AI pre-sales agent for callers who need answers

AI receptionist vs. AI pre-sales agent: what's the difference?

Marissa's receptionist functions cover answering questions, taking messages and booking appointments. The Trained for you plan adds help for callers deciding which service fits their needs. It gives your team support at the first conversation, while you handle the consultation and final sale.

Explore the underlying AI receptionist service if call answering and booking are your main priorities.

How does Marissa learn your services, prices and policies?

RSV trains Marissa using your website, uploaded documents, service details, prices, policies and answers to common questions. You also share the explanations you use when a caller hesitates: what a service includes, why one option fits a particular need, and what happens at the consultation.

Prepare the same information you want your team and customers to use:

• Service descriptions and their real benefits.
• Current prices, package inclusions and relevant policies.
• Your best answers to common doubts and objections.
• Questions that need an appointment or a conversation with you.

Consistency matters. A Gartner report published in 2025, based on a survey of 632 B2B buyers, found that 69% reported differences between information on supplier websites and information from sellers. Gartner research.

Can an AI receptionist handle sales objections?

On this plan, Marissa answers doubts using the business information and objection responses you provide. She asks one or two discovery questions, recommends a relevant service and explains its real benefit without pressuring the caller to commit.

For example, a remodeling caller might ask why two services have different prices. If your materials explain the difference in scope, Marissa can use that explanation and offer a consultation. Your business supplies the facts behind the answer.

For cosmetic services, the questions may be more sensitive. Concerns about cost, pain, safety and results appeared among reasons for waiting in ASDS's 2023 survey of 3,503 consumers. ASDS consumer survey. Marissa handles service information and consultation booking; she does not give health advice or collect health details.

How does an inbound call become a booked consultation?

The conversation moves from the caller's question to a suitable next step, using your information and availability.

1. Understand the need. Marissa asks one or two discovery questions about what the caller is looking for.
2. Explain the relevant service. She describes its benefit and answers doubts using your approved information.
3. Offer the next step. That can be a consultation, visit, demo or call with the owner.
4. Check and book. She checks Google Calendar, stays within your set hours and re-checks availability immediately before booking.

Other calendars, booking systems and CRMs are connected by RSV with a custom integration.

With the caller's permission, a confirmed booking gets a confirmation text. A reminder goes out the day before when the appointment is more than about a day away. Customers can reply C to cancel; rescheduling by text is not supported.

Which service businesses is AI pre-sales designed for?

This plan is for small and mid-size service businesses whose callers need to understand an offer before booking. These examples show questions to prepare for training, not promises about what a particular business offers.

Clinical judgment, legal advice and final purchasing decisions stay with the appropriate people. HIPAA setup is available, quoted separately.

Can she answer after hours and in English or Spanish?

Yes. Marissa answers inbound calls 24/7 in English or Spanish and can handle several calls at the same time. Callers can ask about your services outside business hours, while appointments remain limited to the hours you set.

You keep your business phone number through call forwarding. Choose to send every call to Marissa, or let your business phone ring first and forward only calls nobody picks up. Your team can keep answering calls while Marissa provides overflow coverage.

Customers in the US can also text Marissa's dedicated number to ask questions or book. This is a separate line: forwarding your business calls does not forward texts sent to your existing number. If she cannot handle a text inquiry, the details are emailed to your business. Texts do not count against your answered minutes.

If coverage is your first concern, see our guide to reducing missed calls with AI. For this plan, that coverage also includes the service explanations and pre-sales support described above.

What does the owner receive after each call?

You receive email summaries for calls that need your attention, such as bookings, messages, callback requests and urgent matters. On Trained for you, those summaries include the caller's interest level. Every call is logged in the online portal.

Each Monday, an email report counts interested callers. Use it alongside the call records to review which inquiries need your attention. An interest level describes the conversation; it does not establish that someone has the budget, authority or readiness to buy.

A custom CRM integration is included in the $449 plan. Discuss your CRM and the information your team needs with RSV during setup. The integration, portal and email summaries support the team's work as you take the next conversation.

How much does the AI pre-sales agent cost?

Marissa's Trained for you plan costs $449/month and includes 1,000 answered minutes. The plan combines AI reception with inbound pre-sales support, Google Calendar booking, English and Spanish availability, call records, interest reporting and a custom CRM integration.

• 3 days free: there is no charge for the trial.
• Setup: quoted for your installation and charged only if you continue after the trial.
• Usage: every answered minute counts, including spam, wrong numbers and sales calls.
• Extra minutes: billed at the rate agreed when signing up. Marissa continues answering after the included allowance is used.
• Cancellation: no long-term contract; 30 days' notice is required.

You receive usage emails at 80% and 100% of your minute allowance. Review Marissa's plans to compare the included minutes and services.

How do you get started, and how long does setup take?

RSV, an AI company in Austin, Texas, sets Marissa up remotely. She is live in 48 hours.

1. Share your business information. Supply your website, documents, services, prices, policies and answers to common objections.
2. Define the next step. Explain what callers can book and which hours you want available. Connect Google Calendar for confirmed bookings.
3. Set up call coverage and your CRM. Choose whether Marissa receives every call or unanswered calls, and discuss the included CRM integration.
4. Use the free trial. Try your real service questions and review how the answers, bookings and owner emails fit your workflow.

Include questions that usually need an explanation, such as package differences or consultation fees. Those are useful examples for evaluating the pre-sales support.

Can RSV add payment links, owner briefs or extra reminders?

Yes. On request, RSV sets up custom additions such as sending booking links, following up with your own payment link, preparing an owner brief before a consultation or demo, or adding extra reminders.

These are custom builds on request, separate from the included plan. The standard booking confirmation and eligible day-before reminder are already included. Marissa never takes card numbers over the phone, makes no outbound calls and does not close deals herself.

Tell RSV what your callers need and which steps you want your team to handle. Start with the included service, then discuss any additional workflow you need built.

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