stop at any time and take your calls back?
Questions about AI phone answering
Is an AI phone answering service the same as IVR?
No. An IVR plays recorded menus and asks callers to press keys. An AI answering service lets the caller speak normally, answers their questions from the information you've approved and writes down what they want.
Can an AI answering service put a caller through to a person?
Ask Myna can. During your hours, Myna tells the caller she is connecting them and puts the call through to the staff mobile you choose, while the caller is still on the line. She saves the caller's name, number and request first, so the lead is on your WhatsApp even if the transfer doesn't connect. After hours she takes the request and sends it to you instead.
Will it replace my staff?
It isn't meant to. Myna answers the calls nobody can take, notes requests and passes anything that needs a decision to you or your staff. Orders, bookings and prices are confirmed by people.
What does AI phone answering cost?
It depends on the provider. Ask Myna costs ₹2,999 a month for 100 answered minutes or ₹9,999 a month for 500, excluding GST, month to month with no contract. Every answered call counts, rounded up to the next minute.
Can I keep my existing number?
Yes. Your phone company forwards calls to Myna when your line is busy, unanswered or your phone is off, so your customers keep calling the same number. Cancel call forwarding at any time (##002# on Vi or Airtel, *413 on Jio) and every call comes straight back to your phone.
Sources
- How to Use Call Forwarding Code to Activate and Deactivate Call Forwarding, Vi. Forwarding when busy, unanswered or unreachable, and
##002#to cancel all forwarding. Checked 5 November 2026. - How can I deactivate call forwarding?, Jio.
*413to switch off all forwarding, and the MyJio app setting. Checked 5 November 2026. - Important Info For International Roaming, Airtel. Tells Airtel mobile users to dial
##002#to switch off call diverts. Checked 5 November 2026.