AI answering service By James Mulholland Updated May 2026
The AI answering service that books the job, not just the message.
Clevaa is an AI answering service for UK service businesses with 1 to 100 staff. It answers every phone call and website enquiry 24/7 in 13 native languages, qualifies the caller, and books the next step, for a flat monthly fee with no per-minute or per-call charges. Customer data is EU-hosted on Hetzner Germany under UK GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act 2018.
A traditional answering service takes a message. Clevaa books the job.
- UK HQ
- EU-hosted (Hetzner Germany)
- UK GDPR
- No per-minute fees
- 60-second setup
Is this the same as an AI receptionist? Yes, with an upgrade.
AI answering service and AI receptionist are two names for the same Clevaa product, seen from two angles. Answering service is the job a business hires out: cover the phone, never miss an enquiry. AI receptionist is how Clevaa does that job. The upgrade is that Clevaa does not just take a message and pass it on, it qualifies the caller and books the meeting, viewing, or callback in real time. The same job a traditional answering service does, finished, not just forwarded.
01The difference
AI answering service vs a traditional answering service
Both answer the calls you cannot get to. What happens next is where they part.
| Dimension |  | Traditional answering service |
|---|---|---|
| What happens to the enquiry | Qualified and actioned: books the viewing, consult, or callback inside the conversation | Taken as a message, then emailed or texted to you to action later |
| Hours | 24/7 on every plan, in hours and out of hours, at no extra charge | Out-of-hours, weekend, and bank-holiday cover is often a premium add-on |
| Pricing | Flat monthly fee, no per-minute and no per-call charge | Per-minute and per-call billing, or a quote-only retainer |
| Channels | Phone voice, website chat, and WhatsApp from one agent with shared context | Inbound phone calls only |
| Languages | 13 native languages, spoken natively, not machine-translated | English-first; other languages on request |
| Setup | Paste your URL, live in about 60 seconds, self-serve | Briefing calls and several days of onboarding |
| Data | EU-hosted on Hetzner Germany, UK GDPR, ICO-registered (ZB851355) | Varies by provider; often UK or overseas call centres |
Traditional answering-service pricing and onboarding patterns per published UK provider pages, retrieved May 2026. For a named head-to-head, see our Clevaa vs Moneypenny comparison.
02How it works
What an AI answering service actually does
Four moves, on every call and every channel.
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Greet
Answers in your business name and brand voice, on the phone, your website, or WhatsApp, the moment an enquiry lands.
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Understand
Reads your website, services, prices, and opening hours at setup, so it answers real questions instead of reading a script.
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Qualify
Asks the questions you would ask: what they need, when, where, and how to reach them, and flags the high-value enquiries.
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Act
Books the viewing, consult, or callback in your calendar, takes a deposit where relevant, and alerts your team in real time.
03Cost
What does an AI answering service cost?
Traditional answering services bill by the minute or the call, so a busy month costs more exactly when you can least predict it. Clevaa is flat.
UK telephone answering services are typically quote-only or billed per minute, and out-of-hours cover is usually a separate charge, so the monthly figure moves with your call volume. Clevaa Core is a flat £99 per month: unlimited conversations, 24/7 included, no per-minute charge, no per-call charge, and no setup fee. You see the price before you commit, on a 30-day free trial with no credit card.
See the plans05Questions
The questions buyers actually ask
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Is an AI answering service the same as an AI receptionist?
Yes, they are two names for the same Clevaa product. Answering service describes the job (cover the phone, never miss an enquiry); AI receptionist describes how Clevaa does it. The difference from a traditional answering service is that Clevaa qualifies the caller and books the next step inside the conversation, rather than taking a message for you to action later.
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How much does an AI answering service cost?
Clevaa Core is a flat £99 per month with unlimited conversations, 24/7 cover, and no per-minute or per-call charges. Traditional UK telephone answering services are usually quote-only or billed per minute, with out-of-hours as a premium add-on, so their monthly cost rises with your call volume. There is no setup fee and a 30-day free trial with no credit card.
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Does it replace my receptionist or my answering service?
It covers the calls and web enquiries your team cannot get to: out of hours, weekends, holidays, and the busy stretches when the phone goes unanswered. Many businesses run Clevaa alongside a human receptionist, who keeps the relationship calls while Clevaa catches everything that would otherwise go to voicemail.
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What happens to calls out of hours?
Clevaa answers 24/7 on every plan, including evenings, weekends, and bank holidays, at no extra charge. Out-of-hours enquiries are answered, qualified, and booked the same way as daytime ones, and your team gets a real-time alert by email, Slack, or WhatsApp.
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Is an AI answering service GDPR-compliant?
Yes. Clevaa hosts all customer data in the EEA on Hetzner Germany, processed under UK GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act 2018, and operated by Revenuru Ltd, registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO ZB851355). A Data Processing Agreement is signed at sign-up, no extra step.
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Which channels does it answer on?
Phone voice, website chat, and WhatsApp, from one agent with shared context, so a caller can start on your website and the same agent handles a follow-up by phone. Traditional answering services cover inbound phone calls only.
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How long does it take to set up?
About 60 seconds. You paste your website URL, Clevaa reads your services, prices, and opening hours, and goes live on voice and chat. There are no briefing calls or multi-day onboarding, and you can mirror your existing call-handling flow if you are switching from a traditional service.
Stop sending callers to voicemail.
Paste your URL and your AI answering service is live in about a minute. Flat monthly fee, EU-hosted, cancel any time.
- UK HQ
- EU-hosted (Hetzner Germany)
- UK GDPR
- No per-minute fees
- 60-second setup