Bea by Be Connect

NZ$137.50 (about $77) a month on Bea Starter for 100 calls of 2.5 minutes (250 billed minutes). Billing increment not stated: computed per second (2.5 min a call). If they round each call up to the minute (3 min), it is NZ$149 (about $83). Plus a one-time setup fee of NZ$99 (about $55), not included.

NZ$419 (about $235) a month on Bea Pro for 500 calls of 2.5 minutes (1,250 billed minutes). Billing increment not stated: computed per second (2.5 min a call). If they round each call up to the minute (3 min), it is NZ$479 (about $268). Plus a one-time setup fee of NZ$99 (about $55), not included.

Every published plan meters an inclusive monthly allowance of AI minutes, so you are billed per minute of conversation rather than per call or per caller.

Yes

Calls past the allowance keep being answered and are charged at a published per-minute overage rate that falls as the plan gets bigger, billed after the fact.

Partlyfrom Bea Business

Booking into a connected calendar is real but needs the Business plan or above; without a supported calendar Bea only captures a structured booking request instead.

Partly

Transfers to your team are included from the entry plan and rule-driven, but the vendor nowhere describes a warm transfer where Bea briefs the person first.

Yes

Answering runs round the clock including public holidays, and after-hours call flows are configurable, though custom after-hours rules are listed on the Business plan.

Partly

Emergency recognition is configurable and escalation follows your rules, but the vendor warns it may fail to spot an urgent call and is not an emergency service.

No

No human receptionists sit behind the AI: when Bea cannot answer she follows fallback rules that take a message or transfer the caller to your own team.

Partly

What Bea asks and says is configurable on every plan and lead details are captured, but explicit lead qualification is listed only from the Business plan upward.

Yes

The vendor trains Bea on your own website, services, FAQs, hours and pricing so she answers routine caller questions from your real business information.

Partly

Bea can send an SMS during call handling and do SMS follow-up on Pro, but nothing on the site says she holds a two-way text conversation with a caller.

Partlyfrom Bea Business

A written summary follows every call, but the entry plan lists summaries with email alerts only; instant SMS notification appears from the Business plan.

Partlyfrom Bea Business

Recordings and transcripts are a Business-plan feature and recording is off by default, to be enabled only where consent requirements are met.

Partlyfrom Bea Pro

The only named third-party business system is Xero accounting on the Pro plan, and even that is qualified; no trade or practice software is named.

Partly

A seven-day free trial lets you run Bea on your existing business number before paying, but there is no standing free plan afterwards.

No

The trial is advertised without payment details, and the vendor repeats the no-credit-card line on its industry landing pages as well as the home page.

Partly

Prices and plans are public and a plan finder recommends one, but the terms allow subscription by written quote and the plan buttons lead to contact rather than checkout.

Partly

A one-off setup fee applies to every plan by contract, listed at NZ$99 (about $55), but it is struck through and waived for the current launch promotion.

Partly

Billing is month to month with no annual lock-in, but canceling takes 30 days written notice by email rather than a self-service switch-off.

Partly

The site embeds switchable recorded demo scenarios and a 'Talk to Bea' widget, but publishes no demo phone number a buyer can ring.

Yes

You keep your existing business number and forward it to Bea; the vendor says forwarding gets you live in minutes and your carrier's charges still apply.

Partly

Numbers Bea supplies are licensed not owned, and porting is left to regulator and receiving-carrier rules rather than promised by the vendor.

Yes

Bea is sold only in New Zealand and Australia, priced in NZD and AUD, with support and terms written for those two markets and no US, UK or EU offer.

Dedicated pages and call-handling examples exist for trades, clinics, property, automotive, professional services, law, salons and hospitality.

Partlyfrom Bea Pro

One number is included on the entry plan, up to three on Pro with departmental routing, and multiple locations are pushed to Enterprise from NZ$599 (about $335).

Partly

The vendor claims go-live in minutes by call forwarding and includes business-specific training on every plan, but priority onboarding is a Pro-plan feature.

Partly

Support is email-only during New Zealand business hours, with priority support reserved for higher plans and no published phone or chat channel or uptime guarantee.