Useful for low, predictable volume.
A pay-per-call or per-minute price can work when calls are short and the volume is small.
Electricians · Cost guide · 2026
How much does an electrician answering service cost? Compared by named plan.
The short answer
The headline price is only one part of the bill.
Compare named plans, allowances, setup fees, hours covered and what happens after the call, not just the cheapest headline.
Useful when volume is steadier.
A monthly price with an allowance and a stated cap makes busy weeks easier to budget, but check what is included.
Price the completed next step.
A qualified or booked job is worth more than a cheap message that still needs chasing.
The decision in context.
UK answering services for electricians start from about 99p a call for human pay-as-you-go cover or £14.99 a month for basic message-taking. AI receptionists start from about 30p a minute, or about £45 a month plus a setup fee in one case. The real cost depends on your minutes, the allowance, setup fees and what happens after the call.
The table below compares named providers and plans, with the conditions that change the price. Prices were read from each provider’s public pricing page on 22 October 2026. Below it are worked bills for 40, 100 and 200 calls a month, including Praxum’s own price.
Electrician answering service prices compared (checked 22 October 2026)
| Provider and plan | Price | What is included | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Answer Centre, pay as you go (human) | 99p per call, no monthly subscription | Calls answered; text and email messages free; free out-of-hours voicemail box. Live-answering hours are not stated on the pricing page. | None |
| Connect Communications, Budget Starter (human) | £14.99 a month, excluding VAT | Unlimited calls answered and 5 messages a month. The price of extra messages is not stated. | None |
| Voco, pay as you go (AI) | 30p a minute, billed by the second, excluding VAT | No monthly fee and no contract | None |
| Voco, Starter plan (AI) | £49 a month, excluding VAT | 168 minutes, then 29p a minute, with a £20 spend cap to start | None |
| Down To Earth AI, AI Receptionist | £45 a month; VAT treatment not stated | 100 minutes and website chat, then 20p a minute. Extra channels £23 a month each. 30-day money-back guarantee. | £299 one-off |
| Praxum, founding pilot | £150 per 30 days for up to two periods, excluding VAT | 300 answered call minutes and 300 outbound messages per period, then 25p each, within a £50 combined cap | £0 |
| Praxum, if you continue | £249 per 30 days, only if you explicitly agree, excluding VAT | The same allowances and limits | £0 |
Two common ways to buy answering cover.
Pay per call or per minute
A person or an AI answers and the service charges for each call or minute.
- Low cost at low volume
- The bill moves with call volume and length
- What happens after the call varies by provider
Monthly plan with an allowance
A monthly fee includes some usage, with a stated rate and often a cap beyond it. Praxum is priced this way.
- A predictable base price
- Extra usage beyond the allowance still costs more
- Setup, channels and caps vary by provider
Answering service costs: per call, per minute or monthly
There are four common ways to buy answering cover, and the model matters more than the advertised starting price.
The cost model flow
Per answered call
A fixed price each time the service answers. Cheap at low volume, but check what counts as a call and what hours are covered.
Per minute
You pay for call length. A two-minute message is cheap. A detailed fault call is not, because the caller has to explain the problem, the address and access.
Monthly plan with an allowance
A base fee includes some calls, messages or minutes. Check the overage rate and any spend cap before winter volume arrives.
Monthly plan plus setup and channels
Some providers add a one-off setup fee or charge for each extra channel, such as WhatsApp or SMS.
Per call or per minute: which is cheaper for an electrician?
It depends on call length. A flat per-call fee caps the cost of a long fault call, whereas per-minute billing keeps climbing. At 30p a minute, a 99p per-call price is cheaper on any call over about 3 minutes and 18 seconds, so for short calls the per-minute AI price is cheaper.
Five costs worth comparing.
The practical questions that reveal what a service will cost once real electrical calls arrive.
What is included in the base price?
Pay per call or per minute
Check call allowances, minutes and whether messages or transfers cost extra.Monthly plan with an allowance
Check the configured channels, workflows and the included allowance.What this means Start with the included workload, not the advertised entry price.
What happens during a busy month?
Pay per call or per minute
More calls or longer conversations raise the invoice.Monthly plan with an allowance
Usage beyond the allowance is charged, up to any stated cap.What this means Check the extra-usage rate and what happens when a cap is reached.
Does the service only take a message?
Pay per call or per minute
Some services leave a callback task for you.Monthly plan with an allowance
Some can qualify the job, book into your calendar or alert you.What this means Compare the work left for you afterwards, package by package.
Are nights and weekends included?
Pay per call or per minute
Out-of-hours cover may use a different rate or package.Monthly plan with an allowance
Cover follows the agreed set-up rather than a per-window tariff.What this means Match the quote to the hours customers actually contact you.
What does a booked job cost?
Pay per call or per minute
Divide the full monthly bill by the useful enquiries or jobs created.Monthly plan with an allowance
Use the same measure, including setup and ongoing cost.What this means Cost per useful outcome makes unlike pricing models comparable.
Worked bills for 40, 100 and 200 calls a month
This is arithmetic with stated assumptions, not a quote. It assumes an average call of 3 minutes (so 40, 100 and 200 calls are 120, 300 and 600 minutes), excludes VAT and shows each service answering the whole workload.
| Monthly calls | Answer Centre, 99p a call | Voco, 30p a minute | Down To Earth AI | Praxum pilot | Praxum if you continue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 calls (120 min) | £39.60 | £36.00 | £49.00 | £150.00 | £249.00 |
| 100 calls (300 min) | £99.00 | £90.00 | £85.00 | £150.00 | £249.00 |
| 200 calls (600 min) | £198.00 | £180.00 | £145.00 | £225.00* | £324.00* |
What changes the price for an electrician
- Call volume and spikes
Winter faults, storms and certificate deadlines can bunch calls together and push a metered bill up.
- Average call length
An EICR request or a fault with access arrangements takes longer than a simple message, and per-minute billing counts every second.
- Hours covered
Check whether live answering covers nights and weekends, or whether you get voicemail out of hours.
- Booking and integrations
Diary booking, calendar links and extra channels are often add-ons, and some providers charge for each channel.
- Setup fees
Some AI providers charge a one-off setup fee on top of the monthly price.
- What the service does after the call
Taking a message leaves a callback for you. Qualifying and booking leaves much less to do afterwards.
Comparing cost per useful outcome
A cheap message that still needs three callbacks is not the same as a booked job. Divide each service’s full monthly bill by the number of qualified enquiries or booked jobs it produces, and compare on that number. To see what missed enquiries may be costing you today, use the missed-call calculator.
Pricing methodology and sources
Provider prices were read from each provider’s public pricing page on 22 October 2026: The Answer Centre, Connect Communications, Voco and Down To Earth AI. We have not tested these services. Prices and conditions change and are quoted as published, excluding VAT unless stated, so check each provider before you buy. Worked bills use a 3-minute average call and show headline prices only.
Frequently asked questions
Published UK prices start from 99p a call for human pay-as-you-go answering, £14.99 a month for basic message-taking, about 30p a minute for AI, and entry AI plans from about £45 to £49 a month, one with a £299 setup fee. The real cost depends on your call volume, call length, allowances and what the service does after the call.
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