At some point every growing business hits the same wall: more leads than the owner can answer. The usual answer is to hire someone. Here's how that compares with using an AI sales agent, with the assumptions shown so you can plug in your own numbers.
What the job actually is
Before comparing costs, it helps to be specific. For most service businesses, the work is:
- Reply to new leads from the website, ads and email
- Ask the questions needed to quote
- Send pricing and answer common questions
- Follow up with people who go quiet
- Book the appointment or collect the details for the booking
That's important, repetitive work. Leads also arrive at all hours, and a lot of them come in at night and on weekends.
Option 1: a part-time rep
Example assumption: 25 hours a week at $18 an hour is about $1,950 a month in wages, before payroll taxes, training time and turnover.
The catch is coverage. Twenty-five hours is a small slice of the 168 hours in a week. Leads that come in outside those hours wait, and speed is most of what wins the sale.
Option 2: a full-time rep
Example assumption: 40 hours a week at $20 an hour is about $3,470 a month in wages, plus payroll taxes and any benefits. Many businesses add commission on top.
A great rep is worth it. They build relationships, handle complicated deals and spot upsells. But they still work about a quarter of the hours in a week, they take vacations, and if they leave, the training walks out the door with them.
Option 3: an AI sales agent
Jason's plans are $299, $599 or $999 a month by lead volume, plus a one-time $599 setup. Texting fees run through your own account at cost, usually $20 to $90 a month. Extra leads are $2 to $3 each depending on plan, capped at the price of the next plan. See the details on our pricing page.
What you get is coverage: every lead answered within a minute, any hour, with follow-ups that never get skipped. What you don't get is a person. An AI agent shouldn't negotiate a $40,000 contract or calm down an upset customer. That's still your job.
Side by side
- Hours covered: part-time about 25 a week, full-time about 40, AI agent all 168.
- First reply time: depends on who's on shift, versus under a minute.
- Monthly cost (example): about $1,950, about $3,470 plus taxes, or $299 to $999.
- Best at: people for relationships and complex deals, AI for speed and consistency.
The setup that works best
For most small businesses it isn't either-or. Let the AI agent handle the first reply, the questions and the follow-ups, then hand ready buyers and big deals to a person. Your rep spends time on conversations that are already warm instead of chasing people who never answered.
If you want to see how that handoff looks, our AI sales agent page walks through it step by step.