What $299 a month actually buys you
A front desk, an assistant, a bookkeeper's helper and a marketer, in one number you can text. Here is the math against everything else you could pay for.
Anything happen over the weekend?
Friday11 new texts. I booked 6 of them, moved 2 appointments and answered 3 price questions.
Jess called out for Tuesday. Dom is covering her 10 and 2.
Last week you made $8,420, up 12%. The invoice for the Hendersons went out Friday night.
You're the best.
That is one text, on a Monday, before the doors open. Nobody had to log in to anything.
Friday costs $299 a month. Here is what that number is up against.
What you would pay otherwise
| Option | What it costs | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| A part-time front desk person | $1,500–2,500 a month | Answers the phone during their shift |
| A full-time receptionist | $2,800–4,500 a month | Front desk, 40 hours a week, sick days, turnover |
| Podium or Weave | $450–800 a month, usually a yearly contract | Texting inbox your staff still has to answer |
| An "AI receptionist" | $50–500 a month | Picks up calls and reads a script |
| Friday | $299 a month, no contract | Everything below, all day, every day |
Most of the tools in that table do one job. Friday does the job of the person you would hire to use them.
What's in the $299
The front desk. Every text answered in seconds, day or night. Real prices, real openings, appointments written straight onto your calendar. Cancellations get filled from the people who asked for an earlier slot.
Your team. Someone calls out at 6am and Friday finds cover. Shift reminders go out on whatever your team already uses: text, Slack, WhatsApp or Discord.
The money. Deposits collected when the booking is made, so no-shows stop costing you. Invoices sent. Payouts checked. "What did I make this week?" answered in one text.
Growth. The customers who stopped coming get a text that brings them back. Reviews get replies. Next week's open slots get posted.
Errands. Reordering supplies, looking up what the shop down the street charges, reminding you to renew your license in March.
Why it can be this cheap
Friday is not a person on a payroll. She is software that works like a person: she has her own phone number, remembers your customers, and can use the apps you already pay for. You are not paying for hours. You are paying for the work to get done.
A missed text costs you a booking. A missed month of follow-ups costs you your regulars. $299 is less than one lost customer a month for most shops.
How to start
Text Friday. Tell her the name of your business. She'll ask you a few questions, the way a new hire would on their first day, and she'll be working before you finish your coffee.