Phone answering service Australia: AI vs live answering, from $79+GST a month
A phone answering service picks up your business calls when you can't. You can pay people to answer (a live answering service) or use an AI receptionist. Live services charge per call. Vereo's AI answers every call, 24/7, books the job and sends you a summary, from $79+GST a month.
Last reviewed: . Vereo sells an AI answering service. Where this page quotes another provider's prices, it links to them.
What does a phone answering service do?
A phone answering service answers calls in your business name when you are busy, closed or already on the phone. It takes a message or books the appointment, passes urgent calls to you, and tells you about every call. Tradies, clinics, agents and small offices use one so callers reach someone instead of voicemail.
Most services, live or AI, cover these jobs:
- Greet callers with your business name and a script you approve
- Take a message with the caller's name, number and reason for calling
- Answer common questions about services, hours and service areas
- Book, move or cancel appointments, if the service connects to your calendar
- Transfer urgent calls to you or a team member
- Cover lunch breaks, overflow when you're on another call, and after hours
People also call this outsourced reception or a virtual receptionist. The difference that matters is who picks up, and how you're charged for it.
What is the difference between an AI and a live answering service?
A live answering service puts a human operator on your calls and charges per call or per minute. An AI answering service uses a voice agent that answers instantly, takes several calls at once and books into your calendar, for a monthly fee plus extra minutes. Humans handle judgement calls better; AI is cheaper and never puts callers on hold.
| AI answering service (Vereo) | Live answering service | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | An AI voice agent trained on your business | A human operator working from a script you approve |
| How you pay | $79+GST/mo including 100 inbound minutes, then $0.35+GST/min | A monthly fee plus a charge per call or per minute, often with a bundle of calls included |
| Hours | 24/7/365 on every plan | Varies by provider and plan. Check that nights, weekends and public holidays are covered |
| Busy periods | Up to 20 calls at once | Depends on how many operators are on shift when your calls arrive |
| Bookings | Checks availability and books into your calendar or booking system during the call | Often takes a message or a booking request; some plans include diary management |
| After the call | Transcript, plain-English summary and outcome by email, SMS, Teams or Slack | A message by email or SMS |
| Accents and languages | Natural voices that understand Australian suburbs and trade jargon, plus 30-plus languages on the Custom plan | Depends on the operator. Ask where the team is based |
| Complex or sensitive calls | Warm-transfers to your team with a summary | A person can use judgement on the spot |
The live column describes how human answering services commonly work. Plans differ, so check the provider's terms.
How much does a phone answering service cost in Australia?
Live answering services in Australia charge a monthly fee plus a fee per call or per minute. Virtual HQ, for example, listed message-taking from $25+GST a month plus $2.50 a call on 28 October 2026. Vereo costs $79+GST/mo including 100 inbound minutes, so the gap grows with every extra call.
| Calls a month | Vereo AI | Virtual HQ message plans | Virtual HQ receptionist plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 calls a month | $79 ($3.95 a call) | $70 ($3.50 a call) | $80 ($4 a call) |
| 50 calls a month | $96.50 ($1.93 a call) | $115 ($2.30 a call) | $185 ($3.70 a call) |
| 100 calls a month | $149 ($1.49 a call) | $237.50 ($2.38 a call) | $384.50 ($3.85 a call) |
Vereo: $79+GST/mo including 100 inbound minutes, then $0.35+GST/min, assuming a 3-minute average call (the same assumption as our missed-call calculator). Excludes the $295+GST one-off setup fee, outbound calls and your provider's forwarding charges. Virtual HQ: the cheapest plan on its pricing page for each volume, read 28 October 2026. Virtual HQ charges per call whatever the length; Vereo charges by the minute, so long calls cost more.
Two things move the comparison. Short calls favour per-minute pricing, and very low volumes (a few calls a month) can make a per-call live plan the cheaper option. Pull last month's call log and price both.
When is a human answering service the better choice?
A human answering service is the better choice when most of your calls need judgement, empathy or a person's discretion, or when you get only a few calls a month. Legal intake with distressed callers, complaints and complex quoting are examples. Many businesses use AI for routine calls and send the rest to people.
- Distressed or vulnerable callers. Crisis, family law or grief calls need a person straight away. If these are a large share of your calls, pay for people.
- Very low call volume. If you get five calls a month, a pay-per-call live plan may cost less than any monthly AI plan.
- Calls that are mostly negotiation. Price haggling, complaints and disputes go better with a person who can use discretion.
- Callers who refuse to talk to AI. Some customer groups will hang up. Your call history will show whether that's your customers.
For everything else (bookings, enquiries, after-hours cover, overflow) an AI service answers faster and costs less. Vereo can transfer any call that needs a person, so you can mix the two. For a cost comparison with hiring staff, see AI receptionist vs human receptionist.
What is the most affordable answering service for a small business?
For a small business taking more than about 20 calls a month, an AI answering service is usually the most affordable option that still books jobs. Vereo costs $79+GST/mo with 100 inbound minutes, about 33 three-minute calls, and a $295+GST one-off setup fee for most setups. There's no lock-in contract.
"Cheap" can cost you if callers don't get what they rang for. Check these before you sign up:
- What a typical month costs at your call volume, including per-call or per-minute charges
- Whether it books into your calendar or only takes messages for you to call back
- Whether nights, weekends and public holidays are included or cost extra
- Setup fees, minimum terms and notice periods
- What your phone provider charges to forward calls
Not sure how many calls you miss? The missed-call calculator estimates it from your daily call volume and works out what Vereo would cost for that load.
How does call forwarding work with an answering service?
You keep your business number and tell your phone provider to forward calls to the answering service. You can forward every call, or only calls you don't answer, calls that arrive while you're on the phone, and calls when you're out of range. Mobiles use short dial codes; business lines and VoIP use a portal or app.
Most small businesses start with conditional forwarding: the phone rings for you first, and the answering service picks up what you miss. Our call forwarding guide has the codes for Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and TPG, plus notes on landlines and VoIP.
A forwarded call can be charged by your phone provider as a second call. Vereo checks your plan with you before go-live. Our phone partner can also set up your business phones and Vereo together, which may reduce forwarding charges; that's quoted separately.
Where does Vereo store call data?
All Vereo data storage and processing happens in Australia. That includes call recordings, transcripts and summaries. Data is encrypted at rest and in transit, and Vereo plays a recording notice at the start of each call. The security page has the detail.
No per-seat fees. No surprises.
Just answered calls.
Starter
100 inbound minutes included. Everything a growing business needs.
- 100 inbound minutes per month
- 24/7/365 answering, 20 calls at once
- Natural voice, sub-second response
- Calendar booking and warm transfer
- CRM integration and call summaries
- Email, SMS and Teams/Slack alerts
- Knowledge base trained on your business
- Monthly reporting dashboard
- Call recording with consent management
Opens a short form. We respond within one business day.
$295+GST one-off fee for most setups · extra minutes $0.35+GST/min
Custom
High volume, complex call flows or bespoke integrations.
- Everything in Starter
- Volume minute discounts
- PMS, EHR and booking-system integrations
- Multi-number and multi-agent
- Outbound campaign management
- Multilingual agents (30-plus languages)
- Dedicated account manager and SLA
Tailored to your call volume
More complicated integrations are quoted separately during initial scoping. All prices exclude GST. Outbound calls are charged separately at $0.15+GST/min plus carrier termination and are not deducted from your 100 included minutes. Your phone provider may charge for forwarded calls. An integrated phone system may reduce this, see the FAQ.
Choose how your calls connect
Use your existing phone service
Keep your number and forward calls from your current provider to Vereo, for example when you're busy or after hours. Your provider may charge for forwarded calls, and transfers back to your team are charged as outbound calls.
Integrate your business phones
We set up your phone system and Vereo together through our partner Dynamite IT. Integration could reduce forwarding and transfer charges, and is quoted separately.
A quick note about call forwarding costs
- Forwarding a call to Vereo can create a separate chargeable call through your existing provider.
- Some phone plans include forwarding and others charge for it.
- Transfers to your team are charged at $0.15+GST/min plus carrier termination.
- We check your phone setup with you during scoping.
Want to see how forwarding works first? Our call forwarding guide lists the codes for Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and TPG.
Frequently asked questions
What is a phone answering service?
A phone answering service answers your business calls when you can't, in your business name. A live service uses human operators; an AI service uses a voice agent. Both take messages and pass on urgent calls, and many can book appointments.
How much does a phone answering service cost in Australia?
Live services charge a monthly fee plus a fee per call or minute. On 28 October 2026, Virtual HQ listed message-taking from $25+GST a month plus $2.50 a call. Vereo's AI service is $79+GST/mo with 100 inbound minutes included and $0.35+GST/min after that.
Is an AI answering service cheaper than a live answering service?
Usually, once you take more than about 20 calls a month, because live services charge for every call. A live service can cost less for a handful of short calls, or for long calls, since AI services usually bill by the minute. Price both against your own call log.
Can I keep my existing business number?
Yes. You keep your number and set call forwarding with your phone provider, either for every call or only when you're busy, don't answer or are out of range. Our call forwarding guide has the codes for Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and TPG mobiles.
Will my phone provider charge me for forwarding calls?
It can. A forwarded call is a second call on your phone plan, so your provider may charge for each call it diverts to the answering service. Some plans include forwarding and others charge for it. We check your plan with you before go-live.
Where is my call data stored?
All Vereo data storage and processing happens in Australia, including call recordings, transcripts and summaries. If you are comparing services, ask each provider where recordings are kept, who can access them and how long they are retained.
Can the AI hand a call to a real person?
Yes. You set the rules for which calls should reach your team. Vereo warm-transfers those calls with a short summary so the person picking up knows who is calling and why. If nobody answers, it takes a message.
Sources
Third-party prices were read from the provider's public website on 28 October 2026 and may have changed since. Confirm current terms with the provider.