VVOXA
Have it call you
Menu

An AI receptionist for Cape Coral and Fort Myers businesses

VVOXA is an AI receptionist run from Cape Coral, in Lee County. It answers your business number on the first ring, day or night, and you keep the 239 number your customers already know.

Have it call you Read a sample call

$1,000 setup, then $500 a month. First month free. No per-minute charges. See pricing

By VVOXA in Cape Coral, Florida. Updated . Questions? Email Matt, our founder, at info@vvoxa.com.

A Sunday evening call from Ohio

A seasonal owner, calling from out of state about a canal home she won't see until January. If you work on homes in Cape Coral, you know this call.

A sample call, written out

Spoonbill Dock & Lift (sample)

Linda M. · (614) ••• ••23

Sun 6:40 PM

Booked
Why they called
Boat lift grinding. The owner is up north until January.
What VVOXA did
Didn't guess at the fault. Booked a lift inspection for Thursday at 9 AM, and noted the neighbor who can open the gate and that the tech should call her first.
  1. Ringing
  2. AverySpoonbill Dock and Lift, this is Avery. How can I help?
  3. CallerHi. We have a house on a canal in Cape Coral, but we're in Ohio until January. Our neighbor says the boat lift is making a grinding noise.
  4. AveryThanks for letting us know. I can't say what's causing it without someone seeing the lift, but I can book a tech to come out. I have Tuesday at 10 or Thursday at 9. Would either work?
  5. CallerThursday. But nobody's at the house. Is that a problem?
  6. AveryI'll note that you're out of town, and the tech will call you before the visit to sort out getting to the lift. What's the address there?
  7. CallerIt's ••• Southwest 27th Lane. Our neighbor Dave can open the side gate.
  8. AveryThat helps. Do you have a number for Dave?
  9. CallerYes, it's (239) ••• ••64.
  10. AveryGot it. And your name? Is the number you're calling from the best one for you?
  11. CallerLinda Moore. Yes, this cell.
  12. AveryThanks, Linda. You're booked for a lift inspection on Thursday at 9 AM. I've noted that you're out of town, that Dave next door can open the side gate, and that the tech should call you first.

A sample call, written out to show how VVOXA handles it. The business and the caller are made up for this page, and phone and house numbers are hidden.

Who's behind VVOXA

VVOXA is a small Florida business based in Cape Coral, in Lee County. Matt, our founder, runs it, and your setup call is with him, on Eastern time like your customers. It's written VVOXA and said “Voxa”; the first V is silent.

Setup is done remotely, on a phone call. Nobody comes to your business unless you ask for a visit, and then you cover the travel cost. Matt goes through how you answer the phone, your hours and prices, what to ask callers and which calls should come straight to you. Then we walk you through turning on call forwarding with your phone company, and you approve the greeting before it answers a single customer.

Your calls are kept on a server VVOXA runs in Florida. If you have a question later, email us at info@vvoxa.com.

The receptionist knows only what you tell it. About your area, that means your towns, your hours and your prices. What being local changes is the person on the other end of the setup call, who knows what January does to your phone and what the week after a storm sounds like.

An answering service for Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Naples, on your own 239 number

VVOXA is for businesses anywhere in Lee and Collier counties: Cape Coral, Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Estero, Bonita Springs, Naples and Marco Island. Charlotte County businesses can use it too. Setup is on a phone call, so it makes no difference whether you're over the bridge in Fort Myers or down in Naples.

Area code 239 covers Lee and Collier counties, and most of Charlotte County is on 941 (area code 239, area code 941). Either way, you keep your number. You turn on call forwarding, and the number on your truck, your sign and your Google listing stays exactly the same. Turn forwarding off and your phone rings like before.

How forwarding works has the steps.

Season, summer and storms

Southwest Florida's year isn't spread evenly, and neither are your calls.

  1. Mid-January to AprilSeason. Lee County's visitor bureau puts peak season at January 15 through April. Seasonal residents are back, and everyone wants their pool, lawn, AC, hair and car done the same week.
  2. May to SeptemberSummer. Heat and afternoon storms: no-cool calls for AC companies, green pools, and lawns growing fast in the rain.
  3. June 1 to November 30Hurricane season. After a storm, roofers, screen enclosure, tree, pool, dock and AC companies hear from everyone at once.
  4. October to DecemberSeasonal owners call from up north to get homes ready before they fly down: pools reopened, lawns brought back, AC checked, docks and lifts serviced.

Hurricane Ian came ashore at Cayo Costa, in Lee County, on 28 September 2022, according to the National Hurricane Center's report. If you were here, you remember what the weeks after it were like for anyone who fixes roofs, screens, docks, pools or AC.

VVOXA costs $500 a month for every call it answers, with no per-minute or per-call charge. Season, a heat wave and the weeks after a storm cost you the same as a quiet week. The details are on our pricing page.

Plan for storms on your side too. VVOXA runs on equipment we operate here in Florida, and a storm can cut power and internet for us as well as for you. We make no uptime promise (Terms, section 8), so keep your own backup way to take calls, such as turning off forwarding so your phone rings directly. And it isn't an emergency line: callers in danger are told to call 911 (Terms, section 6.3).

Sources: peak season, the Visit Fort Myers fact sheet; hurricane season dates, the National Hurricane Center.

Local businesses it suits

Each links to the closest page, with its own sample call and the questions it asks. Here's why each one fits Southwest Florida in particular.

  • Pool service.

    Pools reopened for season, green pools after summer rain. It asks screened or not, how big, and the address. More for home services

  • Lawn, landscaping and pest control.

    The summer growth and the spring rush. It asks lot size, how often, which pest and inside or outside. More for home services

  • Plumbing and AC.

    No-cool calls in July and August, and closed-up homes to check before owners arrive. Urgent calls come straight to you. More for plumbing and AC

  • Roofing and screen enclosures.

    The calls after a storm, all at once. It asks whether it's leaking right now and books inspections. More for home services

  • Seawalls, docks and boat lifts.

    Cape Coral has more than 400 miles of canals (City of Cape Coral), and out-of-town owners call about lifts they can't see, like the call above. More for home services

  • Property managers.

    Owners calling from up north, tenants calling about the AC at 2 AM, and seasonal renters with questions. More for property management

  • Salons and barbershops.

    Season brings the busiest weeks of the year, and every chair is full when the phone rings. More for salons and barbershops

  • Auto repair shops.

    Seasonal residents getting cars back on the road, and AC repairs all summer. More for auto repair

  • Real estate agents.

    Season buyers calling the number on your sign while you're at a showing. More for real estate agents

VVOXA isn't for healthcare practices of any kind (Terms, section 6.4).

Getting set up from here

Setup is one phone call with Matt, then call forwarding on your phone. These are the local answers worth having ready; the full checklist is on how it works.

  1. The towns you cover.Cape Coral only, or over the bridges to Fort Myers? Lehigh? Down to Naples? It only knows the towns you list.
  2. Season hours and summer hours.If they differ, give us both. You can switch them from your account when the time comes.
  3. Customers who aren't here.Do they need to be home for a visit? How does your team get in? We suggest it doesn't take gate or lockbox codes on the phone, and your team sorts out access on the call back.
  4. What to say after a storm.For example, that you're booking inspections in the order calls come in. You can change it from your account the day you need to.
  5. What counts as urgent, and the number to ring.In summer, maybe no AC at all. After a storm, water coming through the ceiling.
  6. The prices you'll give on the phone.Fixed ones only, like a trip charge or a monthly service rate. Everything else gets a visit or a call back.
  7. Whether it says up front that it's automated.It never claims to be a person. It can say so at the start of every call, or only when a caller asks.

Then you turn on forwarding. We walk you through it for your phone company, and your account shows when calls are reaching it.

Questions Southwest Florida owners ask

Are you actually local?

Yes. VVOXA is a Florida sole proprietorship based in Cape Coral, in Lee County, and your setup call is with Matt, our founder. Setup and help afterwards are done remotely, by phone and email. Our demo line and support line have 650 and 704 area codes, but your callers never see those: they keep dialing your own number.

Do you come out to set it up?

Not unless you ask. Setup is done remotely, on a phone call with Matt, so nobody needs to visit and you don't need to be at a desk. A visit happens only when a business asks for one, and the business covers the travel cost. Everything after that is done from your account on your phone or computer, or by emailing us at info@vvoxa.com.

Can I keep my 239 number?

Yes. You turn on call forwarding, so callers keep dialing the 239 number on your truck, your sign and your Google listing, or your 941 number in Charlotte County. Turn forwarding off and your phone rings like before. Some phone companies charge for forwarding or restrict it, so check your plan.

Does it know local towns and streets?

Only what you give it. Give it the towns you cover and it can tell a caller whether theirs is on the list. It doesn't look streets up on a map or decide whether an address is inside your area: it writes the address down for you to check.

What about hurricane season?

On price, the weeks after a storm cost the same $500 as any other month, with no per-minute or per-call charge. On reliability, we make no uptime promise: VVOXA runs on equipment we operate in Florida, and a storm can cut power and internet here too (Terms, section 8). Keep your own backup way to take calls, and remember it isn't an emergency line.

Can I switch between season and summer hours?

Yes. Change your hours, prices or greeting from your account whenever you switch, or send us a message and we'll do it for you. A change is used from the next call.

How is it different from a Fort Myers answering service with live operators?

A live service has people answering, and some businesses want that. Live services are often billed by the minute or by the call. VVOXA is an AI: it never claims to be a person, it costs $500 a month however many calls you get, it can book into your calendar, and every call is written up in your account with a summary, the transcript and the recording. The quickest way to compare is to have it call you.

What does it cost?

$1,000 once for setup, then $500 a month, with the first month free. It's the same price in Cape Coral as anywhere else, with no per-minute or per-call charge; the details are on our pricing page.

Read next

Your phone is ringing.

Hear VVOXA answer it the way it would for your business. Put your number in on our home page and it calls you in about twenty seconds, or ring our demo line on (650) 754-4948 and book a practice appointment.

Have it call you or see pricing first

Questions first? Email Matt at info@vvoxa.com.