FAQ

Questions, answered.

Everything owners ask about the Prime Circa AI team — what each agent does, what it costs, how setup and cancellation work, and how we handle your data. Still stuck? Email us.

About Prime Circa

What is Prime Circa?: Prime Circa builds practical AI staff for owner-operated small businesses. Vanessa, the receptionist and backup line, and Vera, the reputation agent, are live today. Valerie (retention), Vivian (scheduling), and Vienna (acquisition) are planned. Each agent is independent, and the agents you use work from the same reviewed facts about your business.
Who is Prime Circa for?: Prime Circa is built first for owner-operated home-service businesses without a front desk — plumbers, HVAC contractors, electricians, roofers, cleaners, landscapers, and similar trades. Vanessa is designed for businesses that receive customer calls while the owner or crew is working; she is not currently offered for medical, dental, or legal call handling. Vera’s reputation audit supports a broader range of local businesses.
How is Prime Circa different from a marketing agency?: Agencies cost $500–$2,000/month and bottle-neck on humans who answer email Monday-Friday. Prime Circa is $29–$49/month per agent, works 24/7, and is consistent because the work is rule-driven by AI rather than relationship-driven by the account manager you happened to get. You stay in control — every owner-voice reply, post, and message goes out under your business identity.
Do I have to use all five agents?: No. Each agent is sold independently, and each subscription starts with a 14-day free trial. Most owners start with Vera (free audit + $29/mo subscription) or Vanessa ($49/mo, with 120 minutes of talk time included). The shared knowledge base means adding an agent later is just toggling it on — no re-onboarding.
What is the Founding 100?: The first 100 Prime Circa accounts lock in a lower lifetime price on any agent they subscribe to ($19/mo for Vera, $29/mo for Vanessa, etc.) — locked for as long as the subscription stays active, even as the public price rises. One subscription anywhere in the suite qualifies the whole account. Founding pricing locks in when your 14-day free trial starts, not when it ends.
Where is Prime Circa based?: Prime Circa is based in Cypress, Texas — outside Houston. The company was founded in 2010 (originally building the Notes Plus iPad app, used by 1M+ professionals). The pivot to AI for small businesses launched in early 2026.

Vanessa — your AI receptionist

What does Vanessa do?: Vanessa is an AI receptionist and backup line for owner-operated home-service businesses. When a forwarded call reaches her, she answers from the business facts you've reviewed, handles routine questions, captures what the caller needs, and provides a summary and transcript in the app. She also handles inbound SMS from the same reviewed facts. If you configure booking rules, she can capture or offer appointment times according to those rules.
How is Vanessa different from a chatbot or voicemail?: Voicemail records a message after the caller speaks; a website chatbot handles typed conversations while someone is on the site. Vanessa answers forwarded phone calls on your existing number, speaks with the caller, responds from your reviewed business facts, and captures what they need. She can also handle inbound SMS using the same business facts.
How much does Vanessa cost?: Vanessa is $49/month and includes 120 minutes of talk time. Usage above 120 minutes is 49¢ per minute. Every subscription starts with a 14-day free trial: $0 today, and you won't be charged if you cancel during the trial. The first 100 Prime Circa accounts pay $29/month for life with the same included minutes and overage rate. You can cancel anytime.
What happens if I cancel Vanessa?: When you cancel, billing stops and Vanessa stops answering immediately. If you have paid for the current billing period, the unused portion is refunded; canceling during the trial means you won't be charged. Her number is reserved for 7 days, so resuming during that window keeps the same number. After 7 days, the number is released and the retained account data is anonymized. There is no cancellation fee.
Can an AI receptionist answer my existing business phone number?: Yes. You forward your existing line to Vanessa — either all calls, or only the ones you miss or that come in after hours — so customers dial the same number they always have. You can also give her a dedicated number instead. You don't have to change or publish a new number.
Does Vanessa answer calls 24/7, including nights and weekends?: Vanessa is available to answer forwarded calls at any time, including nights, weekends, and holidays. You control when calls reach her using the forwarding options supported by your carrier — for example, after you don't answer, when your line is busy, or whenever you turn forwarding on. The subscription includes 120 minutes per month; additional usage is billed at 49¢ per minute.
Can Vanessa book appointments and take messages?: Yes. When booking is configured, Vanessa follows the scheduling rules you set. Depending on your setup, she can book an available time or capture a requested time for you to confirm. When she can't fully handle something, she takes a detailed message — including the caller's name, number, and what they need — and includes it in the call summary for you to follow up.
What happens when a call is too complex for Vanessa?: Vanessa does not guess. She answers from the business facts and instructions you've reviewed. If a caller asks something outside that information, she explains that you or your team will follow up, captures the caller's name, number, and request, and includes those details in the call summary. You can define how urgent, large, or sensitive requests should be flagged for follow-up.
How long does it take to set up Vanessa?: Initial setup takes about ten minutes for many businesses. In the browser, Vanessa finds your public business profile and drafts business facts for you to review; by phone, you can talk through the same setup with her. You hear a practice call, create your account, and then follow carrier-specific forwarding instructions. You can update your business facts and instructions at any time.
Is an AI phone receptionist worth it for a small business?: Whether Vanessa is worth it depends on how many calls you miss, how many could become jobs, and the gross profit from each recovered job. A simple break-even calculation is the monthly subscription cost divided by the gross profit from one additional job. At $49 per month before usage overage, one recovered job with more than $49 in gross profit covers the base subscription. Vanessa may be a weaker fit if your call volume is very low or you already answer every important call.
What businesses is Vanessa best for?: Vanessa is built for small businesses where missed calls cost real money — auto repair shops, salons, restaurants taking reservations, home-service contractors taking job inquiries, and fitness studios. If you've ever missed a customer call because you were helping someone else, Vanessa can act as your backup line. She is not intended for medical, dental, legal, or other calls that require licensed professional triage.
How do I get Vanessa?: Vanessa runs in your browser — open app.primecirca.com on any phone or computer, nothing to install (there's also an Android app on Google Play). You can also call Prime Circa at (346) 375-7176 and set up your account during the call. Say your business name, she finds you on Google and fills in the details and she's answering a test call in minutes. Every subscription starts with a 14-day free trial ($0 today; cancel during the trial and you won't be charged). After that it's $49/month with 120 minutes included; the first 100 businesses lock in $29/month for life. No setup fee, cancel anytime.

Vera — your reputation

What does the free Vera audit actually do?: It scans your Google Business Profile, Yelp listing, and your own website (if you have one) in about a minute, then produces a Reputation Score from 0–100 plus a prioritized list of specific fixes — review responses you should write, listing fields missing across Google/Apple/Bing, website performance issues, photo quality gaps, and answer-engine schema you're missing. No signup, no credit card. Run once per business.
What does Vera the subscription do that the free audit doesn't?: Vera the subscription is the ongoing version of the audit. Every new Google review triggers a drafted owner-voice reply that auto-posts (with your approval rules). Yelp replies are drafted for one-tap copy (Yelp has no owner-reply API). Your listing consistency is monitored across 5 platforms. You get a weekly digest of changes + photo recommendations. The free Reputation Page becomes permanent and SEO-active.
How much does Vera cost?: Vera is $29/month at the public price, and every subscription starts with a 14-day free trial — $0 today, cancel during the trial and you won't be charged. The first 100 Prime Circa accounts lock in $19/month for life — that's the Founding 100 offer. No annual commitment; cancel anytime. There's no setup fee. The Reputation Page and the initial audit are free regardless of whether you subscribe.
Does Vera work for my type of business?: Vera supports 11 small-business verticals: auto repair, restaurant, cafe, salon (hair/nail/barber/spa), alterations and tailoring, home services (plumbing, HVAC, handyman, landscaping), fitness, medical and wellness (dental, vet, chiro, massage), childcare and tutoring, real estate, and event vendors (photography, florist, catering, DJ). If your business doesn't fit a vertical, the audit still runs but uses generic templates.
Can Vera reply to reviews in my voice?: Yes. Vera reads every review you've replied to in the past, learns the patterns — apology phrasing, gratitude opener, signoff — and drafts new replies in the same voice. You can configure approval-first (you tap to send) or auto-post (Vera sends instantly for ratings ≥ a threshold you set). Default is approval-first.
What is the Reputation Page Vera builds for me?: A standalone marketing site at business.primecirca.com/your-business-slug that pulls together your reviews, photos, hours, and services into one trust-forward page. Free with the audit (expires after 7 days if you don't subscribe). Becomes permanent and SEO-active when you subscribe. It links back to primecirca.com which helps both pages rank.

The rest of the team

What else is on the Prime Circa team besides Vanessa and Vera?: Three more agents. Valerie handles retention — friendly check-ins, service-due reminders, and win-backs that bring past customers back, in your voice. Vivian handles scheduling — booking, confirmations, and filling cancellations from a waitlist. Vienna handles acquisition — getting you found and winning new customers with social posts and promotions. All five share one knowledge base about your business.
Are all the agents available right now?: Vera and Vanessa are live today. Valerie (retention), Vivian (scheduling), and Vienna (acquisition) are coming in 2026 — Founding 100 pricing will apply to them too.

Trust, privacy & billing

Do you sell my business data?: No. We don't sell your personal information or share it for third-party marketing. Your business data — reviews, call recordings, settings — is used only to run the services you've turned on. The full details are in our Privacy Policy.
Who can see my data?: Only you and the Prime Circa staff who need it to run your service. Connected accounts like your Google Business Profile are stored encrypted, and we don't repurpose your reviews, calls, or customer details for anything beyond the work your agents do for you.
Do I stay in control of what gets posted or said?: Yes. Every AI-drafted review reply, post, or message is yours to approve before it goes out — approval-first is the default. Treat what the agents produce as drafts: you review, edit, or discard. Nothing is published under your name without your say-so.
How is my payment information handled?: Through Stripe, our payment processor — Prime Circa never sees or stores your card number. Subscriptions are billed monthly in advance, with no setup fee and no long-term contract. You can cancel anytime.
Can I delete my account and my data?: Yes. Email info@primecirca.com and we'll delete your account and personal data within 30 days. If you cancel Vanessa, we keep your setup for three months so coming back is quick, then anonymize it. You can disconnect a linked Google account at any time.

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