Every call answered on the first ring. Even when your hands are full.
Zen Front Desk Lite is a 24/7 AI receptionist for small businesses. It answers on the first ring, sounds like a real person, texts callers your booking link, and texts you a summary of every call. $149 a month.
Don't take our word for it. Call right now and talk to her. Ask her anything. Try to interrupt her.
Think we're making it up? Call her.
That's Ava, the voice of Zen Front Desk, in the video. Don't believe AI answering sounds that good? Call her right now and find out.
- Cut her off mid-sentence. She stops, listens and picks right back up.
- Ask her about pricing, hours or what Lite includes.
- Ask her to text you the link. Watch it land while you're still on the phone.
Up and running without writing a single script.
You don't need to know anything about AI. You just need a phone that rings.
Paste your Google profile
Paste your Google Business Profile link or website. We pull in your hours, address and services so your receptionist knows your business from day one.
Forward your calls
Keep the number your customers already know. Forward it to your receptionist all the time, after hours, or only when you can't pick up.
Get back to work
Every caller is answered, gets your booking link by text, and you get a text with their name, number and what they need.
Everything you need from a front desk. Nothing you don't.
First ring, every time
No hold music, no phone menus, no voicemail. Callers talk to someone right away, even when five people call at once.
Texts your booking link
When a caller wants an appointment or an estimate, your receptionist texts them your booking link during the call, so they can grab a time before they hang up.
Instant summary to you
The moment a call ends, you get a text with the caller's name, callback number and a short summary of what they need.
Nights, weekends, holidays
The 9 p.m. Sunday caller gets the same warm answer as the Tuesday morning one, instead of a voicemail they'll never leave.
Stays in its lane
Answers from the information you give it. It doesn't make up prices or give professional advice. Detailed questions get routed to you.
No contract
Month to month with 30 days' notice to cancel. No setup fee and no surprise telephony charges.
Owners who are too busy working to answer the phone.
If your hands are full when the phone rings, Lite was made for you.
Not for medical, dental or therapy practices that handle patient health information.
What 1,000 minutes really covers.
At a typical 3 to 4 minutes per call, that's a busy month of calls answered for less than a day of a receptionist's pay.
| For 1,000 minutes a month | Zen Front Desk Lite | Live answering service | Part-time receptionist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $149 | ~$650 – $1,750+ | ~$1,600 (wages only) |
| Hours covered | 24/7, all 168 hours | Often extra for after hours | About 20 hours a week |
| Setup fee | $0 | Often charged | Hiring and training time |
| Texts callers your booking link | Yes, during the call | Varies | If they remember |
| Call summary to you | By text, right after the call | Varies, often email | Sticky note |
Receptionist: U.S. median pay $18.27/hour (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 data), 20 hours a week. Answering service: typical live rates of $0.65–$1.75 per minute from 2026 industry pricing guides; actual quotes vary. Call counts assume 3 to 4 minutes per call.
Trusted by businesses that can't afford to miss a call.
Dr. Barbara Walker Green, CFP®
Wealth Strategist · Advanced Wealth & Retirement Planning
“Before Maxine, we’d spend the first twenty minutes of every consultation just gathering basic financial information. Now every client walks in with their worksheet completed. I can spend that time actually helping them — not collecting data.”
Charles Stamps
CEO & Founder · MLK Grande Parade
“I love Ava. Every parade entry we've received so far has come in through Zen Front Desk. Marching bands, float sponsors and vendors call any time of day, and Ava answers every one of them on the first ring, takes their registration and texts them their confirmation. It's taken the intake off our plate.”
These clients use our full Zen Front Desk and Zen Advisor Suite plans. Zen Front Desk Lite runs on the same voice technology and 24/7 answering, set up for simpler call handling.
Questions owners ask
Will my callers talk to Ava?
No. Ava is the voice of Zen Front Desk and the star of our videos. Your Lite receptionist answers with her own name and voice, and with your business name, on the same voice technology you hear when you call Ava. Want a receptionist built around your brand's personality? That's the full Zen Front Desk.
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. You keep the number your customers already have and forward calls to your receptionist, either all the time or only when you don't pick up.
What happens if I go over 1,000 minutes?
Extra minutes are $0.35 each. If you're regularly going over, Zen Front Desk includes 3,000 minutes a month at $0.25 per extra minute, and we'll tell you when that becomes the better deal.
What if a caller asks something it can't answer?
It won't guess. It takes the caller's name, number and question and texts it to you right away so you can call back.
Is there a contract?
No. Lite is month to month with no setup fee. Cancel with 30 days' notice.
What's the difference between Lite and Zen Front Desk?
With Lite, your receptionist answers your phone, texts your booking link and sends you call summaries. Zen Front Desk is the full custom-built front office with your own named receptionist: it books appointments straight into your calendar on the call, handles events and follow-up, and includes 3,000 minutes.
Zen Front Desk Lite
- 1,000 minutes included / month
- 24/7/365 answering on first ring
- Texts your booking link mid-call
- Instant summary text to owner
- Pre-configured studio voice
- 60-second Google Profile setup
- $0 setup fee · Month to month
Full Zen Front Desk
- 3,000 minutes included / month
- Direct in-call calendar booking
- Custom named receptionist & voice
- Outbound appointment confirmations
- Event RSVP & intake workflows
- Multi-staff queue & schedule routing
- Dedicated account engineer
Stop sending customers to voicemail.
Every call answered on the first ring, your booking link texted to the caller, and a summary texted to you. Month to month.
Questions? Email nick@houstononlinemarketing.com
Not for you? Know someone who misses calls?
Send them to Ava. When they sign up, we pay you $100 for every Lite client and $500 for every Zen Front Desk client.