Smith.ai combines an AI voice receptionist with North America-based human agents who can take over complex or sensitive calls — a hybrid that suits therapy practices wary of pure-bot phone experiences. The service answers 24/7, screens and qualifies callers, completes intake questions, books appointments in your scheduler, handles payments, and sends detailed summaries after every call. Its AI Receptionist product is priced by call volume at a fraction of human-only plans, while blended plans let crisis-sensitive or high-stakes calls escalate to people. HIPAA-compliant handling is available for healthcare clients. Established reputation, deep integrations (Calendly, Clio, HubSpot, EHart scheduling tools), and a well-known referral program make it a safe pick for group practices that miss calls during sessions. Solo practices on tight budgets may find flat-rate pure-AI competitors cheaper.