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The Vendasta team is excited to announce that
MatchCraft
, global leader in AI-powered digital advertising, is coming to the Vendasta Marketplace on April 16th, 2025!The MatchCraft platform is designed to maximize ROI through AI-driven automation, advanced targeting, and real-time analytics. By leveraging MatchCraft’s cutting-edge technology, Vendasta’s Marketing Services team of
expert Digital Ads Specialists
will optimize and scale paid ad campaigns across search, display, and social media
—driving better results for your clients with less effort on your end.Starting April 16th, all
Vendasta Digital Ads Services
will transition to MatchCraft Managed Services
—delivering the same expert fulfillment with the power of MatchCraft’s AI and automation.No Action Required for Existing Campaigns!
If you're already running Digital Ads campaigns, nothing will change—your clients will continue receiving
expertly managed, high-performing ads
with MatchCraft’s technology powering every campaign
. This means your clients will see the name of the service change from “Digital Ads” to “MatchCraft Ads” inside of Business App.What is MatchCraft?
MatchCraft has been at the forefront of AI-driven digital advertising since 1998, helping agencies, media companies, and enterprises run highly optimized campaigns at scale. Acquired by Vendasta in 2022, MatchCraft’s award-winning platform powers millions of dollars in ad campaigns worldwide, driving higher efficiency, better targeting, and maximum ROI. Recognized as the Microsoft Advertising Rising Star of the Year, MatchCraft is the trusted choice for businesses looking to scale digital advertising with automation, data-driven insights, and expert strategy.
Introducing Three MatchCraft Services:
Beginning April 16th, you’ll be able to purchase
three MatchCraft-powered advertising services through the Marketplace:
1. MatchCraft Express Ads
– Fast, AI-Powered Ad Launching
- Perfect for small-budgets, promotional campaigns, or businesses looking to build brand awareness.
- Runs Google Search & Microsoft Bing Ads through MatchCraft’s AI-powered platform.
- Features instant AI campaign setup—automatically generating keywords, ad copy, and targeting based on order details.
- Vendasta’s Team of Digital Ads Specialists will provide post-instant-launch cutomizations to the ads campaign and offer quality assurance checks at 30 and 90 days.
- Currently only for partners billing in USD. Other currencies coming soon!
2. MatchCraft Managed Ads Campaign
(Previously “Digital Ads: Campaign”)
- Ideal for businesses with ongoing advertising needs that require expert management, thorough strategy and multiple touchpoints.
- Runs campaigns across search, display, or social platforms.
- Includes monthly strategic optimization by Vendasta’s Digital Ads Specialists using MatchCraft’s AI.
- Important update:minimum ad spend increasing from $300 to $500—to ensure we are providing the right service to the right customer.
- Name change of existing Digital Ads: Campaign service.
3. MatchCraft Managed AI AdVantage
(Previously “Digital Ads: AI AdVantage”)
- Best for businesses with little to no online presence, everything needed to start your client’s advertising. *A great option for a new business looking to unlock the power of advertising!
- Media spend, website landing page, AI-powered webchat installation, call tracking, strategy calls with the team, and more are included in this package.
- Runs multi-channel campaigns across search, display, or social platforms.
- Vendasta’s Team of Digital Ads Specialists will optimize ads monthly.
- Name change of existing Digital Ads: AI AdVantage service.
------------------------
Summary:
By ordering ad campaigns on MatchCraft’s AI-powered platform, managed by Vendasta’s expert Digital Ads Specialists, your business will benefit from:
- Smarter, high-performing ad campaigns– AI-driven automation, precise targeting, and continuous optimization for maximum ROI.
- Effortless campaign management– Our team of trained specialists handle everything, ensuring seamless execution and top-tier results.
- Seamless transition for existing clients– If you’re already using Vendasta’s Digital Ads services, there’s no disruption—just the same great performance powered by MatchCraft.
This marks the future of digital ads fulfillment at Vendasta—a more intelligent, efficient, and results-driven approach to paid advertising! 🚀
------------------------
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is MatchCraft, and how does it improve digital advertising?
MatchCraft is a leading AI-powered digital advertising platform that automates, optimizes, and scales paid ad campaigns across search, display, and social media. It uses AI-driven automation, advanced targeting, and real-time analytics to maximize ROI. Vendasta’s Digital Ads Specialista leverage this powerful platform to run high-performance campaigns for your clients.
2. Will I or my clients have direct access to the MatchCraft platform?
No, MatchCraft requires expert management to ensure the best results. Vendasta’s trained Digital Ads Specialists will handle all campaigns, using MatchCraft’s advanced AI-driven tools to optimize performance and maximize ad efficiency.
3. What happens to my existing Digital Ads campaigns?
There’s no action required—your existing campaigns will continue running seamlessly. The only change is that they are now officially branded under MatchCraft Managed Services, emphasizing the power of the platform behind them.
4. What’s changing with the transition to MatchCraft Managed Services?
Service names are changing (see new service names above) to reflect how all digital ad fulfillment leverages MatchCraft’s AI-driven automation to improve efficiency and results.
The minimum ad spend for MatchCraft Managed Ads Campaign is increasing from $300 to $500, to ensure we are delivering the right campaigns to the right clients.
5. How does MatchCraft Express Ads differ from the other services?
MatchCraft Express Ads is a fast-launch, AI-powered ad solution designed for smaller budgets and/or brand awareness campaigns. Unlike the fully managed services, MatchCraft Express Ads has fewer touch points and automatically generates ad copy, keywords, and targeting based on order details, making it a quicker and more affordable option. Our expert team is still present and will provide services such as campaign customization post-launch and optimization assurance on day 30 and 90 of the campaign.
6. Why is the minimum ad spend increasing for MatchCraft Managed Ads Campaign?
The introduction of MatchCraft Express Ads provides a solution for clients with smaller budgets or short-term campaigns, while the updates to MatchCraft Managed Ads Campaign ensure we're delivering the right service to the right clients.
7. How do I place an order for MatchCraft services?
Starting April 16th, 2025, you can order MatchCraft Express Ads, MatchCraft Managed Ads Campaign, and MatchCraft Managed AI AdVantage directly from the Vendasta Marketplace.
8. Who do I contact if I have more questions?
For more details, visit our Help Center or reach out to support@vendasta.com. We're here to help!
new
Reputation Management
Automations
Multi-location
Business App
Inbox
Partner Center
Billing & Payments
Orders
CRM
AI
Now Available
Product Updates: 2025-03-13
Updates to AI Receptionist and more were shared at yesterday's Vendasta Connect.
Missed Connect(ion)? No Problem!
Yesterday, Vendasta partners from the around the world joined us to learn how AI is transforming customer acquisition, lead conversion, and SMB success. They came away with the latest updates to AI Receptionist, and a sneak peek into what's coming next to help their agencies - and their SMBs - get more customers, and keep them.
Updates demonstrated during the event included:
Now Available
- [Business App: Multi-location] Manage customer communication and associated sales tasks at the brand level with Inbox messages, contact records, and sales tasks for all locations available in Multi-location Business App. Corporate sales reps can now see all outstanding tasks across multiple locations. follow up faster on web chat leads and unhappy customers (NPS detractors), and boost efficiency for their franchise teams, empowering them to focus on serving customers. Learn more
- [Business App: Inbox] Preview and select a voice for the AI Voice Receptionist best suited to each of your client's brands and their respective goals. Eight new voices are available, organized into two voice families to help users understand the tradeoffs and capabilities of each voice. Find the new voices in Business App > AI > AI workforce > AI Voice Receptionist > Configure > Voice Configuration.Learn more
- [Business App: Inbox] Adjust voice behavior for the AI Voice Receptionist to customize its sensitivity to background noise, padding of audio recordings to ensure no speech is cut off, and how long the receptionist should wait after a caller stops speaking before responding. Tune these in Business App > AI > AI workforce > AI Voice Receptionist > Configure > Voice Configuration > Advanced voice options.Learn more
- [Business App: Inbox] Have AI Chat Receptionist respond to WhatsApp messages. Set this up in Business App > AI > AI workforce > AI Chat Receptionist > Configure > Channels > WhatsApp.
Coming Soon
- [Business App: Inbox] Have AI Chat Receptionist respond to customers through more channels, such as Facebook Messenger and email.
- [Business App: Inbox] Choose from more voices for AI Voice Receptionist.
- [Business App: Inbox] Have AI Voice and Chat Receptionists book appointments directly into a calendar during conversations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More improvements arrived this week too! The following updates are now available:
Business App
- [Business App: Multi-location] Track customer sentiment across all locations with a consolidated overview of NPS feedback, promoter and detractor trends, and score-over-time graphs. Brand managers can leverage these insights to identify underperforming locations and take proactive steps to improve customer experience across all sites. Learn more
- [Business App: Multi-location] Monitor NPS and reviews across all locations. View data such as total requests sent, clickthrough rates, and performance trends to help locations optimize their reputation management efforts.
Partner Center
- [Partner Center: Commerce] Enter payment method details directly into a sales order, or select from existing methods on file, to collect payment immediately when placing a sales order. Whether the payment method is being collected over the phone for an initial sale, or is on file for an existing account, by connecting the payment method directly to the sales order, payment is processed and products are activated automatically. Learn more
new
Marketplace
Automations
Business App
Inbox
Partner Center
Billing & Payments
Yesware
Orders
CRM
AI
Now Available
What's New
Product Updates: 2025-02-28
The latest updates to Vendasta include more voices and other customizations for AI Voice Receptionist, new ways to personalize customer engagement at scale, and more.
Business App
- [Business App: Inbox] Choose the voice for the AI Voice Receptionist best suited to each of your client's brands and their respective goals. Eight new voices are available, organized into two voice families to help users understand the tradeoffs and capabilities of each voice. Find the new voices in Business App > AI > AI workforce > AI Voice Receptionist > Configure > Voice Configuration.Coming soon: Additional voices and voice families, and the ability to preview voices during configuration.
- [Business App: Inbox] Adjust voice behavior for the AI Voice Receptionist to customize its sensitivity to background noise, padding of audio recordings to ensure no speech is cut off, and how long the receptionist should wait after a caller stops speaking before responding. Tune these in Business App > AI > AI workforce > AI Voice Receptionist > Configure > Voice Configuration > Advanced voice options
- [Business App: CRM] Personalize customer engagement at scale with new date-based filters for Smart Lists and Lead Scoring. For example, automate sending a promotional email campaign on each contact's birthday, build a Smart List including contacts that have clicked into a campaign within the past week, or remind customers to book their next appointment by filtering on last service date.
Partner Center
- [Partner Center: Automations] View recent automation runs from Partner Center > Automations > Automation historyto track performance and troubleshoot errors. When reviewing, filter by criteria such as Contacts, Companies, Accounts, Users, and Order IDs to easily get focused insights. Learn more
- [Partner Center: CRM] Personalize customer engagement at scale with new date-based filters for Smart Lists and Lead Scoring. For example, automate sending a promotional email campaign on each contact's birthday, build a Smart List including contacts that have clicked into a campaign within the past week, or remind customers to book their next appointment by filtering on last service date.
- [Partner Center: Orders] Preview orders to see them exactly as your customers will before sending them off for approval.
- [Partner Center: Orders] Manage billing disputes more easily with in Partner Center > Commerce > Payments > View disputed payments. This focused dashboard displays all credit card payments disputed by clients, with direct links to associated invoices, reason for dispute, and more. Use these readily available details to prove each charge's legitimacy and quickly resolve disputes by showing clients the reason for the charge and the products/services received.
REMINDER: Yesware is Now Available in the Marketplace!
Yesware, the renowned sales productivity and email tracking tool, is now available in the Vendasta Marketplace. This new addition empowers partners to offer Yesware to their SMB clients, providing them with real-time prospect tracking, seamless integration with Outlook and Gmail, and personalized sales campaigns that drive engagement. Learn more
Exciting news for Vendasta Channel Partners! Yesware, the renowned sales productivity and email tracking tool, is now available in the Vendasta Marketplace. This new addition empowers partners to offer Yesware to their SMB clients, providing them with real-time prospect tracking, seamless integration with Outlook and Gmail, and personalized sales campaigns that drive engagement.
In addition, Yesware contact and activity data automatically syncs with Vendasta CRM, making it easier than ever for Channel Partners and SMBs to manage sales interactions and track engagement within Partner Center and Business App.
Key Updates with Yesware’s Marketplace Availability:
- Yesware Premium Edition Available for Resale:Yesware Premium is now available for resale through the Vendasta Marketplace. Yesware Premium provides sales teams with unlimited campaigns, advanced team collaboration, and powerful performance insights—all directly within their email interface.
- Wholesale Pricing:Vendasta Channel Partners have access to exclusive wholesale pricing at $35 per seat per month (USD), with volume discounts available.
- Yesware CRM Sync with Real-Time Contact & Activity Tracking:With this integration, Yesware users on Vendasta see their contacts and sales activities automatically synced to the Vendasta CRM. This ensures that sales teams have immediate insights into prospect engagement, such as email opens, link clicks, and other key interactions. Channel Partners using Yesware find their synced data in Partner Center CRM, while SMBs purchasing Yesware access their contacts and activities in Business App CRM.
NOTE:
Yesware’s Data Enrichment credits are currently not available for SMB purchase.How to Purchase & Access Yesware:
For SMBs (Marketplace Purchase):
- Yesware is available for purchase via the Vendasta Marketplace, with Channel Partners reselling it to SMBs on a seat-based model similar to Google Workspace. The primary product, Yesware Premium, costs $35 per month per seat (USD) wholesale, and includes one seat assignable by the Channel Partner to an SMB admin. Additional seats can be purchased at the same price and will be assigned dynamically within the Business App.
- Purchasing Workflow:Channel Partner orders Yesware Premium in the Partner Center. The assigned Yesware Administrator manages seat assignments via the Yesware Dashboard. Additional seats function on a first-come, first-serve basis in Business App, with reassignment options available.
For Channel Partners (Partner Center Access):
- Vendasta Channel Partners have access to Yesware through Partner Center, with included seats depending on their Vendasta subscription tier. Partners on legacy Vendasta subscriptions can upgrade to a current plan to access Yesware. Visit Vendasta Pricing for details.
What is Yesware?
Yesware is a powerful email tracking and sales engagement tool designed for sales professionals. It integrates directly with Gmail and Outlook to provide sales insights, automation, and engagement tracking.
Key Features:
- Email Tracking – Get real-time alerts when emails are opened or links are clicked.
- Attachment Tracking – See if and when attachments are downloaded.
- Templates & Personalization – Create and reuse email templates for efficiency.
- Automated Follow-Ups – Schedule multi-step email cadences.
- Sales Campaigns – Run structured, one-on-one sales outreach at scale.
- Reporting & Analytics – Gain insights on email performance and engagement.
Who Benefits from Yesware?
Yesware is a perfect fit for sales-focused SMBs, including industries such as construction, real estate, law firms, financial services, SaaS providers, digital marketing agencies, coworking spaces, and non-profits.
Yesware vs. Vendasta Email + SMS Campaigns
Yesware Campaigns are designed for one-on-one sales outreach, helping sales teams follow up with leads in a structured cadence within Outlook and Gmail. Meanwhile, Vendasta Email + SMS Campaigns are built for broad, automated marketing, allowing businesses to reach larger audiences with mass communication.
------------------
The availability of Yesware in the Vendasta Marketplace is a game-changer for sales teams looking to optimize their outreach and increase productivity. With real-time email tracking, personalized campaigns, and seamless CRM integration, Yesware helps SMBs close more deals, faster.
If you’re a Vendasta Channel Partner, begin offering Yesware to your clients and take advantage of the exclusive wholesale pricing!
Check out Yesware in the Vendasta Marketplace.
new
Automations
Business App
Inbox
Partner Center
AI
APIs & Integrations
Coming Soon
Now Available
Product Updates: 2025-02-14
Direct integrations with JobNimbus and Clio top the list of Vendasta's latest updates.
Business App
- [Business App: APIs & Integrations] Connect JobNimbus accounts directly with Business App to sync customer data, request reviews automatically, and centralize communication. Business App integrates with a growing list of industry-leading apps. To connect accounts, go to Business App > Administration > Connections > Browse Integrations.Learn more
If you have clients using
JobNimbus
, you'll want to check out the replay of our recent webinar on AI and Automations for the Home Services industry.
Watch now
- [Business App: APIs & Integrations] Connect Clio accounts directly with Business App to sync customer data, request reviews automatically, and centralize communication. Learn more
If the new
Clio
integration is more relevant to your clientele, our webinar on AI and Automations for the Professional Services industry is a must-see!
Watch now
- [Business App: Automations] Ensure follow-ups, tasks, and messages happen at the right moment by adding "delay until" steps in automated workflows. Delay actions until jobs are completed, a contact is added to a list, a meeting is created, and much more. Learn more
- [Business App: Inbox] Promote your agency and boost SEO by enabling a backlink on the footer of your client's AI web chat widgets that say, “Chat provided by [your agency's name]" with a link to your website. Enable this from Partner Center > Customize Business App > Branding > Inbox Web Chat.Learn more
- [Business App: Inbox] Easily set and update phone number settings for each of your clients to specify how received calls and SMS messages should be handled, such as responding via AI or forwarding to another number. The phone configuration page can be reached through:
- Business App > AI workforce > AI Voice Receptionist > Configure > Channels > Voice > Settings
- Business App > AI workforce > AI Chat Receptionist > Configure > Channels > SMS > Settings
- Business App > Inbox > More > Inbox Settings > Phone and SMS > Configure
- Business App > Administration > Inbox Settings > Phone and SMS > Configure
Partner Center
[Partner Center: Automations] Ensure follow-ups, tasks, and messages happen at the right moment by adding "delay until" steps in automated workflows. Delay actions until leads are captured, a contact is added to a list, a meeting is created, and much more. Learn more
Products
- [Products: Local SEO] Get detailed insights from Bing in Local SEO to assess the search engine's value as a source of traffic. Learn more
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Events
Use AI Receptionist to get more customers — and keep them:
This week, we hosted a three-part webinar series highlighting how to get the most out of offering Vendasta's AI Receptionist to SMBs in any industry. Focusing on a different industry each day, attendees learned how to automate key workflows across the customer journey with Vendasta's AI Receptionist and Automations in Business App. They also came away with some templates to help them get started!Vendasta Connect:
The next wave in the AI gold rush is here, and AI employees will change the small business world forever. Join us at Vendasta Connect 2025 for an exclusive look at how AI is transforming customer acquisition, lead conversion, and SMB success. --------------------------------------------------------------------
Coming soon: Yesware to Vendasta's Marketplace
Yesware, the renowned sales productivity and email tracking tool, is coming soon to the Vendasta Marketplace on February 26th, 2025. This new addition will enable partners to offer Yesware to their SMB clients, empowering them with real-time prospect tracking, seamless integration with Outlook and Gmail, and personalized sales campaigns that drive engagement. Learn more
new
Local SEO
Now Available
Now Available: Listing Distribution rebrands to Citation Builder
The Vendasta team is thrilled to announce the evolution of our "Listing Distribution" product into "Citation Builder," effective February 3rd, 2025. This transition represents more than just a name change — it’s a significant step forward in our commitment to helping you and your SMB clients achieve greater success in building their online presence. With exciting new features, enhanced reporting, and a valuable partnership with TransUnion (owners of Neustar Localeze), Citation Builder is designed to deliver even more value and transparency.
What’s New with
Citation Builder
?- Streamlined Reporting:All citation and data aggregator insights will now be accessible in a consolidated "Citations" tab, simplifying usability and saving you time.
- Deeper Integration with Neustar Localeze:Our enhanced partnership with TransUnion provides richer, more transparent data for citation insights.
- Retirement of Data Axle Integration:Citation Builder will no longer sync with Data Axle for new activations after February 1, 2025. Existing customers will continue to benefit from Data Axle submissions until their renewal period ends (January 31, 2026).
Why the Name Change?
The new name, "Citation Builder," better reflects the product’s purpose: building citations to enhance local search visibility. This change also eliminates confusion between "Listing Sync Pro" and "Listing Distribution," making it easier for partners and clients to understand the unique benefits of each tool.
How Will This Transition Benefit You?
- Enhanced Usability:Vendasta has unified the "Listing Distribution" tab in Local SEO with the "Citations" tab, simplifying reporting to more easily show the positive impact the product has on citations growth over time.
- Improved Transparency:Detailed insights from TransUnion's Neustar Localeze empower you to demonstrate value to clients effectively.
What You Need to Know:
- The transition will be seamless for existing users. No action is required from you or your clients.
- All historical data and reporting will remain accessible.
- Comprehensive updated documentation in our Help Center will be available to help you make the most of the new features.
Looking Ahead:
The evolution to Citation Builder aligns with our commitment to delivering tools that help you grow your business while supporting SMBs in achieving a strong, credible online presence. Together, we’re setting the stage for renewed growth and success in 2025 and beyond.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, our team is here to help.
Thank you for partnering with Vendasta to empower local businesses!
new
Social Marketing
Business App
Inbox
Partner Center
AI
Platform
Now Available
What's New
Product Updates: 2025-01-31
Catch up on the latest updates to Partner Center, Business App, and more.
Send Follow-Up SMS after AI Voice Conversation: New Automation Template
Last week, AI Voice Receptionist was released to open beta in Business App to help your SMB clients capture more new leads and keep customers happy.
New this week, an automation template for your SMB clients that:
- triggers when a call is made to the AI voice receptionist
- writes a follow-up SMS based on the transcript
- sends the follow-up SMS using Inbox and Automations
This is a great way to stop-the-shop after someone calls! Turn it on in for each of your SMBs in Business App by going to
Business App > Automations > AI Receptionist sends follow-up SMS to leads who called > [toggle on].
Learn moreBusiness App
- [Business App: APIs & Integrations] Connect Protractor, Service Monster, and ShopBoss accounts directly with Business App to sync customer data, request reviews automatically, and centralize communication. Business App integrates with a growing list of industry-leading apps. To connect accounts, go to Business App > Administration > Connections > Browse Integrations. Learn more
- [Business App: Inbox Pro] Customize AI web chat's initial message to greet website visitors upon their arrival, and get a conversation started. Learn more
- [Business App: Inbox Pro] Greet web visitors in their preferred language by notcustomizing AI web chat's initial message. AI web chat will detect the language set in the lead's browser, and automatically begin the conversation in that language. Learn more
Platform
- [Partner Center: Inbox] Customize AI web chat's initial message to greet website visitors upon their arrival, and get a conversation started. Learn more
- [Partner Center: Inbox] Greet web visitors in their preferred language by not customizing AI web chat's initial message. AI web chat will detect the language set in the lead's browser, and automatically begin the conversation in that language. Learn more
Products
- [Products: Social Marketing] Create long-form blog posts with Social Marketing Pro. Generate content optimized for search using AI, and schedule/publish directly to a Wordpress website. Learn more
- [Products: Social Marketing] Connect Wordpress sites to Social Marketing Pro to schedule and publish blog content generated by Social Marketing Pro directly to Wordpress blogs. Learn more
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February 11-13, 2025: Use AI Receptionist to get more customers — and keep them.
Join us for a special webinar series designed to help agencies get the most out of offering Vendasta's AI Receptionist to SMBs in any industry.
You'll learn:
- how to leverage AI and automations to deliver big results in lead capture, conversion, and retention
- key workflows tailored to specific industries
You'll also come away with some templates to help you get started!
February 11, 2025: AI Workflows for Home Services
Designed for agency owners serving home renovation professionals, plumbers, electricians, and similar service-based industries.
February 12, 2025: AI Workflows for Personal Care Businesses
This session is tailored for agencies that work with spas, salons, pet groomers, and similar personal care providers.
February 13, 2025: AI Workflows for Professional Services
Perfect for agencies supporting financial advisors, lawyers, accountants, and other professionals.
Join us for one of these sessions, or all three! They're completely free, and you can sign up
here
.new
Business App
AI
Now Available
Your Feedback Wanted on Vendasta's AI Voice Receptionist
Last week, Vendasta's AI Voice Receptionist was released to open beta to increase lead capture and conversion for SMBs by ensuring no customer call goes unanswered. Learn more
To share your feedback, complete this form.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have clients using AI Voice Receptionist: We want to hear from you!
Share the good, the bad, and the ugly. How are your clients using it? What early results are you seeing as the receptionist captures new leads and engages returning customers? What improvements would facilitate set up?
If you don't have clients using AI Voice Receptionist: We want to hear from you!
Tell us about the challenges you're experiencing, or your reasons for not introducing the AI Voice Receptionist to your clients? Are they not a good fit* for the Beta period? Or perhaps they are not convinced of the benefits?
Benefits to Your SMB Clients
Vendasta's AI Voice Receptionist, SMBs can increase lead capture and conversion by:
- Responding instantly - answer every call to eliminate the risk of losing leads to competitors.
- Nurturing automatically - build post-call journeys that ensure leads get the information and attention they need to convert.
- Serving more customers - expand your team's capacity without expanding your team.
Benefits to Your Agency
While Vendasta's AI Voice Receptionist helps SMBs make the most of every lead, it provides your agency with an opportunity to get more customers, and keep them, by:
- Proving ROI - increase lead capture and conversion for SMBs without increasing overhead costs.
- Becoming mission-critical - provide your clients' with sticky solutions that become an essential part of their daily operations.
- Gaining a competitive edge - show prospects an impressive, irrefutable record of delivering big results.
*
Who should use AI Voice Receptionist in Beta?
SMBs who:
- Have Inbox Pro active
- Are located in the U.S. or Canada
- Are using AI web chat to capture leads on their website and/or
- Are using AI SMS to respond to customer texts.
- Are comfortable with occasional bugs and some uncertainty around development timelines
Partners who:
- Are comfortable not knowing packaging and pricing details for general release right now
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
February 11-13, 2025: Use AI Receptionist to get more customers — and keep them.
Join us for a special webinar series designed to help agencies get the most out of offering Vendasta's AI Receptionist to SMBs in any industry.
You'll learn:
- how to leverage AI and automations to deliver big results in lead capture, conversion, and retention
- key workflows tailored to specific industries
You'll also come away with some templates to help you get started!
February 11, 2025: AI Workflows for Home Services
Designed for agency owners serving home renovation professionals, plumbers, electricians, and similar service-based industries.
February 12, 2025: AI Workflows for Personal Care Businesses
This session is tailored for agencies that work with spas, salons, pet groomers, and similar personal care providers.
February 13, 2025: AI Workflows for Professional Services
Perfect for agencies supporting financial advisors, lawyers, accountants, and other professionals.
Join us for one of these sessions, or all three! They're completely free, and you can sign up
here
.new
Business App
Inbox
AI
Now Available
What's New
NOW AVAILABLE: AI Voice Receptionist in Open Beta
Vendasta's AI Voice Receptionist
has been released on open beta, and is now available to customers of Inbox Pro. 
Help your SMB clients answer every phone call
immediately
to capture more new leads and keep customers happy. Whether they're getting in touch via chat or
phone, their AI Receptionist is always ready to respond! In this article
- AI Voice Receptionist: What is it? Who should try it?
- Webinar: Join us today to learn all about Vendasta's AI Receptionist
- FAQ
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
AVAILABLE NOW: AI Voice Receptionist on
Open Beta
Provide your SMB clients with the opportunity to answer every lead immediately with AI Voice Receptionist.
What is it?
AI Voice Receptionist is an AI-powered employee that increases lead capture and conversion for SMBs by ensuring no customer call goes unanswered. Available to customers of Inbox Pro for the duration of the open beta period*, AI Voice Receptionist is now ready to answer phone calls for SMBs located in US & Canada. To encourage testing during open beta, each account has access to 300 voice minutes per month at no additional cost beyond their Inbox Pro subscription, with a 5 minute limit per call.
Inbox Pro
, ideal for SMBs in US & Canada, centralizes communication for SMBs, ensuring a great customer experience across multiple channels. Capabilities include:- [NEW] WhatsApp messaging** (AI chat responses to come at a later date). Learn more
- [NEW] Call forwarding
- [NEW] Missed call text back, via SMS. Learn more
- AI web chat lead capture
- SMS messaging, including AI responses
- Unified inbox for Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, and email
- Contact creation and activity sync with the Business App CRM
*
AI Voice Receptionist is available to customers of Inbox Pro during the open beta period, subject to change upon full release. The open beta period begins on January 22, 2025, and is expected to end in late March or early April 2025. The general release date, along with pricing and packaging details for the AI Voice Receptionist, will be announced at Vendasta Connect on March 12, 2025.
**
Also available in
AI-assisted Web Chat Lead Capture for Inbox
, ideal for for SMBs outside of US & Canada.
Who should try it?
Voice AI is an early and evolving technology, and AI Voice Receptionist is in beta. It performs incredibly well in many scenarios, but you might experience some errors during conversations, along with some big improvements that you'll see come available over time.
AI Voice Receptionist has been released on open beta to:
- Provide partners with the opportunity to provide a game-changing solution to suitable SMB clients as early as possible.
- Collect partner feedback and apply improvements prior to full release.
Got feedback?
Share it here!
For your SMB clients who are eager to take advantage of the value AI has to offer their business, and can accept the uncertainties of using a product under development, this is an incredible opportunity for them to experience the impact without additional investment.
SMBs that meet the following requirements will find the most success with AI Voice Receptionist during Open Beta.
- Have Inbox Pro active
- Are located in the U.S. or Canada
- Are using AI web chat to capture leads on their website, or AI SMS to respond to customer texts.
- Have a phone number assigned to their account
Vendasta's AI Workforce
AI Receptionist is the first AI employee available through Vendasta as part of its broader AI workforce initiative that aims to democratize technology by making AI accessible, affordable, and practical for local businesses. To be presented as a unified AI Receptionist in the future, AI Voice Receptionist and AI Chat Receptionist can currently be configured separately in Business App > AI Workforce.
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Watch the webinar to learn more
Are your clients missing valuable opportunities due to unanswered calls and chats? Stop the shop and start capturing every lead.
Join us for a webinar designed to help you unlock the full potential of Vendasta’s AI Receptionist. This AI-powered employee ensures your clients’ businesses are always available— capturing leads 24/7 across voice, SMS, web chat, and (soon) WhatsApp.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why your clients need an AI Receptionist: Understand the impact of missed calls and chats on lead capture, customer satisfaction, and revenue.
- The Vendasta advantage: See how Vendasta’s AI is uniquely designed to work out-of-the-box, with responses tailored to each customer interaction.
- Live demo: Watch a step-by-step setup of the AI Receptionist to handle both phone calls and chats, ensuring seamless customer interaction.
Why Attend?
- Gain a competitive advantage: Increase lead capture and conversion for SMBs by ensuring they never miss a customer inquiry.
- Deliver game-changing timesavers to SMBs: Set up workflows that handle client communication effortlessly.
- Become mission-critical to SMBs: Drive more results from your existing marketing efforts without extra work for you or your customers to deliver exceptional ROI.
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FAQs
What is AI Receptionist?
AI Receptionist AI-powered voice and chat assistant for SMBs that can handle calls, provide information, route inquiries, and capture leads professionally across multiple communication channels.
Key features of the AI Receptionist available during the open-beta include:
- Ability to be deployed on a phone-number
- Answering questions accurately about a business using a business' knowledge base.
- Capturing lead information and notifying business owners about key conversation details.
At this time, AI chat receptionist and AI voice receptionist are configured separately, either through:
- Business App > AI workforce
- Business App > Inbox > Inbox Settings
On which communication channels can AI Receptionist respond?
During the beta launch, the AI receptionist will be able to respond connected channels such as:
- Phone
- SMS
- Web chat
- WhatsApp (coming soon)
The AI receptionist will respond on additional connected channels upon its full release, such as on Facebook Messenger and through email.
Why should SMBs use an AI Receptionist?
SMB owners and their teams who are busy serving customers can use it to save time, reduce missed opportunities, and provide a consistent, professional customer experience.
Why should SMBs use Vendasta's AI Receptionist?
Vendasta's AI Receptionist captures and converts more leads for SMBs by handling inquiries 24/7 across voice, SMS, WhatsApp (coming soon), and web chat. It's fully integrated with the Business App CRM and Automations, enabling them to build the ideal customer experience for their target audience, and automated workflows tailored their business model.
How long is the Beta period?
The open beta period begins on January 21, 2025, and is expected to end in late March or early April 2025. The general release date, along with pricing and packaging details for the AI Voice Receptionist, will be announced at Vendasta Connect on March 12, 2025.
Through this advance notice, Vendasta Partners are given time to set expectations with their customers and prepare them for upcoming changes to pricing and packaging.
Will my agency or my clients be billed for phone calls managed by the AI Voice Receptionist?
During the open beta period, every SMB with an active Inbox Pro account 300 minutes of voice available every month, included at no extra cost. There is a 5-minute maximum per call.
The general release date, along with pricing and packaging details for the AI Voice Receptionist, will be announced at Vendasta Connect on March 12, 2025. Through this advance notice, Vendasta Partners are given time to set expectations with their customers and prepare them for upcoming changes to pricing and packaging.
Why the 5-minute limit per phone call?
A 5-minute limit has been implemented on individual phone-calls to avoid wasted minutes on spam or unrelated conversations, and maintain purposeful interactions that align with the needs of the business.
What inquiries can the AI handle?
In open beta, the AI Voice Receptionist can handle most common inquiries and FAQs that a receptionist would be expected to handle. This includes capturing lead information and details of the conversation if a human needs to take further action.
The knowledge available to the AI Receptionist comes from the AI Knowledge base in Vendasta. Instructions for how the AI Voice Receptionist behaves during calls can be modified by adding instructions in
Business App > AI workforce > AI Voice Receptionist > Configure > Additional Instructions
.Can I update my AI receptionist’s script and knowledge base after setup?
Absolutely! You can update the AI’s script and business knowledge at any time by revisiting the configuration settings in the AI Workforce section.
What happens if the AI cannot answer a caller’s question?
If the AI cannot answer a caller’s question, it will capture the caller’s details and pass the inquiry to the business for follow-up. This ensures no leads or customer concerns are missed.
How accurate is the AI at answering FAQs?
The AI is trained with the business’s knowledge base and FAQs. The open beta preview is highly capable, but you may see unexpected behavior. Accuracy will also depend on how well the business provides up-to-date and comprehensive information during configuration.
TIP: Don't give the AI too much knowledge to draw from; it currently performs best when it's been given only highly relevant, specific information that it will need for common phone interactions.
TIP: For best performance answering common questions, add instructions to the 'Additional Instructions' area of the Voice AI configuration, since this information is available for the AI to use in its answers without needing to "look up" anything. Common questions like pricing, services, FAQs can be added there.
Can I choose which languages the AI receptionist speaks?
Yes, businesses can enable specific languages for the AI receptionist based on their audience. Many common languages are supported, and the voice AI can switch into a different language at a caller's request. Multi-language support is currently in beta, so results may vary.
TIP: To instruct your AI to answer calls by default in another language, add this to the 'additional instructions': "IMPORTANT: Begin all calls by speaking [language], and say: "Bonjour..."
How do I listen to call recordings and review transcripts?
Call recordings and transcripts are accessible through the Inbox and the CRM in Business App. New calls will appear in Inbox, and be logged on the contact activity in the CRM.
Users will also be notified about new calls via Email and App notifications.
Can the AI receptionist handle multiple calls at the same time?
Yes, the AI receptionist can manage multiple calls simultaneously, ensuring no caller is left waiting.
Can I remove the "This call is being recorded" message at the beginning of the AI Voice Receptionist calls?
This notification is a legal requirement in Canada and many US states. In the future, we might look at allowing individuals to opt-out by letting them assume all legal risk, but at this time the notification will remain in place for all use.
Will Vendasta release other AI Employees?
Yes, throughout the year Vendasta will be releasing new AI Employees to provide businesses with an AI Workforce handling job functions across the entire customer journey.
Will Partner Center Inbox get AI Receptionist?
Yes – ETA in late February 2025, the AI Receptionist (along with Phone & SMS features) will be added to the Partner Center Inbox experience partners located in the US and Canada.
Further pricing and availability for Partner Center inbox will be coming at a later date.
Find answers to more FAQs here.
Last week, we shared the upcoming arrival of AI Voice Receptionist on Open Beta for customers of Inbox Pro. Originally scheduled for release today, January 21, 2025, AI Voice Receptionist will now be available for SMBs with Inbox Pro tomorrow, January 22, 2025.
Stay tuned here for an update as soon as it's live!
If you have SMB clients using Inbox Pro, you won't want to miss tomorrow's webinar, designed to help you unlock the full potential of Vendasta’s AI Receptionist.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why your clients need an AI Receptionist: Understand the impact of missed calls and chats on lead capture, customer satisfaction, and revenue.
- The Vendasta advantage: See how Vendasta’s AI is uniquely designed to work out-of-the-box, with responses tailored to each customer interaction.
- Live demo: Watch a step-by-step setup of the AI Receptionist to handle both phone calls and chats, ensuring seamless customer interaction.
Why Attend?
- Gain a competitive advantage: Increase lead capture and conversion for SMBs by ensuring they never miss a customer inquiry.
- Deliver game-changing timesavers to SMBs: Set up workflows that handle client communication effortlessly.
- Become mission-critical to SMBs: Drive more results from your existing marketing efforts without extra work for you or your customers to deliver exceptional ROI.
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