u/AceClutchness

Context: leading a large North American call center with 50 team members answering calls relating to insurance questions, etc.

We've been hiring like crazy over the past 12 months and I'm starting to look for ways to increase our capacity to handle growing call volume without having to keep adding on headcount.

I'm looking for a way to handle the additional call volume without human intervention. Specifically need something that can answer customer questions, log calls, and handoff to reps where appropriate.

My leadership team is interested in going virtual because we don't want to deal with managing reps in another time zone and we've heard horror stories about people making the wrong overseas hires and having their customer experience go to hell in a hand basket quickly.

Looking at XBert, JustCall and Smith right now, but feel like there are a million tools out there. Current phone system is Genesys. Anyone using one of these tools? What are you guys using? What works best in terms of ramp time, customization, sophistication, price, etc?

Appreciate any help y'all can provide!

Hi guys,

Got a reasonably successful ecommerce brand that's gaining some serious momentum here in Texas. Solo operator on all things sales/marketing/customer service, and running into a logjam with customers (and potential customers) calling in with questions.

Volume isn't that huge (2-3 per day) but I'm bad about getting to these and feel like I'm leaving money on the table.

Exploring my options going forward as demand is increasing and I only see the number of calls going up going forward. I'm torn between hiring someone and just getting a virtual receptionist.

The pros and cons of each:

Human hire pros: Got someone manning the phones and assisting elsewhere as needed. Can train em up quickly and assure customers get a good experience when they call in.

Human hire cons: Seems like overkill for the volume I have now. Hard to justify from an ROI standpoint unless growth explodes, which I don't see it doing. Would try to go cheap and get an intern / college student if possible.

Virtual receptionist pros: More affordable option (the ones I'm looking at e.g. XBert, Smith are ~$99/mo). Don't have to worry about them quitting. Works 24/7.

Virtual receptionist cons: Unsure if my customers will get turned off by talking to a robot vs an actual person. Only way to know is to invest in setting it up (which costs time and money) and seeing what happens.

Want yall's perspective on this. Anyone have experiences good or bad with either approach?

Hi guys!

I've got a fairly successful dropshipping company sending apparel all over the US.

One issue I keep running into though is customers calling in and asking questions about the product, delivery timing, etc.

Needless to say, answering these calls is the lowest thing on my priority list between all the other stuff I'm dealing with running the business. Got a few routes forward I'm thinking about taking, but want to hear how you guys are handling this stuff.

Route 1. I've debated taking the phone number off my website. Problem solved on the calls but worried that's just going to upset people and push them to reach out via other channels (email, chat, etc) that I also don't have a ton of time to get around to.

Route 2. Virtual receptionist. Could adopt a tool that actually answers these calls for me. Got a buddy pushing me to go that route (he uses a platform called XBert) and says it works pretty well with answering customer questions about products and giving them up updates on delivery timeline, etc. I'm loathe to spend money on more tools but seems like it wouldn't break the bank.

Route 3. Hiring someone. Feel like I could just get a college kid to intern for me for cheap and show him/her the ropes. Would be the most expensive option but I would probably only need the kid to work like 10-12 hours per week.

What do you guys recommend?

Hi there!

I have a digital marketing course that I'm running that's doing fairly well. One of my upsells is website consultations, which I'm currently pushing on my website.

Looking for a few ways to get more consultations. My first thought is to put an AI receptionist on my website. Right now I have a phone number that gets 2-3 calls per day, but I'm bad about answering them. Looks like there are some affordable options out there that can handle inbound calls and book appointments for me (ex. XBert is just $99/mo) and seems easy enough to set up.

Another thing I think I'm going to do is add a chatbot to my website pushing the consultations. Basically will just connect to my calendar and let people book straight from there. Looking for something affordable (Intercom is too expensive imo) but think that'll help, too.

Know there are some other moves out there that I can make. Are there some ways I can push this upsell with my existing client base (~1,500 lifetime buyers).

Thanks,

J

What's up guys?

Got my own tech consulting firm that's growing nicely. I'm closing a good amount of the deals I'm sourcing and got Google / Meta Ads going that have been driving some nice inbound pipeline.

I'm finally at the point where I need some help handling leads that are coming in the door. Stuck between two options going forward.

Option #1. Hire 2 SDRs to handle and qualify inbound calls. Their job would essentially be booking appointments and getting people on calls with me to close them. I'd also have them prospecting as well. This is obviously the more expensive option and my only concern is that I won't be able to afford them should I face some down months for whatever reason.

Option #2. Get a virtual receptionist solution like XBert or SmithAI and let it handle all my inbound calls, appointment bookings, etc. I'm already using Nextiva for my business phone system so feel like XBert could be an easy fit and it's way cheaper than going the SDR route. Just not sure if my clients would rather speak to a human. And feel like I'm leaving something on the table by not doing outbound.

What are yall's thoughts on this? Any route you think works better?

Hi guys,

I've got a client with a large call center in South Florida that's handling large call volume. We're looking into options for alleviating the pressure on their sales team from daily inbound calls, and I'm seriously considering add an AI receptionist to their sales stack.

Current tools they're using: Salesforce, Outreach, Gong, Ambition. The reason we think an AI receptionist could work is that a) most inbound calls are simply about getting some basic information and getting an appointment booked, which an AI could handle, b) the most valuable use of the team's time is working lower-funnel deals.

We'd exploring XBert, Orum and a few other tools that could help here. Main concern is ease-of-setup and conversation quality/monitoring. I need a tool that integrates with Salesforce so we have visibility into every conversation that is happening. Those two seem to hit the mark there. Anyone got any tools like this they're using?

Thanks in advance!

I moved into a luxury apartment in uptown Dallas with my fiancee in January.

Place is super nice. New. Great amenities and located just a few minutes from the basketball/hockey arena.

There's just one thing. We've now had 2 bizarre experiences in the middle of the night.

The first one happened several months ago. My fiancee and I woke up to a loud noise in the middle of the night from the bathroom. I went in to check it out and her makeup mirror had fallen off the sink (it was at least a foot from the edge) onto the floor. Bizarre. No clue what could have caused it to go flying off the sink.

The second one happened last night. We awoke at 5:10 am to a loud thud from the living room. A bookend that weighed at least 10 lbs had fallen from the top of her shelf onto the floor. I tried pushing it over today and it took considerable force to knock it over.

I've never felt any weird energy or anything in the apartment. But these two experiences have me rattled. Thinking about putting some of my Christian icons near where the activity occurred to ward off whatever's going on. Or maybe they're just weird coincidences.

Either way, figured I'd share. Anyone else have bizarre experiences with furniture flying inside their apartments?

Hi guys,

39 yo male here. Active physically and in good health, except for recurring lateral shifts that appear in my back (started as a result of weight lifting) every few months.

Several months back, began experiencing the weird feeling of fetal incontinence as I was falling asleep. I was able to stop anything from coming out but would run to the bathroom. Lately (last week or so) this has gotten worse as stool has begun to start emerging and it's happening every night. Still able to stop it and run to the bathroom but definitely alarmed. Got an appointment scheduled with a spinal orthopedic specialist for next week.

No other symptoms except for occasional (fleeting) numbness in my legs and hands (the latter at night). Anyone else experience this? If so, what sort of medical interventions helped?

What up gang?

Got a small solar office I've been running for a few years. Do a ton of cold calling and Meta / Google Ads and have a steady stream of referrals coming in as well.

One thing I'm running into though is dealing with after hours / weekend calls. I get a surprising amount of them and feel like I always struggle with getting them on the phone when I call them back.

Have any of you guys had any luck using virtual / overseas receptionists? I'm trying to find a way to help these people when they're calling in at their hottest and I feel like these are the cheapest options.

If you're using a virtual receptionist, who are you using (XBert, Dialpad, Smith etc)? Same for overseas help? Would love a good referral to something that works and is easy to set up and use without costing me an arm and a leg.

I've got a small insurance agency but need some help with appointment booking.

Got decent inbound call volume (12-15 calls per day) but a lot of them come in when I/my staff are on the phone with other people, in meetings, or after hours.

Rather than hire additional people, I'm wondering if I should look abroad and/or get a virtual receptionist.

How do you guys deal with higher call volumes without having to pay for a ton of additional staff? Do you use overseas help? Or do you use virtual/ai receptionists (I'm looking at XBert / Dialpad / Quo and a few others).

I'm sick of missing calls and losing out on potential revenue. Figure someone here has something that's working for them.

Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, here's the deal.

We have a large SDR team with precious few managers to lead them (10:1 rep to manager ratio).

I'm trying to enable my managers to run structured 1:1s with their reps. Most of my managers are essentially running the 1:1s ad hoc with just basic questions about forecasting, deals stuck in pipeline, etc.

It's inconsistent at best and none of our sales tools are geared towards helping with this. We have Hubspot, Apollo, Granola, Zoom, and a few more tools that are getting some good data for us about how reps are performing, but my managers are having a hard time turning these insights into effective coaching for 1:1s, because they're absolutely slammed and have zero prep time.

I feel like there are tools out there that can help with this (Ambition, Gong, ZoomInfo Chorus all spring to mind) but want to hear from you guys before I start booking demos. Leadership is aware this is an issue so I should have budget to adopt something that can help.

What are you guys using to run structured 1:1s? And how are you using it / is it helping? Really appreciate any insights y'all can provide.

Thanks!

Hey gang! Exploring getting an AI receptionist for my roofing company.

We are a roofing co with a lot of inbound inquiries. My staff is struggling to keep up and I need something that can handle the volume of calls we’re taking.

Here’s what I need from an AI receptionist:

• Answer calls after hours and respond to general questions
• Route calls to people and book time on their calendars
• Take payments and log activity in our CRM

My biggest caveat: I have zero time to train up and oversee an AI receptionist. I’m willing to devote whatever time is necessary to get it up-and-running, but I’m going to be limited in my ability to manage it going forward. (This is a primary reason we want to go AI vs human).

Cost is not much of an issue. Don’t want to get gouged but would pay a premium for a platform that I can spin up quickly and not have to oversee.

My ask is - what are you guys using for your businesses? Any specific platforms working well for y’all? And should I go with a general AI receptionist (Nextiva, Bland, etc) or is there one that’s built specifically for roofers … I’ve looked but I haven’t seen one.

Thanks!

Hey y'all!

Got a small business here in Dallas that's growing pretty fast and starting to get more after-hours inquiries about openings.

I'm debating hiring someone offshore from the Philippines to handle these after hours calls, or just getting an AI receptionist to handle it.

For context: we're getting about 10-15 after hours calls each day (usually from 5pm-9pm or 6am-8am). It's a big enough problem where it's a pain in the butt to return the calls each day. We're getting backed up and I'm worried we're missing out on deals where our competitors are picking up the phones and answering while we're not.

I've talked with some people who use overseas help and for the most part they're happy with it. Just takes time to train them up (which I'm not excited about) and I'm not sure whether my customers would prefer to talk to AI or someone overseas?

Feel like an AI receptionist will be better in the long term from a cost savings standpoint, but worried about the setup being a hassle. Just need something that can book appointments and answer basic customer questions. For the AI receptionist options, I'm looking at Nextiva, Dialpad, and Smith ai.

Is anyone using either of these approaches? If you are, would love to hear what your experience has been like and who you're using.

Thanks!

Agency owner here.

Got some clients looking to do SMS marketing i.e. texting their customers offers, reminders, etc.

Doing some initial research and pricing seems all over the place with different providers. Hard to make heads and tails of it.

I'm looking for something that's a) easy to use and b) won't break the bank for my clients. Right now, seems like the best options are:

1. Textla - Penny per text plus a $25 subscription fee (works best for my high-volume senders)

2. Slicktext - $29 for 500 texts (makes sense for my low-sending clients)

3. Twilio - $0.0083 is great but looks like I'd have to build the sending platform myself, which I'm loathe to do.

Also concerned that there are a bunch of gotcha's involved with texting costs. A few of the providers I've talked to have mentioned a)watching out for character limits (e.g. if you go over 160 characters the price of the text doubles), b) texting outside the US costs more, and c) sending an image jacks up the price as well.

For experienced SMS marketers, what are you spending per month and at what volume? Don't want to get hit with a massive bill unexpectedly and lose a client over it.

Hey guys! I run a marketing agency that helps local small businesses with social media, digital marketing, lead generation, etc. 

A few of them have started asking me about AI receptionists or other ways to capture people calling into their businesses after hours over the last few months. I’m looking into options for them but a little out of my depth. 

These are mostly mom-and-pop shops (dentist office, insurance company, etc) that are looking for an AI answering service that can effectively answer customer questions, book appointments, route calls if needed, etc 24/7.

I have no firsthand experience with one of these systems, but I’m shortlisting Nextiva, Dialpad, Retell and JustCall based on pricing and reviews. 

Does anyone have experience with one of these platforms or another one that I’m missing? I’ve read plenty of reviews, but feel like I’ll get the most accurate/honest appraisals here.

Specifically hoping to avoid a solution that’s too tech heavy. Need something that’s easy-to-manage overall.

Hi there!

My fiancee and I chose TRS Coral / Grand Palladium in Cancun for our wedding.

Been reading reviews of both resorts on Reddit and seems hit/miss with some of the amenities. Anyone got any pro-tips for optimizing the experience for our guests?

Thanks,
Jeremy

GC here. Getting real tired of finding out during construction that nobody's carrying the blocking, or two subs both think the other guy has the roof curbs. We still get burned like once a job and it always turns into a change order + finger pointing festival.

How are you guys catching scope gaps and overlaps across bid packages before buyout? We’re trying to do this by hand and it’s super time consuming and we inevitably seem to miss things.

If you're still doing it the old fashioned way, any tricks that actually save you? We’re trying to stay super lean and avoid going with a vendor to help handle this stuff, but might be necessary. Genuinely curious if anyone's cracked this or if we're all just eating change orders together.

Hey guys! I'm looking to start doing SMS marketing for my small business (Tex-Mex restaurant with a growing local customer base). I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the options out there.

I'd love to hear from people who have actually used these tools in the real world. Basically looking for an easy way to reach out to customers via text and advertise specials, ask for reviews, etc.

I'm looking to keep cost down and just get a tool that's easy to use and works smoothly, so curious about:

Ease of use: Not super tech-savvy, so a clean interface matters

Pricing: What's reasonable for a small list (under 2,000 contacts)?

Features: Automation, local number, etc.

Compliance: Keeping hearing about TCPA, etc. How do these platforms help assure I stay compliant?

I've seen names like Textla, Klaviyo, SimpleTexting, Attentive, EZTexting, and Postscript thrown around, but I honestly don't know where to start.

What are you using and would you recommend it? Any tools you'd steer clear of? Appreciate any honest feedback.

We've been heavily reliant on Meta (Facebook/Instagram) for paid acquisition, but we're looking to diversify our channel mix.

We're a mid-sized CPG brand selling primarily DTC through our own site, with some presence on Amazon. AOV is around $45–60, and we're targeting a fairly broad 25–54 demographic.

Curious what's actually working for others in this space:

- TikTok Ads: Worth the creative investment? How's the conversion quality?

- Podcast Ads: Hear the ROAS on these is great but have never actually tried.

- Pinterest: Still viable for discovery-stage CPG?

- Google/YouTube: Obvious, but any tips for CPG-specific campaigns that actually scale?

- Retail Media Networks (Amazon, Walmart Connect, Kroger): Any hidden gems beyond Amazon?

- Influencer/Creator-led: Performance vs. brand play?

- Connected TV / Streaming ads: Too early for smaller budgets?

- SMS / Email / Owned channels: I know, not "ads" per se, but if you've seen big ROAS lifts here I'm all ears

Would love to hear what's moving the needle in 2026. Drop your channel / rough CAC comparison to Meta if you have it / any gotchas.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Hey everyone.

I'm a general contractor and I've been struggling to write airtight scopes of work for our projects. We keep running into situations where subcontractors claim something "wasn't in scope" and we end up eating the cost or fighting over change orders. I know a lot of it comes down to how clearly the SOW is written upfront, so I'm trying to do better.

A few specific things I'm trying to figure out:

1. How specific are your scopes of work, typically? I’ve heard we need to be broad in general, then get specific when it comes to things like exclusions, sub-scopes, and divisions of work. How do you guys find the balance? 
2. How do you handle scope gaps between trades (e.g. I had a plumber accidentally cut through drywall, which was not covered in my original SOW. HUGE pain for us to sort that one out.)? 
3. What language do you use to make exclusions clearly enforceable without sounding adversarial?
4. Do you use a standard template and customize, or write fresh for each job? 
5. Any red flags in subs' own SOW language that you've learned to watch out for?
6. Any software recommendations that could help with this?

We're doing mostly commercial tenant improvement and light industrial work, anywhere from $50k to $2M. Would love to hear how experienced GCs and PMs approach this, especially if you've been burned and learned something from it. Templates, advice, war stories all welcome.

Thanks in advance.