# OrangeChat overview > What OrangeChat does, who it is for, and where to start. OrangeChat is an AI receptionist for small and mid-sized businesses in the United States and Canada. It answers the business's phone calls 24/7, talks with callers in natural language, captures and qualifies leads, books appointments, transfers urgent calls to a person, and sends the owner a summary after every call. The same AI also answers website chat, SMS, and email from one inbox. ## Who it is for Service businesses that miss calls while staff are busy, on a job, or closed: home services (HVAC, plumbing, roofing, cleaning), dental and medical clinics, law firms, auto shops, salons, restaurants, and property leasing teams. ## How a call works 1. A caller dials the business. The call reaches OrangeChat either on a new number OrangeChat provides, or forwarded from the business's existing number (see [Phone number and call forwarding](https://orangechat.ai/docs/phone-number-and-forwarding)). 2. The AI greets the caller with the business's own greeting, answers questions from the business's information and knowledge base, and collects what the business asked for (name, phone number, reason for calling, plus any custom questions). 3. Depending on the business's settings, it books an appointment, sends a booking link by text, takes an order, or transfers the call to a person. 4. After the call, the owner gets a summary by email and/or SMS. The recording, transcript, and caller record appear in the dashboard. ## Where to start - Setting up a business: [Setup checklist](https://orangechat.ai/docs/setup-checklist) lists everything to have ready. - Choosing how calls reach the AI: [Phone number and call forwarding](https://orangechat.ai/docs/phone-number-and-forwarding). - Choosing a plan: [Plans and pricing](https://orangechat.ai/docs/plans-and-pricing). - What the AI can do: [Features](https://orangechat.ai/docs/features) and [Industries](https://orangechat.ai/docs/industries). - Data, recordings, and safety: [Calls, data, and safety](https://orangechat.ai/docs/calls-data-and-safety). - AI assistants helping an owner: [For AI agents](https://orangechat.ai/docs/for-ai-agents). ## Try it - Talk to the AI in your browser: https://orangechat.ai - Call the after-hours demo line: (425) 675-9859