# 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

> Source: The Agents Index — https://theagentsindex.com/auto-respond (structured, researched, re-verified)
> Facts last verified: 2026-08-23

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.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Website | https://auto-respond.com/ai-answering-service |
| 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. |
| API | Yes |
| Best for | Local service business owners who lose leads to slow follow-up and want phone and marketplace messages answered and booked automatically on their own calendar. |
| Not for | Businesses 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. |

## Pricing

| Tier | Price |
| --- | --- |
| Yelp | $99/month |
| Thumbtack | $99/month |
| Google Local Services Ads | $49/month |
| Facebook Messenger | $49/month |
| Instagram | $49/month |
| Facebook Lead Ads | $19/month |
| Voice Agent phone number | $10/month |
| Voice Agent usage | $1/minute / usage-based |
| SMS Messaging add-on | $2/month |

## 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.

## How it works

1. 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.
2. 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).
3. During the conversation the AI runs the qualifying questions the business configured, grounded in the services, prices, and service area it has been given.
4. 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.
5. 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.

## Who it's 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

## Strengths and weaknesses

- ✓ 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
- ✗ 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

## 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.

## 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.

## Integrations

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

## Sources

- https://auto-respond.com/ai-answering-service
- https://auto-respond.com/docs/pricing/
- https://auto-respond.com/docs
- https://auto-respond.com/docs/voice-agent/getting-started/
- https://auto-respond.com/docs/integrations/crm-systems/