Every provider promises “answers 24/7”. The real difference lies elsewhere: the languages, the true price at your volume, the commitment, and what the assistant actually does with each call. Here are the ten questions to ask before you sign up, and AlloBob's answer to each one, with figures.
Ask them of every solution you are considering. The right-hand column gives AlloBob's answer, as stated on our website (see our pricing).
| The question | Why it matters | AlloBob's answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Which languages does it answer in? | In Brussels, many of your callers speak a different language from yours. A missing language means a caller who hangs up. Also check whether languages are included or charged as an extra. | French, Dutch and English from the very first plan, with the caller's language detected automatically. Arabic and Romanian on request (up to 3 languages per assistant), with more languages in preparation. |
| 2. What will it cost at my real volume? | The entry price doesn't tell the whole story. Add up the subscription, minutes beyond the bundle and set-up fees for the number of minutes you actually receive. | Essential €89/month (€67 billed annually) for 120 minutes; Pro €199 (€169) for 500 minutes; Business €349 (€299) for 1,000 minutes; Enterprise on request. Prices exclude VAT, no set-up fee. |
| 3. What happens if I go over? | An assistant that cuts out mid-month is worse than no assistant at all. Ask how you will be warned and what an extra minute costs. | You are alerted from 80% of your bundle. A top-up at €0.30 per minute avoids any interruption; if you go over regularly, the next plan up works out cheaper. |
| 4. Am I tied in, and for how long? | A commitment of several months is not a problem if the tool suits you, but you need to know beforehand, especially for a service you have not used yet. | No commitment on the monthly plan. The annual plan is billed yearly and costs up to 25% less. |
| 5. Do I keep my number? | Changing numbers means losing the customers who have the old one. A simple call forward should be enough. | Yes. You forward your calls to your assistant's dedicated Belgian number or, if you prefer, only when you don't answer. See the call forwarding guide by operator. |
| 6. Does it book appointments in my calendar? | A “call me back” message leaves the work to you. An appointment booked in a free slot is a customer won. | Yes, in Google Calendar, Microsoft (Outlook) or Calendly, in your free slots and according to your rules (durations, lead times, area). Confirmation and reminder by text message to the customer: 100 texts included in Business, or a pack of 150 texts for €20. |
| 7. Can it price a request? | For a tradesperson, the quote is often the real reason for the call. Pricing it during the call avoids phone ping-pong. | Yes, from the Pro plan: Bob calculates the quote during the conversation from your own prices, and you approve it before it goes to the customer. |
| 8. How does it handle emergencies? | A leak at 10 pm cannot wait until the next day. The assistant has to tell an emergency apart from an ordinary request. | It triages during the call and, depending on your settings, alerts you immediately or transfers the call to you. Everything else waits for you to call back, with a summary to hand. |
| 9. What do I get after each call? | A well-handled call is no use if you don't know what was said. You need it in writing, and a place where nothing gets lost. | A written summary by WhatsApp and email, and every request filed on a follow-up board (to call back, appointment, pending, done). |
| 10. Can I try it with a real call? | A recorded demo shows the best case. A real call, from your own phone, lets you hear what your customers will hear. | Yes: call Bob from the home page, with a scenario from your trade or about your own business. When you sign up, you get 15 minutes of calls free, no card required. |
That is the real question behind the other ten. A voice assistant picks up and takes a message: calling back, the quote and the follow-up are still yours. An operational assistant also handles what comes next, in other words part of the admin and sales work.
For a tradesperson or a freelancer, the difference is measured in hours: someone who answers, understands the request, qualifies it, books the appointment, prices the quote (from Pro), handles the emergency, follows up and reminds you until the request is dealt with. That is what AlloBob does, and the simplest way to judge it is still a real call during the 15 free minutes.
None of these is a flaw in itself, but each one changes the price or how easy the service is to live with. Better to know them up front.
Some offers charge for set-up separately. Add it to your first-year cost.
A second or third language is sometimes reserved for a more expensive plan. Check which plan includes your customers' languages.
Attractive with very few calls, it quickly gets expensive as volume rises. Do the maths on a busy month, not a quiet one.
Six months or a year's commitment to a service you have never tried is a gamble. Better to be able to stop if the assistant doesn't suit you.
Should the assistant pass itself off as a human? Where are recordings stored, and for how long? At AlloBob, Bob introduces himself as your business's assistant and answers honestly if asked whether he is a robot; recordings are kept for 90 days at most, in line with our privacy policy (in French).
To compare with an answering machine, a human answering service or an in-house receptionist, see our comparison by type of solution (in French) and the cost of a phone answering service (in French).
15 minutes of calls free, no card required. You keep your number.
Then from €67/month billed annually, or €89/month with no commitment.
The one that answers in your customers' languages, whose price fits your call volume, that doesn't lock you into a long commitment and that does more than take a message: appointments in your calendar, emergency triage, a written summary. Ask every solution the 10 questions in this guide, and test it with a real call before you choose.
At AlloBob, from €89 a month (€67 billed annually) for 120 minutes to €349 a month (€299 billed annually) for 1,000 minutes, excluding VAT, with no set-up fee. To compare offers, always work out the price at your real volume of minutes, including overage and set-up fees.
French, Dutch and English from the Essential plan, with automatic detection of the caller's language. Arabic and Romanian are available on request, up to 3 languages per assistant, and more languages are in preparation.
Not with AlloBob: the monthly plan has no commitment. The annual plan is billed yearly and costs less. Before signing up elsewhere, always check the length of the commitment and the cancellation terms.
Yes. You keep your number and forward your calls to your assistant's dedicated Belgian number, for example only when you don't answer. Forwarding takes a few minutes to set up with your operator.
With a real call, not a video. On allobob.be, you call Bob from your phone, with a scenario from your trade or about your own business. When you sign up, you get 15 minutes of calls free, no card required.