Answering Service for Realtors

Real estate work happens away from a desk. You are at a closing table, in a showing, or driving between properties, and your phone rings anyway. Common calls include buyers asking whether a listing is still available, people requesting a showing time, sellers asking about your process, and callers with questions about fees or service areas.

When you cannot pick up, callers often hang up and dial the next agent on their list. An answering service gives those callers someone to talk to right away instead of a voicemail box. AllDayDesk answers around the clock using the business details you save, so callers get consistent answers about what you offer and how to reach you.

AllDayDesk is built to answer, inform, take messages, and request appointments. It does not negotiate on your behalf, give legal or financial advice, or promise outcomes about a transaction.

• Buyer questions about listings, availability, and your services
• Showing and consultation appointment requests
• Sellers and referral partners asking about your process
• After-hours and weekend calls when you are off the clock

Setup starts by choosing your business from a list or entering its website. AllDayDesk pulls together your public business information, you check that the details are right, and then you hear a personalized sample of how your receptionist will sound. The sample is a preview only and creates no real booking.

Next you choose phone setup. You keep your public number by forwarding calls to AllDayDesk, and the exact instructions depend on your phone service. Once connected, callers reach your receptionist instead of your voicemail.

Everything the receptionist does is visible in your dashboard: calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings. When a caller asks something you have not saved an answer for, such as a price or a specific appointment time, the receptionist takes a message so you can follow up yourself.

• Choose your business or enter its website to start
• Check your saved business details before going live
• Hear a personalized sample before you commit
• Forward your existing number, with instructions based on your phone service
• Review calls, transcripts, summaries and bookings in the dashboard

New appointments go on the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default, once you have configured your services and availability. That means a caller asking for a showing consultation can be booked into a time you have marked open.

If you prefer, you can connect Google Calendar in Settings after you connect and authorize your Google account. This is an optional connection; new bookings still come through AllDayDesk either way.

Changes to existing appointments work differently. If a caller wants to move or cancel a booking, the receptionist passes that request to you rather than confirming the change itself. You stay in control of your schedule.

• New bookings land on the AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default
• Configure your services and availability first so bookings fit your day
• Optional Google Calendar connection in Settings after you authorize your account
• Existing appointment changes are requests for you, not confirmed changes

Sometimes a caller needs a person right away, such as an active client mid-transaction. AllDayDesk supports configured transfers: you set a destination number and the rules for when calls transfer. Pickup is not guaranteed, because that depends on whether the destination answers.

For everything else, the receptionist takes a message. If a caller asks a question the saved business information cannot answer, like an exact commission figure or whether a specific time is open, the receptionist collects the message so you can respond with accurate information yourself.

This split keeps routine questions handled automatically while anything sensitive or negotiable lands in your hands.

• You configure the transfer destination and the rules for when it applies
• Neither pickup nor an immediate response is guaranteed on a transfer
• Unknown answers, prices, or times become messages for you
• No sensitive payment, medical, or legal details are collected over the phone

You do not change your advertised phone number. You forward it to AllDayDesk, and the forwarding steps depend on who provides your phone service. Mobile carriers, cable phone products, and business VoIP systems each use different methods, so identify your exact service before following any instructions.

For example, Verizon mobile forwarding is activated by dialing *72 plus the destination, with *73 to disable, and T-Mobile uses short codes like **21*1 followed by the destination for unconditional forwarding. Business products such as Spectrum Business Voice or Vonage Business Communications manage forwarding through their online portals instead. If your line is a Google Voice number, note that Google explicitly does not support forwarding from Google Voice to an automated system.

If you are unsure which product you have, check your bill or your provider's support pages. Our carrier guides cover the major providers in detail.

• Forwarding keeps your existing public number in place
• Instructions vary by carrier and by product, not just by carrier
• Google Voice numbers cannot be forwarded to an automated system
• Disable forwarding any time to take calls yourself again

Human answering services exist and work well for some businesses. For comparison, Ruby advertises live virtual receptionist plans starting at $245 per month as of October 2026, and Smith.ai uses per-call pricing for its human receptionist service. Those are starting figures only; real costs depend on included minutes or calls, overage rates, hours, and contract terms, so verify any quote directly.

AllDayDesk is an AI receptionist, not a human staffed service. It answers around the clock using your saved business information, takes messages, requests appointments, and shows everything in a dashboard. Around-the-clock availability does not guarantee every call connects, and transfers depend on your configured destination answering.

When comparing options, look at how each service handles appointment booking, whether you can review transcripts, what happens to unknown questions, and how pricing scales with your call volume.

• Human services: Ruby from $245/month, Smith.ai per-call pricing (October 2026, starting figures)
• AllDayDesk: AI receptionist with dashboard transcripts, summaries and bookings
• Compare included minutes, overage rates, and booking features on any quote
• Availability around the clock is not the same as a guarantee every call connects