Try Penny’s trade intake before switching from AnswerConnect.
Published by Penny · Updated · Sources and corrections
A no-heat caller needs the right questions and a visit on the calendar. Penny handles that intake with your trade’s rules. Use 14 days of Pro to try your calls, then compare her phone plans with AnswerConnect’s live service.
14 days of Pro included. No credit card.
See what each service includes.
AnswerConnect uses live receptionists; Penny handles the conversation with AI. Both offer scheduling, and both have included minutes with charges beyond them. Compare the plan you would buy at the call volume you expect.
| AnswerConnect | Penny | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Live receptionists | AI receptionist with a trade reference and your business rules |
| Billing | Subscription with a minute allowance and extra-minute charges | Subscription with a minute allowance and extra-minute charges |
| Entry plan | $350/mo · 200 min (+$49.99 setup) (as of 2026-09-07) | $29/mo billed annually or $35 monthly; 100 minutes |
| Next plan | $395/mo · 300 min; no setup fee (as of 2026-09-07) | $99/mo billed annually or $119 monthly; 375 minutes |
| Overage | $2.50/min Entry; $1.85 Growth/Standard | $0.24–$0.29/minute depending on plan |
| Setup | Fee on Entry and Standard; Growth lists no fee | No setup fee; 14-day Pro trial without a card |
| Appointments | Appointment scheduling offered | Google Calendar or Outlook booking from Starter |
| Bilingual answering | English and Spanish service available | English and Spanish on every phone plan |
| After-hours coverage | 24/7 included | 24/7 on every phone plan; on-call rotation on Pro+ |
AnswerConnect pricing per the AnswerConnect services and plans, as of 2026-09-07; providers change pricing without notice. Penny’s rates come from our published plans. See the full cross-provider breakdown in the answering service cost guide.
Use the trial to check your actual calls.
A lower subscription is useful if the service does the work you need. Test the routine request, the unusual one, and the handoff your team depends on.
Start with talk time, then add $0.24–$0.29/minute beyond your Penny allowance. A busy month can increase the invoice. Compare the same volume with AnswerConnect’s rounding and extra-minute rules.
The Pro trial gives you 14 days to connect your calendar, set the intake fields, and test forwarding. No card is required. After the trial, the free plan covers website chat; phone answering needs a paid plan.
For an HVAC business, tell Penny the furnace starts and stops without warming the house. Check that she records the caller’s observations and follows your appointment rules without claiming a diagnosis or promising a repair price.
Ask for a visit you permit callers to book. Penny checks your connected Google Calendar or Outlook, confirms an available time, and emails you the booking. Jobs that need your assessment first remain requests for your team.
On Pro, set your on-call rotation and try a warm transfer. Let one transfer go unanswered and inspect the fallback. Your business still needs a person available to receive urgent calls.
Check the email summary and required fields. If you connect field-service software on Pro, verify the resulting request or intake record; then check what your team needs to approve or dispatch. Zapier and webhooks can send events to other tools.
Use reviews to choose what to test.
Look for comments about the tasks and volume your business has: appointment accuracy, handoffs, and the final bill. A star rating cannot show whether your own booking rules are set up correctly.
This page compares published plans and Penny’s documented capabilities. It is not a hands-on review of AnswerConnect. Test the same scenarios with both services before changing your forwarding.
AnswerConnect is a better fit when you want a live receptionist to answer each call.
Call Penny and try it
The live demo uses Summit Heating, a fictional HVAC business. Listen to her intake here; test your own trade’s rules in your Penny account. The industry transcripts are scripted examples.
(630) 297-4128- Ask the shared HVAC demo for a next-day appointment.
- Describe a furnace that starts but does not heat the house and listen to the intake.
- Use your own trial account to test your business’s urgent-call and transfer rules.
Free website chat. Phone answering from $29 a month.
Every paid plan comes with trade knowledge, your intake questions, and calendar booking. Bigger plans add minutes, on-call dispatch, integrations, texting, and reporting.
Billed annually, ~17% less than month to month.
100 phone minutes a month · $348 billed annually
- Everything in Free
- Live talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.100 phone minutes a monthLive talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.29/min after thatThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- The chat widget on your site with no conversation cap and no “answered by Penny” mark.Unlimited website chat without the Penny markThe chat widget on your site with no conversation cap and no “answered by Penny” mark.
- Penny checks open slots and your booking rules before adding an appointment to Google Calendar or Outlook during a call or chat.Calendar booking in Google or Outlook, on phone and chatPenny checks open slots and your booking rules before adding an appointment to Google Calendar or Outlook during a call or chat.
- Edit your trade’s emergency rules in plain English. Penny attempts a transfer to the number you choose and follows your fallback if nobody answers.Your trade’s emergency rules and a transfer numberEdit your trade’s emergency rules in plain English. Penny attempts a transfer to the number you choose and follows your fallback if nobody answers.
- Review call details and available transcripts, then send supported call, lead, and appointment data through Zapier or signed webhooks.Call log with transcripts; Zapier and webhooksReview call details and available transcripts, then send supported call, lead, and appointment data through Zapier or signed webhooks.
375 phone minutes a month · $1,188 billed annually
- Everything in Starter
- Live talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.375 phone minutes a monthLive talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.27/min after thatThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- Set who is on call by day and hour. Penny attempts the transfer and tells the receiving person who is calling after they answer. Your fallback rules apply if nobody picks up.On-call schedule and dispatch; warm transferSet who is on call by day and hour. Penny attempts the transfer and tells the receiving person who is calling after they answer. Your fallback rules apply if nobody picks up.
- Send intake records to Jobber, Housecall Pro, or ServiceTitan for your office to review and schedule. HubSpot and Salesforce connect through Zapier or signed webhooks.Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, HubSpot, SalesforceSend intake records to Jobber, Housecall Pro, or ServiceTitan for your office to review and schedule. HubSpot and Salesforce connect through Zapier or signed webhooks.
- Callers get a text confirming the booking, a missed call gets a text back, and a caller can text a photo of the problem for the ticket.Text confirmations, missed-call text-back, photo-by-textCallers get a text confirming the booking, a missed call gets a text back, and a caller can text a photo of the problem for the ticket.
- Several numbers or locations under one account, each with its own greeting, hours, and routing, plus call flows written for how your office works.Multiple numbers and locations; custom workflowsSeveral numbers or locations under one account, each with its own greeting, hours, and routing, plus call flows written for how your office works.
1050 phone minutes a month · $2,988 billed annually
- Everything in Pro
- Live talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.1050 phone minutes a monthLive talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.24/min after thatThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- Call volume, outcomes, leads, and bookings over time, with a read API and export for your own reporting.Analytics and reporting; API and exportCall volume, outcomes, leads, and bookings over time, with a read API and export for your own reporting.
- Transcripts that keep protected health information to a minimum, retention controls you set, and a BAA on request.Compliance mode (PHI-minimized, retention, BAA)Transcripts that keep protected health information to a minimum, retention controls you set, and a BAA on request.
- Front-of-the-line support and a guided setup session that tunes Penny to how your office runs.Priority support and guided setupFront-of-the-line support and a guided setup session that tunes Penny to how your office runs.
14 days of Pro included. No credit card.
Chat on your website. 100 conversations a month.
- One visitor session counts as one conversation, however long it runs. The count resets every month.100 chat conversations a monthOne visitor session counts as one conversation, however long it runs. The count resets every month.
- The free widget carries a small “answered by Penny” mark. Starter removes it.A small “answered by Penny” mark on the widgetThe free widget carries a small “answered by Penny” mark. Starter removes it.
- A visitor asks for a time, Penny takes the request, and you confirm it from the email. Live booking onto your calendar begins on Starter.Appointment requests you confirmA visitor asks for a time, Penny takes the request, and you confirm it from the email. Live booking onto your calendar begins on Starter.
- Penny notices the caller’s or visitor’s language and switches, mid-conversation if needed, at no extra charge.English and SpanishPenny notices the caller’s or visitor’s language and switches, mid-conversation if needed, at no extra charge.
- Penny reads your site for services, hours, and service area, and starts with a working reference on your line of work.Answers from your website and your trade’s knowledgePenny reads your site for services, hours, and service area, and starts with a working reference on your line of work.
- The details each visitor shares, their question, and the outcome, in your inbox as the conversation ends.Lead capture, with an email after every conversationThe details each visitor shares, their question, and the outcome, in your inbox as the conversation ends.
Phone answering, live booking, and call transfers begin on Starter.
Try Penny freeFrom $3,000 a year, with custom volume and a named account team.
- Everything in Business
- Minutes sized to your call volume, on a contract you negotiate with the account team.Custom phone volumeMinutes sized to your call volume, on a contract you negotiate with the account team.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.21/min after that, the lowest rateThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- Chat on your site with no conversation cap and no mark.Unlimited website chatChat on your site with no conversation cap and no mark.
- A named team that knows your setup, with contractual response times.A dedicated account team and SLAsA named team that knows your setup, with contractual response times.
- Connectors built for your systems and a hands-on onboarding for your team.Custom integrations and onboardingConnectors built for your systems and a hands-on onboarding for your team.
Billed annually on a custom contract.
Talk to usNo setup fee. Keep your number and cancel from billing. Enterprise uses a custom annual contract.
AnswerConnect pricing and the switch to Penny.
Listen to the shared HVAC demo, then use the Pro trial for your own call scenarios.
The choice starts with who should answer. Choose a live service if callers need a person from the start. Test Penny if AI can handle your routine intake and permitted calendar bookings, with transfers to your team when needed. Compare the full usage bill before you choose.
See the calls Penny handles in your trade.
Penny asks whether the furnace starts and quits or never starts at all, then puts the caller’s answer on the service ticket.
Penny records the property, unit, and access instructions together, so the maintenance coordinator can act on the request.
A slow-drain request includes which fixture is affected and whether other drains are backing up, so your plumber can prepare for the visit.
Comparing other services too? See the full compare hub, or read what an AI answering service does on a call.
Give Penny a call before you forward yours.
Try the HVAC demo, then set up Penny for your business. Your account includes 14 days of Pro; Free keeps your website chat after the trial.
14 days of Pro included. No credit card.