How much does an AI answering service cost for an HVAC or plumbing company?
Most AI answering services charge a flat monthly fee with included minutes, a price per minute, or a price per call. TradeSixty is flat monthly: from US$349 a month with 800 minutes, which covers roughly 200 to 400 lead calls, and US$199 a month for the first 10 Texas contractors. There are no per-lead fees.
Updated · TradeSixty, a product of Black Layers Corp.
The four ways answering services charge
| Pricing model | How it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat monthly with minutes | One monthly price includes a block of call minutes | The overage rate after the included minutes |
| Per minute | You pay for every minute on the phone | Long calls and busy months raise the bill |
| Per call | A fixed price for each call handled | Short wrong-number calls cost the same as real leads |
| Per lead or per booking | You pay when a lead is qualified or booked | The price per lead rises with your busy season |
Ask every provider for the full monthly price at your real call volume, including overage, setup fees and phone numbers. That is the number to compare.
TradeSixty pricing
| Plan | Price per month | Included minutes | Calls at the same time | Phone numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founding offer, first 10 Texas contractors | US$199, locked for life | 800 | 2 | 1 |
| Starter | from US$349 | 800 | 2 | 1 |
| Growth | from US$799 | 2,200 | 5 | 3 |
| Scale | from US$1,999 | 6,000 | 15 | 10 |
Prices are in US dollars. Minutes above the plan are billed per started minute at the plan's rate. Every plan starts with a 14-day trial, no card up front.
How to work out your cost per lead call
- Count your web leads per month. Forms, Google Local Services and Facebook lead forms together.
- Multiply by the call length. A typical lead call with Alex is 2 to 4 minutes.
- Pick the plan that covers it. For example, 150 leads at 3 minutes is 450 minutes, which fits inside Starter's 800.
- Divide the monthly price by your leads. US$349 over 150 leads is about US$2.33 per lead call. On the founding offer it is about US$1.33.
What should be included at any price
- A callback within a minute for every web lead, at any hour.
- Booking into real open windows on your calendar, not just taking messages.
- A recording and transcript of every call.
- Consent and AI disclosure built in, so you stay within the TCPA.
- A text to you with the name, address, problem and booked time.
Straight answers.
How much does TradeSixty cost?
Does TradeSixty charge per lead?
What happens if I go over my minutes?
Is there a setup fee?
Hear Alex call a lead in 60 seconds.
Read more: How fast should an HVAC or plumbing company call back a lead? · AI answering service vs. live answering service for HVAC and plumbing companies · Dallas–Fort Worth · Houston