Ruby Virtual Receptionist Review: Pricing, Features & UX

Potential customers sometimes call your business at an hour that’s inconvenient for your staff but most convenient to them. Do not let those customers slip through your fingers and become missed opportunities.

Ruby’s Virtual Receptionist is here to put highly-trainable and proactive human receptionists on the front lines of your business during on and off-hours. Ruby’s receptionist solution answers calls around the clock 24/7, scheduling key appointments, collecting timely payments, and even qualifying your next potential leads in tandem. Their mission statement is creating genuine human connections that certain AI-only systems cannot entirely replicate or even match.

Below, we’ll examine exactly what Ruby’s Virtual Receptionist can do, what benefits it offers, pricing details, set up processes, and more.

• Overview
• Pricing and Plans
• Key Features
• UX and Performance
• Setup and Deployment
• Pros and Cons
• Who Should Use It
• Alternatives
• Final Verdict

What is Ruby AI Receptionist?

Ruby's Virtual Receptionist is a live answering service that commits itself to using only highly-trained human receptionists versus artificial intelligence like competing AI receptionists. Ruby's network of pros will work in tandem with your team to answer calls 24/7, take care of customer inquiries, schedule appointments, and way more.

With over 20 years of experience serving small businesses across in just about any industry you can think of, Ruby combines professional expertise with proprietary technology to ensure every caller feels like they're talking to someone who gets them. The service is flexible, scalable, and built to adapt to businesses of all sizes and specialties.

Pricing and Plans

Ruby's Virtual Receptionist plans range based on monthly minutes needed. The most popular plans start at $235 per month for 50 minutes and run up to $1,640 per month for 500 minutes, with all plans including full access to core features. There is a 14-day risk-free trial so you can test the service before committing.

For businesses looking to combine answering service with managed website chat, Ruby offers bundled plans starting at $112 per month. All plans include 24/7 bilingual support, appointment scheduling, call routing, and payment collection at no additional cost.

Key Features of Ruby Receptionist

Ruby's receptionists are ultimately human agents who handle your calls with professionalism, warmth, and genuine care for your business. Here are some of the standout features that come default with your subscription.

Highly-Trained Professional Receptionists

Every Ruby receptionist is tested by their proprietary selection criteria and ultimately prepared to represent your business with a standard of excellence. Thanks to their human nature, they just get conversational nuance, handle complex customer interactions, and can make judgment calls that reflect your business values without threat of hallucinations or glitches. This human factor and touch also creates immediate trust and turns even the smallest moments into potential lasting customer relationships.

Bilingual Customer Support

Ruby's bilingual options when it comes to their receptionists cut down potential snags and communication breakdowns resulting from language barriers. Callers can speak in a preferred language, like Spanish. With these receptionists, many now receive the same personalized service an English language user would get. This capability is critical for businesses who serve diverse customer bases and those who want to expand their reach and potential. Though it should be noted that these functions are not 24/7.

Smart Call Routing and Screening

Ruby's intelligent routing system directs calls based on custom criteria you define. Still, you will need to delineate who gets what call and when whether by department, urgency, caller type, or availability. Receptionists will take the guesswork out of screening out spam and solicitation  to ensure you just get legitimate callers and they can reach the right person or department. This streamlines your team's workflow and protects focus time for important work.

Payment Processing and Lead Capture

Ruby receptionists can take care of payment collection directly during calls, which just makes the customer experience feel friction-free. They also perform smart and clean lead qualification, capturing essential information and context to aid sales in prioritizing both low-hanging and high-value prospects. This dual capability turns every inbound call into a chance to raise revenue and anticipate potential upsell.

Appointment Scheduling with Calendar Integration

Ruby integrates with popular calendar systems to check availability and schedule appointments in real-time without requiring human follow-up. Receptionists can reschedule, confirm, and handle special requests while maintaining accuracy and reducing no-shows through automated reminders.

Comprehensive Call Logging and Transcription

With Ruby, you know each conversation is recorded and transcribed automatically. This is done to ensure you have a searchable archive of customer interactions where you can review calls, identify patterns, and extract noteworthy business intelligence. Voicemail transcription means the most urgent messages get to the staff members who can assist soon to prevent emergencies or lost business.

HIPAA-Compliant Service

Ruby maintains clear observance of HIPAA compliance for healthcare-related businesses and practices. Ensure that all sensitive patient information, voicemails, and call details get transmitted and stored securely through the Ruby app and online portal. Protected health information is treated in a way that gives you (and clients) the peace of mind you want and need.

User Experience and Performance

With a very intuitive user interface and app platform, Ruby is easy for most businesses to just pick up and use without much intervention or help needed. Its human receptionists are armed to handle most inquiries but may need assistance and onboarding guidance.

Call Quality and Accuracy

Ruby offers top-tier call accuracy versus many other answering service competitors thanks to its experienced team formed through thorough training programs and augmented by proprietary tech. The accuracy of their receptionists' responses still is based on how much information and context you provide during onboarding, so be sure to give them what they need.

The more your team trains Ruby's receptionists for procedure, the more accurate and personalized the service they deliver. However, human error is still a factor: Ruby Receptionists may struggle with highly specialized or technical inquiries that fall outside their training scope.

Conversational Flow and NLP Capabilities

Ruby's receptionists are trained to understand context and respond appropriately to callers. No pun intended, it's rather organic due to the human nature of the receptionists. They adapt their communication style based on caller emotion, urgency, and needs during natural conversations that feel like talking to a trusted colleague rather than just some service drone. This human-centered approach significantly improves caller satisfaction and retention.

Customization and Training Options

Ruby offers extensive customization options for how your receptionists handle calls. You can provide custom scripts, call handling instructions, product information, and business-specific details that enable receptionists to sound like seamless extensions of your team. Ruby provides dedicated onboarding support to train your account team and ensure optimal performance over time.

Monitoring and Analytics

Ruby captures and records all conversations with transcripts and analytics so you can see the results yourself for posterity. You can even access detailed call logs, performance metrics, and usage data using Ruby's intuitive and human-centric dashboard and app. Ruby improves over time as it gathers more information about your business. You can exponentially expedite this process by providing feedback and refining call handling guidelines.

Setup and Deployment

Setting up Ruby's Virtual Receptionist does not require any code and is generally quite fast. The service includes a dedicated onboarding process where the Ruby team learns about your business, gathers information about your call types and customer base, and trains your assigned receptionists. You'll receive a dedicated phone number or can port your existing business number at no charge.

To set up the tool, you start by connecting with a Ruby account specialist who discusses your business needs and call volume. You'll provide your company information, common customer questions, call handling preferences, and integration requirements. Ruby then assigns and trains your dedicated receptionist team, sets up your call routing preferences, and gets your account live. Most businesses are fully operational within days.

Pros and Cons

Ruby's Virtual Receptionist comes with its obvious wins but also some notable disadvantages which can lead to costlier and clunkier processes that you might not want. Here’s quick look at what you’re getting into:

Who Should Use Ruby AI Receptionist

If you anticipate call volumes each day, you may be in luck with Ruby's Virtual Receptionist. It is especially helpful for service teams that run into long wait times or may have odd or restrictive hours. Other businesses that will benefit include:

• Healthcare providers: Medical practices, dental offices, and therapy clinics benefit from HIPAA-compliant service that handles appointment scheduling, patient intake, and sensitive information securely
• Consulting and professional services: Agencies, accountants, and consultants can use Ruby to handle client communication and lead capture
• Law offices: Legal professionals can use Ruby to answer client calls, qualify leads from prospective clients, and ensure no inquiry falls through the cracks
• Real estate and property management: Agents and managers can schedule showings, qualify leads, and handle tenant inquiries with professionalism
• Service-based businesses: Contractors, plumbers, electricians, and HVAC professionals can capture leads and schedule appointments efficiently
• Small businesses and startups: Companies without dedicated reception staff can offer professional phone coverage without hiring full-time employees

How It Compares Against Competitors

Below, we discuss our top choices, most of which are AI receptionists, it’s key to note that while Ruby is formidable, it is hardly the only choice in a growing number of solutions tailored to different needs and business goals:

Final Verdict

Ruby's Virtual Receptionist is a cutting edge solution that merges human expertise with genuine customer connections. But it’s very expensive compared to competitors. Monthly plans start at $235, and overage minutes carry additional charges. The service requires proper onboarding and training to maximize effectiveness.

Still, that premium is worth it for businesses who prioritize customer experience, need compliance-ready solutions, and are willing to invest in quality service. Ruby delivers meaningful returns through higher customer satisfaction, improved lead capture, better conversion rates, and reduced operational burden on your team.