Impact 360 Media adds AI voice receptionist as it marks 20 years

Impact 360 Media, a veteran-owned marketing agency in Hot Springs, Arkansas, is launching an AI voice receptionist and AI search optimization tools for contractors and local small businesses. The new offering aims to capture missed calls, book appointments and help businesses surface in Google and AI answer engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.

Why it matters: - Local service businesses lose work when they miss calls, especially when crews are on job sites or owners are with customers. - Impact 360 Media is positioning AI phone answering and AI search visibility as a single system for lead capture, follow-up and discovery.

What happened: - Impact 360 Media marked 20 years in business and added an AI voice receptionist to its marketing services. - The agency is based in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and was founded in 2006 by John Varnedore. - The new receptionist answers a business phone line day or night, books appointments on the business calendar and texts the owner a note on every caller. - The service is offered alongside AI search optimization work for Google search, Google Maps and AI answer engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.

The details: - Every client account runs on the agency's i360 platform. - The platform combines a business website, call tracking, AI website chat and automatic follow-up in one login. - The AI voice receptionist is trained only on each business's own services, hours, service area and common questions. - The system sends a text back to any caller it misses. - Impact 360 Media keeps each client's domain, Google Business Profile, reviews, contacts and tracking numbers in the client's own name. - The agency also helps local businesses recover domains and Google profiles left in the name of a previous provider. - A demonstration of the AI receptionist is available by calling 501-359-5464. - Varnedore is a 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran. - The agency says it now focuses on contractors, home service businesses and other local small businesses. - Varnedore has sold print and digital marketing since 1999, including roles at AT&T Interactive, Alltel and DPS Media. - At DPS Media, Varnedore founded the company's digital division as Director of Digital Media. - Varnedore has run Impact 360 Media full-time since September 2013. - He became a Google Street View Trusted Photographer in 2014. - His Google photos and virtual tours have passed 41 million views. - He has worked with Google's Get Your Business Online program since 2015. - He is a member of the Google Business Profile Product Experts community. - He served as a Google trusted verifier from 2016 to 2019. - He has led Google Business Profile workshops at the Hot Springs and Arkadelphia chambers of commerce. - He is a Level 8 Google Maps Local Guide. - Impact 360 Media holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Between the lines: - The launch reflects a shift from traditional local SEO toward answering calls and appearing in AI-generated recommendations. - Varnedore framed missed calls as a direct revenue leak and AI visibility as the next layer of local marketing. - The agency is also emphasizing asset ownership, which can matter when businesses switch vendors or try to recover control of online listings.

What's next: - Impact 360 Media is offering the AI receptionist as a live demonstration through its phone line. - The company appears set to continue bundling phone answering, search visibility and follow-up tools for local businesses. - More information is available at the company's website.