24 Hour Virtual Receptionist

A 24 hour virtual receptionist handles your incoming calls at any hour, day or night. Instead of a phone ringing in an empty office or going to voicemail, a receptionist answers in your business's name, answers questions from the information you saved, books new appointments, and takes messages when something needs your judgment.

AllDayDesk is an AI receptionist, so there is no human sitting at a desk. It works from the business details you provide, which means it can tell callers what you do, when you are available, and how to book. It is not a full office employee: an in-house receptionist also greets visitors and handles paperwork, so compare the scope of the job, not just the phone answering part.

Most owners answer their own phone during the day, and the same is true here. Around-the-clock coverage is useful for the calls that come in when you are on a job, with a customer, or asleep, and for times when you simply cannot pick up.

• Answers calls in your business's name using your saved details
• Books new appointments once you have configured services and availability
• Takes a message when an answer, price or appointment time is unknown
• Shows calls, transcripts, summaries and bookings in your dashboard

Setup starts with your business, not with paperwork. You choose your business or enter its website, then check the details the service pulled together about what you do and how you work. Next, you hear a personalized sample of the receptionist speaking for your business, so you know what callers will hear before anything goes live. The sample does not create a real booking.

After the sample, you choose your phone setup. You keep your public number by forwarding calls to AllDayDesk, and the exact instructions depend on your phone service. For example, Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the destination for all-call forwarding and *73 to turn it off, while T-Mobile uses **21*1 followed by the destination and # for unconditional forwarding. Other carriers use portals or different codes, so follow the guide for your specific provider.

One important limit: Google Voice does not support forwarding calls from a Google Voice number to an automated system, so a Google Voice line is not a compatible path to AllDayDesk.

• Choose your business or enter its website to build the receptionist
• Check the learned details before going live
• Hear a personalized sample; it creates no real booking
• Keep your existing number by forwarding calls to the service
• Follow your own carrier's forwarding instructions, since codes differ

New appointments go on the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default, once you have configured your services and availability. If you prefer Google Calendar, an optional connection is available in Settings after you connect and authorize your Google account. No other external calendar or industry scheduling software is supported.

Changes to existing appointments are different from new bookings. When a caller wants to move or cancel an existing appointment, the receptionist records it as a request for you. You confirm the change yourself, so nothing on your calendar shifts without your approval.

When a caller asks something the receptionist does not know, such as a custom price or whether you can handle an unusual job, it takes a message instead of guessing. The same applies when no open appointment time fits. You see the message, the transcript and a summary in your dashboard, and you decide how to respond.

• New bookings use the built-in dashboard calendar by default
• Optional Google Calendar connection lives in Settings after you authorize it
• Existing appointment changes are requests for you, not confirmed changes
• Unknown answers, prices and times become messages, not guesses

Sometimes a caller needs a person, not a receptionist. AllDayDesk can transfer a call to you, but only after you have configured a transfer destination and the rules for when transfers happen. Until that is set up, calls are handled by the receptionist itself.

Transfers are not guaranteed to connect. Neither pickup nor an immediate response is promised, because a transfer depends on the destination phone actually being answered. Plan your transfer rules around times you know you can pick up, and rely on message taking for the rest.

Transfers and messages are separate features. A configured transfer covers the calls you route to it, and ordinary message taking covers calls where the receptionist collects the caller's information. Do not count on one to back up the other.

• Transfers require you to configure a destination and rules first
• Neither pickup nor immediate response is guaranteed on a transfer
• Message taking and transfers are separate, independent features

You have three broad choices for around-the-clock phone coverage: an AI receptionist like AllDayDesk, a human virtual receptionist service, or simply letting calls go to voicemail. Each fits a different situation, and this comparison covers documented features rather than hands-on testing of any product.

Human services such as AnswerConnect offer 24/7 live answering by people, and providers like Ruby advertise plans starting at $245 per month as of October 2026, while Smith.ai uses per-call pricing for its human receptionists. Starting prices alone are not a full comparison; you need each provider's included allowance, overage rates, hours and contract terms from a current quote. Human services bring judgment and flexibility, but coverage and fees vary by service and plan, so verify what you are actually buying.

AI receptionists work from saved business details and handle routine questions, bookings and messages on their own. AllDayDesk pricing is shown separately on this page, with plans that include a set number of minutes and a per-minute rate beyond that. The practical decision comes down to call complexity: if most calls are appointment requests, hours questions and messages, an AI receptionist covers them well; if calls routinely need human judgment mid-conversation, weigh a human service or a hybrid.

• Human services: real judgment, pricing varies by plan and included allowance
• AI receptionist: works from your saved details, handles bookings and messages
• Voicemail: no interaction at all, callers often hang up without leaving details
• Compare included minutes, overage rates and contract terms, not just the starting price

Around-the-clock coverage makes the most sense when callers reach out outside normal hours and expect an answer rather than a beep. Service businesses that get evening and weekend requests, appointment-driven businesses, and solo owners who cannot answer while working all fit that pattern.

Ask yourself three questions. First, do calls come in at hours you cannot answer? Second, are most calls routine enough to handle from saved business details, such as hours, services and booking? Third, do you want new appointments booked directly, or would you rather review every request first? Your answers point you toward full coverage, limited coverage, or message-only handling.

If your calls are mostly during business hours and you miss them only occasionally, an overflow setup may be enough. If you want a middle ground, start by hearing the sample receptionist for your own business and decide from there.

• Best fit: callers contact you outside hours you can answer
• Ask whether most calls are routine questions and bookings
• Decide if you want direct booking or review-first requests
• Occasional daytime misses may only need overflow coverage