We're not just cheaper — we do things the others can't.
Feature
DakDesk.AI
Ruby / Davinci
Smith.ai
Part-time Staff
IVR (RingCentral)
24/7 availability
✓ Always on
⚠ Business hours
⚠ Limited
✗ 8hr/day
✓
ERP integration
✓ Pro & Shop (live job status, quotes, inventory)
✗
✗
⚠ Manual lookup
✗
Quote intake
✓ Captured + logged to ERP
⚠ Message only
⚠ Basic intake
⚠ Manual entry
✗
Email handling
✓ Reads, routes, auto-drafts
✗
✗
⚠ Limited
✗
SMS / texting
✓ Inbound + outbound
✗
⚠ Add-on
✗
✗
Spam / robocall blocking
✓ Automatic
✗
✗
✗
✗
Custom spam blocklist
✓ Pro & Shop
✗
✗
✗
✗
Your own AI model
✓ Anthropic, OpenAI, Groq, etc.
✗
✗
N/A
✗
Built-in job tracker
✓ No ERP required
✗
✗
⚠ Manual
✗
Built-in inventory tracker
✓ All plans — parts, costs, low-stock alerts
✗
✗
⚠ Manual / spreadsheet
✗
Built-in calendar
✓ Visual schedule + AI booking
✗
✗
⚠ Manual
✗
Outbound SMS campaigns
✓ Pro & Shop
✗
✗
⚠ Manual
✗
Post-call SMS summary to owner
✓ Pro & Shop
✗
✗
✗
✗
Voicemail-to-text SMS delivery
✓ Shop plan
✗
✗
✗
✗
Multi-staff dashboard logins
✓ Shop plan
✗
✗
✗
✗
CRM webhook integration
✓ Shop plan
✗
⚠ Add-on
N/A
✗
Runs on your PC
✓ Your hardware, your data
✗ Cloud only
✗ Cloud only
N/A
✗ Cloud only
Monthly cost
$179–$499/mo
$245–$785/mo
$285–$750/mo
$1,500–$3,400/mo
$30–$85/mo
See your savings in 30 seconds
Enter your shop's numbers and see exactly how fast DakDesk.AI pays for itself.
Calls per day (average)
Current receptionist cost ($/mo)
Answering service cost ($/mo)
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Monthly savings
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Annual savings
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Payback period
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Recommended plan
FAQs
Do I need a VAPI or Twilio account?
No. DakDesk.AI provisions and manages the phone number and voice infrastructure under the hood. You only need your own AI API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, Groq, etc.) — which takes about 2 minutes to set up during onboarding.
What happens if I go over my included minutes?
Overages are billed at the end of the month at your plan's overage rate ($0.12–$0.15/min). You'll see your projected usage in the dashboard so there are no surprises. Most shops on Starter rarely exceed 300 minutes/month.
Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?
It runs on your Windows PC as a background service. This means your data stays on your machine, it works inside your local network for ERP access, and there are no per-seat cloud hosting fees. The only cloud components are the phone/voice bridge (VAPI) and the AI model API.
Which AI providers are supported?
Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT-4o), Google (Gemini), Groq (Llama 3 — free tier available), Mistral, or any OpenAI-compatible self-hosted endpoint. The onboarding wizard walks you through getting an API key if you don't already have one.
Which ERP systems are supported?
No ERP? No problem — every plan includes a built-in job tracker and calendar so you can manage quotes, jobs, and bookings from day one. If you do have an ERP, Global Shop Solutions, ServiceTitan, Jobber, and Housecall Pro are built-in. Custom ERP adapters are available on the Shop plan.
How are plan features enforced?
Your plan tier is cryptographically encoded directly into your license key using an HMAC signature — it cannot be changed by editing a config file. Pro and Shop features are blocked at the API level and return an error if the key doesn't match the required tier. When you upgrade, we issue you a new key with the higher tier baked in.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes — month-to-month, no contracts. Cancel from the dashboard at any time. Your phone number will be released at the end of the billing cycle.
Is it legal to record calls without telling callers?
DakDesk.AI automatically discloses "This call may be recorded" at the start of every call. This satisfies federal one-party consent law and most state two-party consent requirements. You should consult your attorney for your specific state.
ERP Integration
ERP integration is available on Pro and Shop plans. Additional setup steps are required depending on your platform — see the guides below.
⚠ Additional fees may apply outside of DakDesk.AI for ERP integration — including third-party API access, developer app approval (e.g. ServiceTitan), or your ERP platform's own subscription costs. DakDesk.AI does not charge for the integration itself.
Platform
Connection type
Inventory
Setup difficulty
Notes
Built-in tracker
✓ Built-in SQLite
✓
None
All plans. Zero config. Works immediately.
Housecall Pro
✓ REST API
✗
Easy
API key only. ~5 min setup.
Jobber
✓ GraphQL API
✗
Easy
API key only. Inventory not supported by Jobber.
ServiceTitan
✓ OAuth2 REST API
✓
⚠ Moderate
Requires developer app approval (1–2 weeks).
Global Shop Solutions
✓ SQL Server ODBC
✓
⚠ Advanced
Requires ODBC driver + DB credentials.
Other ERPs
✗ Not built-in
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Custom
Contact us — custom adapters available on Shop.
Housecall Pro — Setup Guide (~5 minutes)
Requirements: Active Housecall Pro account · Pro or Shop plan
Step 1. Log in to Housecall Pro → click your profile icon (top-right) → Settings → Integrations → API Keys.
Step 2. Click Create API Key, give it a name (e.g. "DakDesk"), and copy the key.
Step 3. Open config.yaml in your DakDesk install folder and add: erp: active_adapter: housecallpro housecallpro: api_key: YOUR_KEY_HEREStep 4. Restart DakDesk from the system tray.
Step 5. In the dashboard → Integrations → click Test Connection to confirm it's live.
⚠ Note: Housecall Pro does not expose an inventory API — inventory lookups will return empty. Job status, customer lookup, quotes, and call logging all work.
Jobber — Setup Guide (~5 minutes)
Requirements: Active Jobber account · Pro or Shop plan
Step 1. Log in to Jobber → Settings → Developer Tools → API Keys. If you don't see this, go to developers.getjobber.com and create a free developer app.
Step 2. Generate a Personal Access Token and copy it.
Step 3. Open config.yaml and add: erp: active_adapter: jobber jobber: api_key: YOUR_TOKEN_HEREStep 4. Restart DakDesk and test the connection from the dashboard.
⚠ Note: Jobber does not have a native inventory module — inventory lookups return empty. All other features (job status, customer lookup, quotes, call logging) work fully.
ServiceTitan — Setup Guide (~1–2 weeks for approval)
Requirements: Active ServiceTitan account · Pro or Shop plan · Developer app approval
⚠ Important: ServiceTitan gates API access behind a manual app review. Budget 1–2 weeks for approval before you can go live.
Step 1. Go to developer.servicetitan.io → sign in with your ServiceTitan credentials → click Create App.
Step 2. Fill in the app details. Under Scopes, request: jobs:read, crm:read, accounting:read, inventory:read. Submit for review.
Step 3. Once approved, note your Client ID, Client Secret, and your account's Tenant ID (visible in your ServiceTitan URL: go.servicetitan.com/12345/...).
Step 4. Open config.yaml and add: erp: active_adapter: servicetitan servicetitan: client_id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID client_secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET tenant_id: YOUR_TENANT_IDStep 5. Restart DakDesk and test the connection from the dashboard. The first request will trigger an OAuth token exchange automatically.
Global Shop Solutions (GSS) — Setup Guide (Advanced)
Requirements: GSS running on SQL Server · SQL credentials with read access · Pro or Shop plan
⚠ Important: This connects directly to your GSS SQL Server database via ODBC. Your IT admin or GSS support rep will need to provide the database credentials and ensure the DakDesk PC can reach the SQL Server on your network.
Step 1. Confirm "ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server" is installed on your PC. Download free from Microsoft if needed: search "ODBC Driver 17 SQL Server download".
Step 2. Get from your IT admin or GSS support: SQL Server hostname/IP, database name, username, and password (read-only access is sufficient).
Step 3. Open config.yaml and add: erp: active_adapter: gss gss: host: YOUR_SERVER_IP_OR_NAME database: YOUR_GSS_DATABASE username: YOUR_SQL_USER password: YOUR_SQL_PASSWORDStep 4. Restart DakDesk and test the connection from the dashboard.
Step 5. If the connection fails, confirm the DakDesk PC and the SQL Server are on the same network, and that port 1433 is not blocked by a firewall between them.
Need help? Book a setup call — GSS configuration is included with the Shop plan's dedicated setup call, or available as a paid add-on for Pro.
My ERP isn't listed — what are my options?
If you use JobBoss, Fishbowl, QuickBooks, SAP, or any other platform not listed above, you have two options:
1. Use the built-in tracker — available on all plans, no ERP needed. Handles jobs, quotes, customers, and calendar out of the box.
2. Custom adapter (Shop plan) — if your ERP has a REST API or SQL database, we can build a custom connector. Contact us with your ERP name and we'll scope it out. Most REST-based ERPs take 1–3 days to wire up.