Answering Service for Your Business

When you are on a job, with a customer, or closed for the day, calls still come in. An answering service answers those calls using details about your business, so the caller hears something useful instead of voicemail. AllDayDesk answers around the clock using the business information you save.

The service can answer common questions from your saved details, take messages when it does not know an answer, a price, or an open appointment, and book new appointments once you have set up your services and availability. If a caller needs you directly, the service can transfer the call to a destination you configure, with rules you set. A transfer is not guaranteed to be picked up or answered immediately, so think about when you want transfers to happen.

Everything the service handles is visible to you. The dashboard shows calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings, so you can review what was said and follow up on anything that needs your attention. Changes to existing appointments are passed to you as requests, not confirmed changes, so you stay in control of your schedule.

• Answers calls around the clock using your saved business information
• Takes a message when an answer, price, or appointment time is unknown
• Books new appointments on the built-in AllDayDesk calendar after you configure services and availability
• Transfers calls to a destination and rules you set up yourself
• Shows calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings in your dashboard

Setup starts with your business, not your phone. You choose your business from a list or enter its website, and AllDayDesk checks the details it finds. You then hear a personalized sample of how your calls would be answered. This sample is a preview only; it does not create a real booking or commit you to anything.

Once you like what you hear, you choose your phone setup. You keep your public phone number by forwarding calls to AllDayDesk, and the exact instructions depend on your phone service. There is no promise of a 30-second setup, and there is no single test-call method that works for every provider. The practical check is to place a real call from another phone and confirm it reaches the service the way you expect.

Before new appointments can be booked, configure your services and availability in the dashboard. By default, bookings land on the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar. If you prefer Google Calendar, you can connect and authorize your Google account in Settings as an optional step. No other calendar or scheduling software is claimed to work automatically.

• Choose your business or enter its website so details can be checked
• Listen to the personalized sample before connecting your phone
• Forward your existing number; instructions depend on your phone provider
• Configure services and availability so new bookings can be made
• Optionally connect Google Calendar in Settings after authorizing your account

You do not need a new phone number. You keep your public number and forward calls to AllDayDesk. How you do that depends entirely on your phone carrier or phone system, so identify your exact service before following any instructions. Codes that work on one carrier or product often do not work on another.

Examples from published provider guides: Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the destination for all-call forwarding and *73 to turn it off, with *71 for unanswered calls on wireless lines. T-Mobile uses **21*1 plus the destination and # for unconditional forwarding, with separate codes for no-reply, unreachable, and busy conditions. Comcast Business, Optimum Business Phone, Spectrum Business Voice, AT&T Phone for Business, and Vonage Business Communications each have their own portal or code steps, and features depend on what you subscribe to.

One important limit: Google Voice does not support forwarding calls from a Google Voice number to an automated system, so that path will not work with AllDayDesk. If your provider is not listed or you are unsure which product you have, check your bill or ask your provider which forwarding options your plan supports before you start.

• Keep your public number; forwarding sends calls to AllDayDesk
• Activation steps differ by carrier and even by product within a carrier
• Verizon mobile: *72 plus destination to activate, *73 to disable
• T-Mobile: **21*1 plus destination and # for unconditional forwarding
• Google Voice to an automated system is unsupported by Google

Answering services are usually priced as a monthly plan with a set amount of included usage, plus a rate for anything over it. AllDayDesk plans work this way, and current prices are shown on the pricing section of this site rather than in this article. When comparing services, look past the headline price and check what the included allowance covers, what overage minutes cost, and whether there is a contract.

Human answering services are a different cost model. For example, Ruby advertises live virtual receptionist plans starting at $245 per month as of October 2026, and Smith.ai prices its human receptionist service per call. Those starting prices are not complete comparisons; included hours, overage rates, and contract terms all vary by quote. The right choice depends on whether you want human judgment on every call or automated availability with lower cost.

Also compare scope. An in-house receptionist does more than answer phones, including greeting visitors and office tasks, so a phone service is not a full replacement for that role. Match what you actually need covered.

• Check included minutes, overage rates, and contract terms, not just the base price
• Human services like Ruby (from $245/month, Oct 2026) and Smith.ai price differently
• A phone answering service does not replace all receptionist duties

An answering service fits best when calls arrive at times you cannot answer, and when you want a caller with a quick question or a booking request to get an answer instead of voicemail. If most of your calls are simple questions about services, hours, pricing you have published, or scheduling, an automated service that knows your business details can handle them well.

It is a weaker fit when every call needs human judgment, sensitive detail collection, or advice. AllDayDesk takes a message when it does not know an answer, a price, or an open time, and it does not collect sensitive medical, legal, financial, or payment details. If your calls regularly need that kind of handling, a human service or your own follow-up process may be the better layer.

A practical way to decide: list the last ten calls you remember. If most were questions your saved business details could answer or booking requests, an answering service will carry real weight. If most were complex cases needing you personally, use the service for coverage and messages while you handle the rest.

• Best fit: routine questions, scheduling, and after-hours coverage
• Unknown answers, prices, or times become messages for you
• Not designed to collect sensitive medical, legal, financial, or payment details