A Virtual Receptionist: What It Is and How to Choose One

A virtual receptionist handles the same core phone tasks an in-office receptionist would, but from somewhere else. The caller dials your normal business number and reaches the service instead of your desk, cell, or voicemail.

The typical tasks are greeting callers in your business name, answering questions from saved business information, taking messages when an answer is not known, and booking appointments. An in-house receptionist usually does more than phones, such as greeting visitors and handling office paperwork, so a phone service is not a full replacement for that role.

AllDayDesk answers around the clock using the business information you save. When it does not know an answer, a price, or an available appointment time, it takes a message so you can follow up.

• Greets callers with your business name and saved details
• Answers common questions from your business information
• Takes messages when an answer or price is unknown
• Books appointments once services and availability are configured
• Keeps your existing public phone number through forwarding

Human virtual receptionist services employ remote people who answer your calls. Companies like Ruby and Smith.ai offer human receptionist plans, and AnswerConnect offers live answering by people. Human services vary in hours, included allowance, and contract terms, so you need a current quote to compare them fairly. A published starting price, such as Ruby's advertised $245 per month at the time we checked, is not a complete cost picture on its own.

AI receptionists answer automatically using software instead of people. AllDayDesk is an AI service: it draws on your saved business information, works around the clock, and shows calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings in a dashboard. Around-the-clock availability describes when the service can take calls; it is not a promise that every single call connects.

The trade-offs are practical. Human services can handle judgment-heavy conversations but usually have defined coverage hours, and their pricing varies by plan and quote. AI services answer at any hour, but complex or unusual requests end up as messages for you rather than fully handled calls. Compare quotes from both types side by side rather than assuming either is cheaper. Neither type replaces your own judgment on which calls need a callback.

• Human services: real people answer, hours and pricing vary by plan and quote
• AI services: automatic answering, around-the-clock availability
• Both keep your existing number; both take messages for follow-up
• Compare included minutes or calls, overage rates, and contract terms, not just the starting price

Setup starts by choosing your business or entering its website. AllDayDesk pulls together your business details, and you check them for accuracy before anything goes live. You then hear a personalized sample of how your receptionist will sound. The sample is a preview only; it does not create a real booking.

Next you choose phone setup. You keep your public number by forwarding calls to the service, and the exact instructions depend on your phone provider. For example, Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the destination for all calls and *71 for unanswered calls, while T-Mobile uses codes like **21*1 followed by the destination for unconditional forwarding. Business landline and hosted products, such as Spectrum Business Voice or Comcast Business, are usually managed through an online portal instead. Always identify your exact service first, because codes differ between a carrier's wireless, landline, and hosted products.

Once live, the receptionist answers using your saved information. New appointments go on the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default, once you have configured your services and availability. If you prefer, you can optionally connect Google Calendar in Settings after connecting and authorizing your Google account. Existing appointment changes are passed to you as requests, not confirmed changes, so you stay in control of your schedule.

• Choose your business or enter its website, then verify the details
• Hear a personalized sample before going live
• Forward your existing number using provider-specific instructions
• Calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings appear in your dashboard
• Appointments default to the dashboard calendar; Google Calendar is an optional connection in Settings

Some calls need a person right away, and a virtual receptionist can transfer those to you. With AllDayDesk, transfers require you to configure a destination number and rules for when transfers happen. Because a transfer depends on phone networks and your availability, neither pickup nor an immediate response is guaranteed.

When the receptionist cannot answer a question, does not know a price, or cannot find an open appointment, it takes a message instead of guessing. You review messages, transcripts, and summaries in the dashboard and decide what needs a callback.

This division of labor is the practical heart of the service: routine questions and bookings are handled automatically, and anything uncertain becomes a clear message with the caller's details.

• Transfers need a configured destination and rules you set
• No pickup or immediate response is guaranteed on a transfer
• Unknown answers, prices, or appointment times become messages
• You review everything in the dashboard and choose what to act on

Start with your call patterns. If you work solo or with a small crew and cannot reach the phone during jobs, an answering service can keep callers out of voicemail instead of hearing it unanswered. If most of your calls are appointment requests and routine questions, an AI receptionist handles them well. If callers frequently need nuanced judgment mid-call, a human-staffed service may fit better.

Next, check your phone service's forwarding options before committing. Most landline, wireless, and hosted business phone products support some form of forwarding, but the activation method varies by provider and product. If you use Google Voice as your main number, note that Google explicitly does not support forwarding from a Google Voice number to an automated system, so you would need a different arrangement.

Finally, compare total cost, not the headline number. Look at included minutes or calls, overage rates, coverage hours, and whether the calendar and booking features you need are included. AllDayDesk pricing is displayed separately on this page.

• Match the service type to your typical call: routine bookings favor AI, judgment calls favor people
• Verify your phone provider's forwarding method before you sign up
• Google Voice numbers cannot be forwarded to an automated system
• Compare included minutes, overage rates, and hours, not just the starting price