Title: What Is an AI Answering Service? Definition | Keres AI URL: https://www.keresai.com/glossary/ai-answering-service Updated: 2026-10-12 Description: An AI answering service answers business calls automatically, booking appointments and capturing leads 24/7 instead of just taking messages. Source: https://www.keresai.com/glossary/ai-answering-service (HTML). This is a Markdown copy of the page's main content for AI agents and LLM tools. --- # What is AI Answering Service? An AI answering service is an automated phone-answering solution that handles inbound calls 24/7 without human operators. Unlike a traditional answering service that charges per minute to take messages, an AI answering service books appointments, answers common questions, qualifies leads, and routes urgent calls — usually on a predictable monthly plan. How Keres AI handles it: Remi answers in two rings, 24/7, and books the appointment on the call, on a monthly rate with included minutes, then per minute, with no per-call fees. ## Why do businesses switch from per-minute answering services? Human answering services bill per minute or per call, depending on the vendor, so a busy season raises the bill, and many take a message you still have to act on. An AI answering service flips that: monthly plans with included minutes, answers around the clock, and completed bookings instead of callback slips. ## What can an AI answering service do? Answer every call in two rings, qualify the caller, book and reschedule on your calendar, capture lead details to your CRM, filter spam, and text your on-call team the moment something is an emergency — day or night. See [spam-call screening](https://www.keresai.com/use-cases/spam-call-screening) for how junk calls are filtered without blocking customers. See the product behind this concept ### Want to see AI Answering Service working in practice? See how Keres puts it to work for your vertical and workflow. ### [AI Receptionist](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/ai-receptionist) An AI receptionist is software that answers your business phone automatically, 24/7. The software greets callers in a na… ### [Virtual Receptionist](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/virtual-receptionist) A virtual receptionist is a remote service that answers your business phone for you, staffed by people or run by AI. It … ### [Call Overflow Handling](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/call-overflow) Call overflow handling sends calls your team can’t pick up, because every line is busy or nobody answers within a few ri… ### [Appointment Booking Automation](https://www.keresai.com/glossary/appointment-booking-automation) Appointment booking automation is software that schedules, confirms and reschedules appointments without staff going bac… [← Back to the full glossary](https://www.keresai.com/glossary) ## AI Answering Service — FAQ ### Is an AI answering service cheaper than a human one? Usually yes — AI answering services usually charge a monthly plan rather than billing every minute a human spends, which is far more predictable for high-volume or seasonal businesses. ### Does it work after hours? Yes — it answers 24/7, including nights, weekends, and holidays, with no extra after-hours fees. Last updated October 12, 2026 · [Reviewed by the Keres AI team](https://www.keresai.com/editorial-policy)