Virtual Receptionist Phone System for Small Businesses

The system has two parts that work together. The first part is your existing phone service, which sends calls somewhere else using call forwarding. The second part is the receptionist service itself, which answers the forwarded calls, speaks with callers, and records what happened.

With AllDayDesk, setup starts by choosing your business or entering its website so the service can learn your details. You check that the information is right, hear a personalized sample of how your calls would be answered, and then choose how to connect your phone. The sample is a demonstration only and does not create a real booking.

Once you are set up, calls, transcripts, summaries, and any bookings show up in your dashboard, so you can review every conversation even if you were on a ladder, with a client, or asleep.

• Callers dial your existing business number; nothing changes for them.
• Your carrier forwards calls to the receptionist service based on rules you set.
• The receptionist answers using your saved business information.
• When a caller asks something the system does not know, such as an exact price or an open appointment, it takes a message instead of guessing.
• You review calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings in the dashboard.

You do not need to buy a new phone line or change the number on your truck, business cards, or website. Call forwarding lets your current number keep working while calls are routed to the receptionist. When you want to answer your own phone again, you simply turn forwarding off.

How you turn forwarding on depends on your phone service. Mobile carriers often use short star codes dialed from the phone itself. For example, Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the 10-digit destination for all-call forwarding, *71 for unanswered calls, and *73 to turn forwarding off, and it must be set from the phone while in Verizon coverage. T-Mobile uses codes like **21*1 followed by the destination and # for unconditional forwarding, with ##21# to disable it. Business landline and VoIP providers usually manage forwarding through a portal or app instead: Spectrum Business Voice handles it in the Voice Settings or Forwarding Manager after signing in to SpectrumBusiness.net, and Vonage Business Communications lets you enable forwarding to a phone number from its call forwarding settings.

One important exception: Google Voice does not support forwarding its calls to an automated system, so a Google Voice number is not a compatible path for this kind of service.

• Forwarding is set up with your carrier, not with the receptionist service.
• Star codes are dialed from your phone; portal-based providers use their web or app settings.
• Identify your exact service name first, since codes differ even within one carrier's product lines.
• Test the destination by placing an outside call after activating forwarding.
• Google Voice numbers cannot be forwarded to an automated receptionist system.

The examples below show verified steps so you can see how much they vary. Always confirm the instructions for your exact product, because carriers use different codes for wireless, landline, and hosted business services.

AT&T Phone for Business uses *72, the destination, then # for all calls, and *92 with the destination for no-answer forwarding. Comcast's Managed Voice Panasonic TPA65 guide uses *72 plus the destination to enable all-call forwarding and *92 for no-answer. Optimum Business Phone uses *72, waiting for dial tone, then the destination, with *73 to disable. Frontier Unlimited Digital Voice works similarly: lift the handset, dial *72, wait for the second dial tone, and enter the destination.

• Verizon mobile: *72 plus destination for all calls, *71 for unanswered, *73 to disable.
• T-Mobile: **21*1 plus destination and # for unconditional, **61*1 for no reply, ##004# to reset.
• AT&T Phone for Business: *72, destination, # for all calls; *92 for no answer; *90 for busy.
• Spectrum Business Voice: managed in the online portal under Voice Settings or Forwarding Manager.
• Vonage Business Communications: enabled through Call Forwarding settings, forwarding to a phone number.
• Optimum Business Phone: *72, wait for dial tone, dial destination; *73 disables.

New appointments made through AllDayDesk go on the built-in dashboard calendar by default. Before that works fully, you configure your services and availability so the receptionist knows what can be booked and when.

If you already run your schedule in Google Calendar, AllDayDesk supports an optional connection. You set it up in Settings by connecting and authorizing your Google account. It is an optional add-on, not something that happens automatically, and Google Calendar is the external calendar the service supports.

Changes to existing appointments work differently from new bookings. When a caller wants to move or cancel an existing appointment, the receptionist records it as a request for you to review and approve, rather than confirming the change on its own.

• New bookings land on the built-in dashboard calendar once services and availability are configured.
• Google Calendar can be connected optionally in Settings after you authorize your account.
• Reschedules and cancellations come to you as requests, not confirmed changes.
• Every booking and request is visible in the dashboard with its call summary.

Sometimes a caller genuinely needs you, such as a longtime customer with an unusual request. AllDayDesk can transfer calls to you, but only after you configure a transfer destination and the rules for when transfers happen. A transfer is not guaranteed to be picked up or answered immediately, so think of it as routing the call to you rather than a promise the caller reaches you.

When the receptionist does not know an answer, a price, or whether a time is open, it takes a message instead of guessing. That keeps wrong information from reaching your customers. You see the message, transcript, and summary in your dashboard and can call back when it suits you.

Many small business owners answer their own phones during the day and use a receptionist system for the times they cannot, such as evenings, weekends, or when they are mid-job. Forwarding rules let you decide which calls reach the service and which you take yourself.

• Transfers require you to set a destination and rules in advance.
• Neither pickup nor an immediate response is guaranteed on a transfer.
• Unknown answers, prices, or availability become messages, not guesses.
• Messages, transcripts, and summaries appear in your dashboard.

Virtual receptionist services come in two broad types, and it is worth comparing them honestly. Human services, such as Ruby, Smith.ai's live receptionist plans, and AnswerConnect, staff phones with trained people. Their published starting prices vary; Ruby advertises plans starting at $245 per month as of October 2026, while Smith.ai prices its live receptionist service per call, so you need a current quote to compare real costs. Also note that an in-house receptionist, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, greets visitors and handles office tasks beyond phone answering, so a phone service is not a full employee replacement.

Automated services like AllDayDesk use an AI receptionist that answers around the clock using your saved business information. Around-the-clock availability describes when the service can take calls, not a guarantee that every single call connects. Smith.ai also sells a separate AI receptionist product with its own escalation features, which is that company's offering and not part of AllDayDesk.

When comparing any provider, look past the headline price. Ask what the included minutes or calls are, what overage minutes cost, whether you keep your number, how appointments are handled, and what happens when the system does not know an answer. This comparison is based on documented features and published prices, not hands-on testing of each service.

• Human services: trained people answer; costs vary by plan, included volume, and hours.
• Automated services: software answers using your business details, available around the clock.
• Compare included minutes, overage rates, contracts, and booking features, not just the starting price.
• A phone answering service does not replace the full scope of an in-house receptionist role.
• AllDayDesk is the service described on this site; other names here are independent providers.