What should I check in an answering service contract before I sign?

Read it for how you get out, not just for what you get. The terms that hurt owners most are rarely the headline rate; they’re a commitment that restarts when you change plans, an automatic renewal nobody mentioned, a cancellation notice you missed, usage charges in a busy month, and — the big one — whether you leave with your own phone number and your customer records. Get every one of those answered in writing before you sign. The checklist below applies to human answering services and AI receptionists alike. It isn’t legal advice: for a long or large contract, have your own counsel read it.

The checklist

1. Term length. How long are you committed? Does upgrading, downgrading or adding a line start the clock over?
2. Automatic renewal and price changes. Does it renew on its own, for how long, and how will they tell you before it does? Can they raise the price at renewal or mid-term, and with how much notice?
3. Cancellation. How much notice, in what form — email, letter, an online form — and is there a fee for leaving early?
4. Usage and overage billing. What’s included, in minutes or calls? What counts toward it — hold time, transfers, spam calls, wrong numbers? What happens when you go over? Ask what your busiest recent month would have cost on this plan. Our page on how virtual receptionists are priced explains the common pricing models.
5. Setup fees and refunds. What does the setup fee actually buy, and does any of it come back if the service never works for you?
6. Trials and guarantees. What exactly is promised, how is it measured, and what do you get if it isn’t met? A guarantee nobody can measure isn’t much of a guarantee.
7. Who owns the records. Your customer list, call recordings, transcripts and messages. Can you export them, in what format, and what happens to them after you leave?

Your phone number: the clause that matters most

Your number is on your sign, your business cards and your Google profile. If a service assigns you a new number and you put that number everywhere, leaving can mean losing it. The safest setup is to keep your own number and forward calls to the service. If the service does provide or hold the number, the contract should say plainly that it’s yours and how it gets released when you go.

There is a federal backstop for voice numbers. An FCC Public Notice (DA 25-878, September 22, 2025) says interconnected VoIP providers, resellers included, “must facilitate local number portability… and must execute porting requests without unreasonable delay,” and FCC rules bar agreements that prohibit porting. Two caveats: it applies to those voice providers, and a text-only number may not count. And it’s no substitute for reading your own contract. This isn’t legal advice — ask your own counsel about your situation.

Red flags

• A promise made on the sales call — “cancel anytime” — that isn’t in the paper.
• Terms you can’t see until after you’ve paid.
• A price that can change with no notice.
• No way to export your own records.
• Pressure to sign today.

None of these clauses is unusual on its own, and a longer commitment can be a fair trade if you know exactly what you’re agreeing to. What matters is knowing them before you sign. Still comparing providers? Our page on checking out an AI receptionist company covers what to ask before you get to the contract.