AI call summaries & transcripts without overpaying
- Many apps charge AI as a pricey add-on (often ~$99/month or per minute).
- With BYOK, you plug in your own OpenAI or Claude key and pay the model at its real cost.
- You turn AI on or off anytime; your conversations aren't used to train a model.
You can add AI to your phone system without paying a big add-on. The bring-your-own-key (BYOK) model lets you plug in your own OpenAI or Claude account: call summaries, transcription and SMS reply suggestions run on your key, billed at its real cost by the AI provider.
It's the same principle as telecom: separate software from consumption. You don't pay a markup on AI — you pay for AI directly, by usage.
Why is phone AI so expensive elsewhere?
Because it's sold as a premium module. Many apps charge the AI agent or summary as a fixed add-on (often around $99/month) or per minute. The model's real cost is a fraction of that, though: the difference is margin.
The bring-your-own-key (BYOK) model removes the AI markup: instead of a fixed add-on (often ~$99/month), you plug in your own OpenAI or Claude key and pay the AI provider at its real rate, by usage. The software just orchestrates the model calls.
What does AI actually do on a call?
Three things useful day to day: it transcribes the call to text, produces a summary with action items, and suggests replies for your texts. You stay in control: each function runs on demand, not permanently in the background.
- Transcription: the call or voicemail becomes searchable text, via the engine of your choice (you bring that key too).
- Summary + actions: a digest of the call and next steps, under the transcript.
- SMS suggestions: a proposed reply in the composer, which you accept or edit.
These functions stay discreet by design: a button in the call history, a suggestion in the composer. Calling stays at the core; AI is a copilot on your calls and texts, not an intrusive gadget.
Privacy: your conversations aren't used to train a model. You bring your key, calls go through your provider, and nothing is resold. You can revoke your AI key anytime.
And the AI receptionist, when is that coming?
It's coming. The idea: an agent that answers calls, qualifies and takes messages, still BYOK to stay at cost. It's not available yet — we'd rather announce it when it's ready than promise it with a date.
Today, Relay's AI covers transcription, call summaries with action items, and SMS reply suggestions, all BYOK. An AI receptionist able to answer calls is in the works, on the same cost model — with no fixed add-on surcharge.