Auto-Respond

AI answering service that picks up calls and replies on Yelp, Thumbtack, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Local Services Ads, then books the job

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Verified 2026-08-23 · theagentsindex.com

Category: Support agents
From: $99/month
Free trial: 7 days
Pricing model: subscription
Free tier: No
Deployment: Cloud
Interface: Web
Open source: No
Public API: Yes
Model / LLM: Not publicly disclosed

Facts re-verified 2 days ago

Our verdict

Auto-Respond is a focused answering and lead-response tool for local service businesses that lose jobs to slow follow-up.

The multi-channel coverage, sub-2-second first reply, direct calendar booking, and the cheapest published entry price in this peer set address a real pain point for owner-operators. The trade-off is the per-channel pricing structure: total cost depends heavily on how many channels a business activates and how many voice minutes the AI handles, and Yelp replies still need staff review before going out.

What is Auto-Respond?

Auto-Respond is an AI answering service for local service businesses (plumbers, HVAC, contractors, roofers, movers, salons, and similar trades) that lose leads to slow follow-up.

It watches phone calls and lead channels (Yelp, Thumbtack, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Lead Ads, Instagram, and Google Local Services Ads), answers the call or drafts and sends a channel-appropriate reply in under 2 seconds, qualifies the lead, and books the appointment on the business's own calendar. Per-channel pricing means a business pays only for the channels it actually activates, plus voice usage on the AI phone line.

What does Auto-Respond do?

Auto-Respond sits in front of a business's phone line and lead channels and handles the first response to every inbound call or message. On a phone call the AI answers in your business name, runs a qualifying conversation grounded in the services, pricing, and service area you configure, and offers open slots from your live calendar when the caller qualifies.

On Yelp, Thumbtack, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Lead Ads, Instagram, and Google Local Services Ads it sends a first reply in under 2 seconds according to each channel's own reply rules (Yelp replies are prepared as drafts for staff review, because Yelp requires human review of AI-generated messages).

The Voice Agent can also call a new lead back automatically the moment it arrives on a connected channel, or run batch outbound campaigns to a list of old customers. Configurable escalation rules route active emergencies, high-value jobs, or questions outside the configured scope to the business owner with the conversation context attached, or log a flagged priority message.

Setup is forwarding the existing line and connecting the lead channels the business uses; the vendor describes the full setup as taking under 2 minutes.

How Auto-Respond works

Create an account and select the lead channels to activate. The vendor describes the full setup as taking under 2 minutes: forward the existing business line to the AI agent and connect the lead channels the business uses.
The AI answers incoming calls in the business name and sends a first reply on every connected text channel in under 2 seconds, following the reply rules configured for each source (Yelp replies are prepared as drafts for staff review).
During the conversation the AI runs the qualifying questions the business configured, grounded in the services, prices, and service area it has been given.
When a caller qualifies, the AI checks the live calendar (Cal.com, FieldPulse, GoHighLevel, HousecallPro, or Open Schedule) and books the appointment itself. When it doesn't, or when an escalation rule is triggered, it routes the conversation with context to the business owner or logs a flagged priority message.
Optional Voice Agent add-ons: assign a phone number to an Answering, Calling, or Batch Calling agent. Outbound calls show the business number as caller ID once Trust Hub verification is complete.

Key features

Multi-channel coverage: Answers phone calls and replies to leads on Yelp, Thumbtack, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Lead Ads, Instagram, and Google Local Services Ads from a single system.
Sub-2-second first response: Sends the first text reply in under 2 seconds and can call a lead back instantly when Voice Agent outbound is enabled.
Direct calendar booking: Checks the business's live calendar and books the appointment itself when the caller qualifies. Voice agent supports Cal.com, FieldPulse, GoHighLevel, HousecallPro, or an Open Schedule mode.
Three Voice Agent modes: Answering Agent for inbound calls, Calling Agent for one outbound call per new lead, and Batch Calling Agent for outbound campaigns to a list of recipients.
Configurable escalation: Routes active emergencies, high-value jobs, or out-of-scope questions to the owner with full conversation context, or logs a flagged priority message.
Purpose-built CRM connectors: Direct integrations with HubSpot, Pipedrive, Workiz, LeadConnector (GoHighLevel), HousecallPro, SmartMoving, Salesforce, and Monday.com, plus a REST Webhook and Zapier for any other system.

What are Auto-Respond's use cases?

After-hours call coverage: A contractor stops missing nights, weekends, and holiday calls because the AI answers and responds instead of sending them to voicemail.
Instant lead reply on marketplaces: A business listed on Yelp or Thumbtack gets a first reply on a new lead in under 2 seconds instead of losing the lead to a faster-responding competitor. On Yelp the AI prepares a draft for staff review, because Yelp requires human review of AI-generated messages.
Self-booking appointments: A qualifying caller gets scheduled straight onto the business's calendar during the call or text exchange, with no manual back-and-forth needed.
Emergency triage: An active emergency, high-value job, or out-of-scope question gets flagged and routed to the owner with conversation context, while routine intake is handled by the AI alone.
Outbound lead callbacks and reactivation: The Voice Agent's Calling mode calls a new lead back the moment it arrives on a connected source, or the Batch Calling mode uploads a list of old customers and calls each one to reactivate and book.

Who is Auto-Respond for?

Local service businesses (plumbers, HVAC, contractors, roofers, movers, salons) that can't staff phones around the clock
Small business owners who get leads through Yelp, Thumbtack, Facebook, Instagram, or Google Local Services Ads and need faster first-response times
Teams that want appointments booked automatically on their own calendar instead of chasing callers back for scheduling

Not forBusinesses that want a single flat monthly price for everything. Auto-Respond costs scale per activated channel, with an additional $1/minute charge for voice usage on top of the $10/month phone number fee.

What does Auto-Respond integrate with?

Yelp
Thumbtack
Facebook Messenger
Facebook Lead Ads
Instagram
Google Local Services Ads
HubSpot
Pipedrive
Salesforce
LeadConnector (GoHighLevel)
Workiz
HousecallPro
SmartMoving
Monday.com
Cal.com
FieldPulse
REST Webhook (custom CRM)
Zapier
Slack
Telegram
SMS team alerts

Why use Auto-Respond?

Answers calls and supported marketplace messages around the clock, including nights, weekends, and holidays
Sends the first reply to a new lead in under 2 seconds, which matters most on marketplaces where the fastest responder often wins the job
Books appointments directly on the business's calendar instead of just capturing a message that still needs manual scheduling
Covers six separate lead channels (Yelp, Thumbtack, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Lead Ads, Instagram, Google Local Services Ads) from a single system
Offers per-channel monthly pricing, so a business pays only for the channels it actually activates

What are Auto-Respond's pros and cons?

What's great

Covers phone and five separate lead channels (Yelp, Thumbtack, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Lead Ads, Instagram, Google Local Services Ads) from a single system instead of juggling apps
Sub-2-second first reply is fast enough to matter on marketplaces where speed wins leads
Books appointments directly on the business's own calendar rather than forwarding a message that still needs manual scheduling
Has the cheapest published entry price in this peer set: $19/month for Facebook Lead Ads, where most peers we list (Ada, Cresta, Decagon, Crescendo) require a custom enterprise quote
Direct, purpose-built connectors for HubSpot, Pipedrive, Workiz, LeadConnector (GoHighLevel), HousecallPro, SmartMoving, Salesforce, and Monday.com, plus a REST Webhook and Zapier for everything else

Watch-outs

Per-channel pricing (separate monthly fees for each activated source, plus $10/month and $1/minute for voice) makes total cost harder to predict than a flat-rate plan and can rise quickly for a business using several channels at once
Yelp replies are prepared as drafts for staff review, so the AI does not auto-send on that channel even though it does on every other supported channel
Escalation depends on the business correctly configuring rules up front, so poorly set rules could let something important slip through to the AI instead of a human
Pricing is split across separate line items (per source, per voice number, per minute of talk time, plus optional SMS add-on), which makes it harder to know total monthly cost without configuring the exact channel mix first
Trial eligibility is conditional on first-time signup at a location; reconnecting, transferring, or reactivating a previously subscribed location does not automatically restart a 7-day trial

Auto-Respond pricing

From $19/month for Facebook Lead Ads; voice phone number $10/month + $1/minute of talk time; Yelp and Thumbtack $99/month each; text channels $49/month; Instagram priced per connected source or location.

7-day free trial

Yelp
$99/month
- Per location
- AI-prepared draft replies for staff review
- Lead qualification, booking, and CRM handoff
- Follow-ups, analytics, and CSV export
Thumbtack
$99/month
- Per Pro account
- AI first reply in under 2 seconds
- Lead qualification, booking, and CRM handoff
- Follow-ups, analytics, and CSV export
Google Local Services Ads
$49/month
- AI first reply in under 2 seconds
- Lead qualification, booking, and CRM handoff
- Follow-ups, analytics, and CSV export
Facebook Messenger
$49/month
- AI first reply in under 2 seconds
- Lead qualification, booking, and CRM handoff
- Follow-ups, analytics, and CSV export
Instagram
$49/month
- Per connected source or location
- AI first reply in under 2 seconds
- Lead qualification, booking, and CRM handoff
- Follow-ups, analytics, and CSV export
Facebook Lead Ads
$19/month
- AI first reply in under 2 seconds
- Lead qualification, booking, and CRM handoff
- Follow-ups, analytics, and CSV export
Voice Agent phone number
$10/month
- Plus $10 one-time provisioning when a new number is purchased
- Dedicated AI phone number
- Answering, Calling, and Batch Calling agent modes
- Cancel online from the Billing dialog
Voice Agent usage
$1/minute / usage-based
- Inbound and outbound calls
- Per-call rounding up to the next whole minute (10s floor)
- Trial calls are not metered but count against trial limits
SMS Messaging add-on
$2/month
- Plus $20 one-time registration, charged only when required
- Text your leads on an Auto-Respond number
- Per-message carrier fees on top

See current pricing on auto-respond.com ↗Compare Auto-Respond alternatives →

Frequently asked questions

What channels does Auto-Respond cover?

Yelp, Thumbtack, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Lead Ads, Instagram, Google Local Services Ads, and an AI voice line for inbound and outbound phone calls.

How fast does it respond to a new lead?

The first text reply goes out in under 2 seconds. The AI can call a new lead back instantly when Voice Agent outbound is enabled. On Yelp the AI prepares a draft reply for staff review rather than auto-sending, because Yelp requires human review of AI-generated messages.

Can it book appointments on its own?

Yes. When a caller qualifies, the AI checks the business's live calendar (Cal.com, FieldPulse, GoHighLevel, HousecallPro, or Open Schedule) and books the appointment itself, then sends a confirmation to the lead.

What happens with emergencies or questions the AI can't handle?

Configurable escalation rules send those calls or messages to the business owner along with the conversation context, or the AI logs a flagged priority message for follow-up.

How long does setup take?

The vendor describes setup as forwarding the business line and connecting the chosen lead channels in under 2 minutes. Voice agent setup is a separate flow that the vendor says takes a few minutes longer.

Is there a free trial?

A 7-day trial is offered to eligible first-time customers and locations when it appears in the order summary at checkout. Reconnecting, transferring, or reactivating a previously subscribed location does not restart a trial. Trial voice agent limits are 1 phone number, 10 call minutes, and 5 recipients per batch campaign.

What does the Voice Agent actually do?

Three modes: an Answering Agent takes inbound calls, a Calling Agent places one outbound call per new lead from a connected source, and a Batch Calling Agent runs outbound campaigns to an uploaded list. Outbound calls require Trust Hub verification so US carriers don't flag them as spam.

The evidence

How we checked this

Re-verified against the vendor's pricing, docs, and home pages on 2026-08-23. Pricing tiers, channel list, and integrations updated to match the current published product; Yelp draft-review behavior clarified; meta fields added.

Auto-Respond alternatives

SkipCalls
The closest peer for the same missed-call, small-business buyer — one flat $19.99/mo rate instead of Auto-Respond's per-channel pricing, but phone-only, with no native reply to a Yelp, Thumbtack or Facebook lead.
Bland AI
An enterprise step up for regulated or multi-location businesses — SOC 2, HIPAA and PCI DSS certified, self-hosted infrastructure, one all-inclusive per-minute rate — but no native way to answer a Yelp, Thumbtack or Facebook lead message.
Synthflow AI
A no-code option for an operations team that has outgrown a fixed feature set — a visual Flow Designer for branching call logic plus a full compliance certificate set, at a metered or roughly $30,000/year enterprise price.
Vapi
The developer's choice for a business with engineers who want to build a fully custom voice agent — bring your own model, voice and telephony — rather than use Auto-Respond's fixed vendor interface.
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