An answering service for small business, anywhere in the US.
Talos Connect is built in Houston and runs in the cloud, so a plumber in Phoenix, a salon in Charlotte or a law office in Chicago would get the same phones, texting and AI receptionist as a business down the street from us.
Yes. Talos Connect is available to businesses anywhere in the United States. It is a cloud platform built by Talos Automation, LLC in Houston, Texas, and everything from setup and number porting to training and support is delivered remotely, so where your business is located does not change what you get or the published list prices you pay.
Local to you, wherever you are.
Keep your numbers
Port your existing local and toll-free numbers, or choose new local numbers in your own area code from the self-service store.
Your time zone, not ours
Business hours, online booking, reminders and texting quiet hours all run on your local time zone.
Answered 24/7AI
The AI receptionist answers in English, Spanish or Vietnamese, books on your calendar and texts a confirmation, day or night.
Set up remotely
We configure your edition, port your numbers and train your team over video. No site visit is needed to go live.
Texting that delivers
We register your business texting with the carriers (10DLC), which US carriers require before they deliver business texts.
One platform
Phones, two-way texting, scheduling, payments, reviews and Call Intelligence in one app, on one bill.
What is a nationwide answering service for small business?
An answering service for small business answers your calls when you cannot: after hours, at lunch, during a rush, or whenever every line is busy. Traditional answering services use live operators who take a message and pass it along. An AI phone answering service uses software that understands what the caller needs and completes the task itself, such as booking an appointment on your calendar, taking an order or routing an urgent call to the right person.
Talos Connect combines both halves of the problem. It is a full business phone system for small business (desk phones, mobile and desktop apps, call queues and auto attendants) with an AI receptionist, two-way texting, scheduling, payments and review requests built in. Because it runs in the cloud, a business in Maine, Michigan or Montana uses exactly the same platform as a business in Houston.
How does an AI phone answering service handle my time zone?
Every Talos Connect account has its own time zone setting. Your business hours, after-hours call routing, the online booking page, appointment reminder texts and texting quiet hours all follow that setting, so a reminder for a 9 AM appointment in Denver goes out on Denver time, and an after-hours rule in Atlanta starts when your Atlanta office closes. The AI receptionist reads dates and times back to callers in your local time.
Can I keep a local presence when my provider is in another state?
Yes. Your customers never see where your phone provider is based. They call the number they already know, because your existing local and toll-free numbers can be ported to Talos Connect with the carrier paperwork handled for you. If you need more numbers, the self-service store lets you search for new local numbers by area code (availability varies by area code) and add toll-free numbers. Texts go out from your own business number too, so the conversation stays local even though the platform is national.
What changes from state to state?
The product works the same everywhere, but a few rules depend on where you and your callers are. This is general information, not legal advice:
- Call recording consent. Federal law allows recording when one party to the call consents, but several states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington, generally require the consent of everyone on the call. If you turn on call recording, check the rules for your state and your callers' states, and tell callers the call is recorded.
- Business texting. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and carrier 10DLC registration apply nationwide, and some states add their own telemarketing and texting rules. Talos Connect handles STOP and other opt-out replies automatically and respects quiet hours in your time zone, but the consent you collect is your responsibility.
- Healthcare. HIPAA is federal. Talos Connect is designed to support HIPAA-conscious workflows, and a Business Associate Agreement is available for healthcare clients in every state.
What does an answering service for a small business cost with Talos Connect?
The published list prices are the same in every state, before any applicable taxes. Here is a hypothetical example for a five-person office: five Standard seats at $24.95 each is $124.75 a month, the AI receptionist is $149 a month including 500 minutes, and one business texting number is $10 a month, for $283.75 a month plus a one-time $50 texting registration. For how other pricing models compare, see our guide to what an answering service costs.
Every US time zone, on local time
| Time zone | Example cities | How Talos Connect handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | New York, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, Detroit | Hours, booking and reminders on Eastern time |
| Central | Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Nashville, Minneapolis | Hours, booking and reminders on Central time |
| Mountain | Denver, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Boise | Hours, booking and reminders on Mountain time |
| Arizona | Phoenix, Tucson | Most of Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, and your account's time zone follows that |
| Pacific | Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas | Hours, booking and reminders on Pacific time |
| Alaska and Hawaii | Anchorage, Honolulu | Your account can be set to Alaska or Hawaii time |
Daylight saving changes are handled automatically by your account's time zone setting.
The calls your region actually gets.
The platform is the same everywhere, but the busiest calls are not. Here is how businesses in different parts of the country tend to use the AI receptionist.
Northeast
No-heat calls on winter nights and dense professional-services offices. The AI receptionist triages emergencies to the on-call tech and books routine work for the morning.
Southeast and Gulf Coast
Hurricane season and long AC summers bring call surges. Overflow answering and missed-call text back keep a storm-day rush from turning into lost customers.
Midwest
Winter storms, manufacturers and B2B suppliers. The AI receptionist recognizes account callers and routes orders and service calls to the right team.
Mountain West
Seasonal tourism and snow-season service calls. Online booking and reminders keep a small team from drowning when the season turns.
Southwest
Summer heat drives AC emergencies, and many callers prefer Spanish. The AI receptionist switches to Spanish from the first words the caller says.
West Coast
Multilingual communities, including large Vietnamese-speaking communities in California. The AI receptionist answers in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
An edition for your business, in any state.
Home services
HVAC, plumbing and electrical.
Learn more →Restaurants
Reservations, orders and waitlists.
Learn more →Salons and spas
Bookings, rebooking and no-shows.
Learn more →Auto repair
Drop-offs, updates and payment links.
Learn more →Law firms
Intake, consultations and urgent calls.
Learn more →Professional services
Discovery calls and client updates.
Learn more →Business accounts
Account-aware routing for B2B.
Learn more →Medical offices
Scheduling and after-hours triage.
Learn more →Dental practices
Cleanings, recalls and reminders.
Learn more →Veterinary clinics
Appointments and urgent pet calls.
Learn more →Local answering service vs. Talos Connect
| Typical local answering service | Talos Connect | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Live operators, usually during set hours | An AI receptionist, 24/7, with transfer to your staff |
| What happens on the call | A message is taken and passed along | Appointments booked, orders taken, urgent calls routed |
| Languages | Varies by provider | English, Spanish and Vietnamese |
| Phone system | Separate; you keep your own | Included: desk phones, apps, queues and auto attendants |
| Texting, reminders, reviews, payments | Usually not included | Built in |
| How it is priced | Usually per minute or per call | Published list prices: seats from $19.95 a user a month, AI receptionist $149 a month with 500 minutes |
Answering services vary widely; ask any provider for its current plans in writing.
Talos Connect service area, at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where is Talos Connect available? | Anywhere in the United States |
| Where is the company based? | Houston, Texas |
| How is it set up? | Remotely: configuration, number porting and training happen online |
| Can I keep my phone numbers? | Yes. Local and toll-free numbers can be ported |
| Which time zone does it use? | Yours. Hours, bookings and reminders follow your local time |
| Which languages does the AI receptionist speak? | English, Spanish and Vietnamese |
| Which industries is it built for? | Home services, restaurants, salons, auto repair, law firms, professional services, B2B, medical, dental and veterinary |
Live in days, from any state.
Book a video demo
We walk through your real calls: your hours, services and what counts as urgent.
We configure your edition
Calendar, reminders, templates, forms and the AI receptionist's knowledge base, set up for you.
Port numbers and register texting
We handle the carrier paperwork. Your numbers keep working during the transfer.
Go live, then tune
Listen to real calls, read the summaries and adjust the AI's answers as you go.
Frequently asked questions
Is Talos Connect only for businesses in Texas?
No. Talos Connect serves businesses anywhere in the United States. Houston is home, which is why the site has local pages for Texas areas, but the platform, the AI receptionist and support work the same way in every state, because everything is delivered over the internet and the phone network.
Is there a nationwide answering service that books appointments?
Yes. The Talos Connect AI receptionist answers calls for businesses anywhere in the US and books, reschedules and cancels appointments in the Talos Connect calendar during the call, then texts the caller a confirmation. It can also take messages and orders, answer common questions and transfer urgent calls to your staff.
Do I need an on-site visit to get started?
No. Setup, number porting and training are done remotely. We configure the platform for your business, move your numbers with the carrier paperwork handled for you, and train your team over video, so a business in any state can go live without anyone visiting the office.
Can I get a local number in my area code?
Yes. You can search for new local numbers by area code in the self-service store, and toll-free numbers are available too. Availability varies by area code. If you already have numbers, we can port them so customers keep calling the number they know.
Does the AI receptionist work in my time zone?
Yes. Each account has its own time zone, so business hours, after-hours routing, online booking, appointment reminders and texting quiet hours follow your local time. The AI receptionist answers around the clock, or only after hours and on overflow if you prefer.
Is pricing different outside Texas?
No. The published list prices on our cost savings page apply wherever your business is located, before any applicable taxes: seats from $19.95 a user a month and the AI receptionist at $149 a month including 500 minutes.
What if my state requires consent to record calls?
Several states generally require everyone on a call to consent to recording. Call recording in Talos Connect is an optional add-on, so you can leave it off, or turn it on and tell callers the call is recorded. Check your state's rules with your own adviser; this is general information, not legal advice.
How is an AI answering service different from a virtual receptionist?
A virtual receptionist service usually means live people answering remotely and billing by the minute or call. An AI answering service uses software that answers every call at once, around the clock, and completes tasks such as booking. Our guide to virtual receptionists and AI receptionists compares the two in detail.
See it answer your phones.
Tell us a little about your business. We will set up a live demo with your own call flow, hours and services, and answer every question you have. No pressure and no obligation.
- A reply within one business day from a person, not a bot.
- A demo built around your industry, using your real scenarios.
- Keep your existing numbers. We handle the porting.
Prefer to talk? Call (346) 330-3390.