Without going into the specifics of individual companies, to arrive at a fair comparison you should note the following:
|
|
Typical Message Service |
Cost Range |
Answer Services UK |
| Set up charge |
Yes |
£30 - £120 |
No charge |
| Monthly fee |
Yes |
£30 - £50 |
Yes (£30) |
| Messages included |
Generally not |
— |
Yes - 10 free in basic package |
| After hours ‘live’ service |
Sometimes |
— |
Yes (24/7) |
| Additional cost |
— |
£30 - £60 |
None (it’s free and part of our service) |
| After hours voicemail |
Maybe |
— |
Not needed |
| Additional cost |
Sometimes |
£10 - £20 |
Not applicable |
| Cost per message |
Yes |
75p - £1.50 |
45p - 60p |
| Cost for message delivery |
Sometimes |
Up to 20p |
No charge |
| Daily summary |
Sometimes |
Up to 80p |
No charge |
| Free 0870 number |
Rarely |
Up to £10 month |
No charge |
| Free 0845 number |
No |
Up to £15 month + 4.5p minute |
£15 month + no call charge |