A Canadian AI alternative to AnswerPlus
AnswerPlus is an established Canadian answering service built on live human agents who take your calls, typically billed by the minute or by the call, the way most of the category works. If AnswerPlus is one of your options, here's the honest difference: HeyDiane is an AI receptionist named Diane rather than a live-agent service. She's built and supported in Sherwood Park, Alberta by The Human Frequency Inc., on a flat monthly price with no per-minute meter.
| HeyDiane | AnswerPlus | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (as published) | From $199/mo CAD — 500 calls included | Roughly $245–$325/mo CAD plus ~$2.95–$2.99/min, per third-party comparisons |
| Billing model | Flat monthly — no per-minute meter | Monthly base plus per-minute billing |
| Billing currency | CAD | CAD |
| Built for trades | Yes — HVAC, plumbing, electrical, restoration and more | No — general answering service |
| Direct FSM integration | Assisted FSM workflow setup (Crew and Fleet plans) | None named publicly |
| Canadian company / PIPEDA framing | Yes — built in Sherwood Park, Alberta; PIPEDA-compliant handling | Yes — Toronto, Ontario |
AnswerPlus figures from third-party AnswerPlus comparison, accessed July 2026. Prices and plans change — verify with the vendor. HeyDiane figures from /pricing.
AnswerPlus
A live human answering service
- Live human agents take your calls.
- Typically billed per minute or per call.
- People can handle the unusual or sensitive call.
- Some businesses prefer a real voice on every call.
HeyDiane
A Canadian AI receptionist
- Diane is AI, disclosed on request.
- Flat $199 a month CAD, no per-minute billing.
- Built and supported in Alberta, configured to your trade.
- Books jobs into your calendar; texts you real emergencies.
How HeyDiane is different
Diane is configured to your business rather than working from a generic script. A real person in Alberta sets her up with your service area, your pricing and after-hours rates, and your emergency and escalation rules, then tunes her on real calls. She answers every call you can't, day and night, books routine jobs into your calendar with text and email confirmation, quotes the after-hours fee you set, and texts your cell when a call is a real emergency. Pricing is flat: $0 founder setup and $199 a month in Canadian dollars, month-to-month, one-click cancel. Because it's flat, your busy season doesn't drive the bill up.
The honest tradeoff stands: AnswerPlus puts live people on your phone, and some businesses prefer that, particularly for the call that's complicated, sensitive, or simply unusual, where human judgment earns its keep. Diane is AI, disclosed on request, built to handle the routine and after-hours calls you'd otherwise miss. Choosing between a human service and an AI receptionist comes down to which calls you most need answered and how predictable you want your monthly cost to be.
A well-established general-purpose answering service handles calls across many industries — trades, healthcare, real estate, professional services. That breadth is a strength if your needs are similar to every other client on their roster. For a service trade business in Alberta, the edge case is industry-specific knowledge: after-hours furnace calls, no-heat triage, job-type pricing, and emergency escalation that follows your protocol exactly. Diane is configured for one business at a time, not a shared script for many.
$0 founder setup + $199/month. Live in 48 hours.
Common questions
How is HeyDiane different from AnswerPlus?
AnswerPlus is a Canadian answering service staffed by live human agents, usually billed per minute or per call. HeyDiane is an AI receptionist on a flat $199 a month CAD, built and supported in Alberta, configured to your trade and after-hours pricing, and she books jobs into your calendar.
When does a live-agent service make more sense than AI?
When you want a real person on every call. A human service like AnswerPlus is a fair choice for unusual, sensitive, or complicated calls where a person's judgment helps. HeyDiane, disclosed as AI on request, is built to answer the routine and after-hours calls you can't take, book the standard work, quote your after-hours fee, and escalate real emergencies to your cell. Many owners use Diane for that overflow and after-hours coverage.
Is HeyDiane a flat price or per-minute?
Flat. HeyDiane is $0 founder setup plus $199 a month CAD, with no per-minute or per-call charges. Per-minute billing is common for live-agent answering services. Live in 48 hours.