Billing starts when Ava is live and answering your phones. Setup is done-for-you and typically finished in under 24 hours, so if you're wondering when billing starts for an AI receptionist, the practical answer is: almost immediately, and your first month is $97. After that it's $297/month flat. No proration math, no meter running while you wait on a setup appointment.
The schedule is two numbers, and that's it:
There's no contract, so there's nothing to unwind if you decide it's not for you. Cancel anytime.
Because setup is handled for you, you're not burning paid days waiting on IT work. Your existing number stays put — Ava works through call forwarding, so there's nothing to change on your ads, trucks, or signage. The day forwarding is on, Ava is answering, and that's when the clock on your $97 month matters.
You can put this on one budget line and know it won't move. That's the real difference from live answering services that bill per minute and surge-price nights and weekends — the invoice grows exactly when your call volume does.
It also means the payback clock starts fast. Say Ava captures one broken-spring job in the first week that would have gone to voicemail. For most shops, that single job covers the $97 month several times over. Everything after that is margin.
For a full breakdown of what the flat monthly fee buys, line by line, see what an AI receptionist actually costs.
Call the live demo and have Ava call you now — hear exactly what your customers will hear when they call your shop.