Do I need a new phone number?
No. Your number stays on your trucks and cards. Calls you don't answer forward to your receptionist. If you ever stop, you turn the forwarding off and nothing else changes.
Will customers know it's AI?
Yes, and that's on purpose. It sounds natural, but the greeting says you've reached the company's virtual assistant, and if a caller asks, it says so plainly. It never pretends to be a person. Call the demo line and judge for yourself.
How do I get the call details?
By text and email within a minute of every call: name, number, address and what's wrong. Email works from day one. Texts start a few days later, once your texting number is registered with the phone carriers; we handle that during setup.
Can customers text instead of calling?
Yes, as an add-on. Your assistant replies to texts sent to your business number using the same facts and prices it uses on calls, says it is a virtual assistant, and texts you the request once it has a name and what the customer needs. It never confirms a job by itself. Try it: text our demo snow removal company at (603) 513-2793.
How does the free trial work?
For the first 10 businesses. I set your assistant up for your business and you forward your missed calls to it for 14 days. You pay Lanternline nothing during the trial, and the software runs on Reception's free trial. Before day 14 you decide: keep it ($249 setup, then about $98 a month) or tell us to switch it off and owe nothing.
What about emergencies?
You decide what counts as urgent: no heat, a leak, a gas smell, a car in a ditch. Those calls are transferred straight to whoever is on call. For a gas smell it first tells the caller to leave the house and call 911.
Is recording calls legal in New Hampshire and Massachusetts?
Yes, with notice. Both states require everyone on the call to know it's recorded, so the greeting always says it in plain, friendly words: "Just so you know, calls are recorded so we get every detail right." You approve the greeting before it goes live.
Can it book appointments?
Yes, into your Google Calendar, on the Front Desk plan. On Missed Calls it takes the request and you call back. For emergency work we usually take the request instead of booking a time.
Spanish-speaking customers?
Yes, included. It switches to Spanish automatically when the caller speaks Spanish.
Why two bills?
The receptionist software is Reception by ElevenLabs. The account is opened in your business name, so you own it and ElevenLabs bills your card directly for the plan and any extra minutes. Lanternline bills only for setup, care and add-ons. Nothing is marked up or hidden.
What if I want to cancel?
Give Lanternline 30 days notice by text or email. No long contract. The Reception account, your number and your call records stay yours: keep the account, or cancel it with ElevenLabs.