Upfirst: 24/7 AI Receptionist for Service Businesses (and how we’d wire it into your pipeline)
Quiet presence that converts. If your phone rings for revenue, law, accounting, trades, property management, Upfirst is a low-cost, always-on receptionist that picks up, qualifies, books, and summarizes every call. Here’s what it is, why it matters, and exactly how we’d integrate it into an ELR stack.
What Upfirst is (in one line)
An AI answering service and virtual receptionist that answers on the first ring, handles FAQs, books appointments, routes calls, and sends you summaries/recordings—24/7. Plans start at $24.95/mo with a 14-day free trial.
Core capabilities that matter
- Answering + triage 24/7. No hold music. No voicemail limbo. The AI greets callers, collects the right fields, and sends instant summaries by email or SMS.
- Smart knowledge. Load hours, services, pricing, directions, and common answers so callers get help immediately.
- Booking, routing, transfers. Offer times from Google/Outlook (and legal tools like Clio), text a scheduling link, or live-transfer to a person/department when needed.
- CRM + automation via Zapier. Push caller data, create leads, trigger follow-ups, and log call artifacts in your system of record.
- Bilingual/multilingual. English, Spanish, plus 90+ languages—useful in Quebec and across North America.
- Spam/noise control. Blocks sales/robocalls and won’t bill you for junk or sub-15-second misdials.
Pricing snapshot
- Starter (30 calls): $24.95/mo, $1.50 overage
- Premium (90 calls): $59.95/mo, $1 overage
- Pro (300 calls): $159.95/mo, $0.75 overage
All plans include 24/7 answering, summaries, recordings/transcripts, transfers, scheduling, SMS, spam blocking, and Zapier. No contract. Free 14-day trial (no credit card).
Why service businesses should care
1) Capture. Missed calls = missed revenue. Upfirst answers instantly, qualifies, and books—so weekend/night calls don’t leak to competitors.
2) Qualification before you roll. Ask the right questions (issue, address, budget, timeline) and route only real jobs to your team. Fewer dead-end dispatches.
3) Intake discipline. Every call becomes a structured record with transcript, summary, and recording—clean handoffs, fewer “he-said/she-said.”
4) Bilingual reach. Serve English/French/Spanish leads without staffing gymnastics. In Quebec, this is table-stakes.
5) Cost clarity. Compared to a live service at hundreds per month, <$25 to start is a rounding error—especially if one saved lead pays for the year.
Bottom line
For service firms that win or lose clients by the phone, Upfirst + an ELR site + CRM automations gives you: faster intake, cleaner data, higher show rates, and fewer missed opportunities, for less than a lunch bill.
How we’d wire Upfirst into an ELR website + CRM (our blueprint)
Stack
- Website: ELR custom site engineered for speed and clarity.
- Reception: Upfirst number (or forward your existing line).
- Calendar: Google/Outlook (Clio for law) connected for booking.
- CRM: Connected via Zapier (lead, call log, follow-ups, tasks).
Flow
- Rings → Upfirst answers on ring one.
- Qualifies → asks your required fields (service, location, time sensitivity).
- Books or routes → offers times or live-transfers priority calls.
- Syncs → lead/contact + call artifacts land in your CRM; automation triggers kick off reminders, quotes, or next steps.
- Report → daily call digest; recordings for coaching, QA, and dispute proof.
What we configure for you
- Intake script + knowledge base (fees, service areas, SLAs).
- Booking rules and transfer logic.
- CRM/Zapier automations (pipeline stage, tasks, notifications).
- Bilingual greetings and fallback handling.
Where it fits best (use cases)
- Law / Notary. After-hours intake, fee FAQs, conflict checks, consult booking.
- Accountants. Seasonal spikes; document checklists; quick triage to the right partner.
- Trades (HVAC, plumbing, electrical). Emergencies sorted from non-urgent; address + issue captured; dispatch only when qualified.
- Property management. Tenant issues logged cleanly; lockouts triaged; owner leads routed.
Setup time & effort
Upfirst says most teams can go live in minutes (we’ll do it for you if you prefer). Keep your number and just forward calls; try everything free for 14 days.
Caveats (straight talk)
- Edge cases. Extremely nuanced pricing or legal nuance still benefits from human review; we route those by rule.
- Change control. Keep answers current—fees, hours, services. (We include a quarterly audit by default.)
- Volume planning. Pick the right plan to avoid surprise overage; adjust after month one.
Bottom line
For service firms that win or lose clients by the phone, Upfirst + an ELR site + CRM automations gives you: faster intake, cleaner data, higher show rates, and fewer missed opportunities—for less than a lunch bill
Link to upfirst.
