AI phone answering in Switzerland: what it actually costs
Four ways to cover the phone when you cannot, what each one costs, and how to tell which one suits you.
Updated August 22, 2026
Who this guide is for
You run a small business in Switzerland, the phone rings while you are already working, and you want to know what it would cost to stop missing those calls. This guide compares the four options that actually exist and gives you the arithmetic to reach your own number.
We sell one of those four. So this also says when the other three are the better answer, and what Voko cannot do.
The four options
There are not five. Each one bills in a different shape, and the shape of the bill decides more than the advertised price.
1. Voicemail
- How:
- Free, and already on your line.
- Cost:
- No direct cost.
The cost is elsewhere: the caller who hangs up without leaving a message and dials the next number. It is the one line item nobody measures.
2. A human answering service
- How:
- A provider answers in your name, following a script you give them.
- Cost:
- Billed per call answered, usually with a setup fee.
The right answer when calls need real judgement. Your bill follows your volume, which is comfortable in a quiet month and less so in a good one.
3. Hiring someone
- How:
- A person on reception, full time or part time.
- Cost:
- A salary and social charges, for one person at a time.
Justified when the phone is only part of the job. Absence, breaks and holidays still need covering.
4. An AI phone assistant
- How:
- An AI picks up, understands the request, books the appointment and emails you a summary of the call.
- Cost:
- A flat monthly subscription with an allowance of minutes.
The right answer when the calls resemble each other: opening hours, address, availability, booking an appointment.
Work out your volume before comparing prices
Subscriptions compare in minutes, not in calls. The formula fits on one line.
calls per day × average length × 22 working days = minutes per month
Fifteen calls a day at an average of two minutes is 660 minutes a month. Do this before you look at any price, ours included: it is the only way to compare two offers that do not count the same thing.
Two minutes is a cautious average for an opening-hours question or a booking. If your calls run five minutes, your volume is two and a half times higher. Measure rather than estimate if your operator gives you the means.
When a person is still the right answer
We sell an AI and we do not pretend it fits everywhere. Three situations where we would send you to a human service:
- The call needs case-by-case judgement, a negotiation, or empathy in the face of bad news.
- Your customers call in Swiss German, or in a language we do not cover.
- Your volume is small enough that the subscription would cost more than the missed calls.
When an AI assistant is the right answer
Conversely, three situations where it clearly does the job:
- The calls repeat: opening hours, address, availability, booking, qualifying a request.
- You miss calls because you are already busy, on the road, or outside opening hours.
- You want a written record of every call without typing it yourself.
What Voko costs
Three plans, excluding VAT, with no setup fee: Starter at CHF 99 for 500 minutes, Pro at CHF 299 for 1,500 minutes, Business at CHF 599 for 3,000 minutes. Annual billing works out 15% cheaper per month and commits to twelve months.
The minutes are an allowance, not a cut-off: going over does not stop your line. You keep your number and set up call forwarding.
What we cannot show yet: Voko is a new product with no published case studies. Our data is not hosted in Switzerland, and the privacy page names every sub-processor individually.
Common questions
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. You keep your number and set up call forwarding to Voko, which works with the Swiss operators. You choose whether to forward every call or only the ones you do not answer.
Does the assistant speak Swiss German?
No, and we would rather say so plainly. The assistant answers in French, German, English and Italian. Swiss German has not been checked by a native speaker, so we do not promise it.
What happens if the assistant does not understand the request?
You can set a number for it to transfer the call to a person. With no transfer configured, it takes the message and emails it to you with the summary of the call.
Can I try it before paying?
Yes. A voice demo runs in your browser on the home page, capped at 60 seconds, and you can book a 20 minute demonstration.