Automated Telephone Answering Service

When a call comes in, the service answers it using the business information you saved: your services, hours, prices, and policies. The caller can ask questions, leave a message, or request an appointment. You do not have to be near the phone for the call to be handled.

After each call, you can open the AllDayDesk dashboard to see the call details, read the transcript, check the summary, and review any bookings that were made. New appointments go on the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default, once you have set up your services and availability. If you prefer, you can optionally connect Google Calendar in Settings after connecting and authorizing your Google account.

The service is honest about what it knows. If a caller asks something it does not have an answer for, like a price you have not saved or a special situation, it takes a message so you can follow up yourself.

• Callers dial your existing business number; you forward calls to the service.
• The service answers using your saved business details.
• Messages, transcripts, summaries, and bookings appear in your dashboard.
• New appointments use the built-in dashboard calendar by default; Google Calendar is an optional connection in Settings.
• Unknown answers, prices, or appointment requests become messages for you.

You do not need a new number. You keep your public number and forward calls to AllDayDesk. The exact forwarding steps depend on your phone company, because each carrier and product has its own method.

For example, Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the destination number for all-call forwarding, *71 for unanswered calls, and *73 to turn it off. Verizon business landline uses *72 and *73 from the same line. T-Mobile uses codes like **21*1 followed by the destination and # for unconditional forwarding. Comcast Business manages forwarding through My Account or the Comcast Business App, and the steps depend on whether you have Voice Mobility, Business Voice, or VoiceEdge. Spectrum Business Voice uses the online portal: sign in, open Voice, choose your number, and set forwarding in Voice Settings or Forwarding Manager.

One important exception: Google Voice does not support forwarding calls to an automated system, so a Google Voice number cannot be pointed at AllDayDesk this way.

Before you rely on forwarding, activate it and place a test call from another phone to confirm it works. Charges for forwarded calls depend on your plan, so check with your carrier.

• Forwarding instructions differ by carrier and by product, so identify your exact service first.
• Verizon mobile: *72 plus destination for all calls, *71 for unanswered, *73 to disable.
• T-Mobile: **21*1 plus destination and # for unconditional; ##21# to disable.
• Comcast Business and Spectrum Business Voice use online portals rather than star codes.
• Google Voice numbers cannot be forwarded to an automated answering service.

Setup starts by choosing your business from a list or entering its website. The service pulls up your public business details, and you check that everything is correct before going further.

Next, you hear a personalized sample so you know exactly how your calls will sound. The sample is a demonstration only and does not create a real booking. After that, you choose your phone setup option, which walks you through forwarding your number based on your phone service.

To make appointment booking work, configure your services and availability in the dashboard. Once that is done, the service can place new appointments on the built-in calendar, or on Google Calendar if you connect it in Settings.

• Choose your business or enter its website to pull up your details.
• Review and correct the information before calls go live.
• Hear a personalized sample; it does not create a real booking.
• Choose phone setup and follow the forwarding steps for your carrier.
• Configure services and availability so new appointments can be booked.

Sometimes a caller needs to reach you directly. AllDayDesk can transfer calls to you, but you need to configure a transfer destination and the rules for when transfers happen first. Transfers are not guaranteed to be picked up or answered immediately, so treat them as one option among several.

When the service does not know an answer, a price, or whether an appointment is possible, it takes a message instead of guessing. You can then call the person back with accurate information. Existing appointment changes work the same way: they are requests for you to review and approve, not confirmed changes made on their own.

• Configure a transfer destination and rules before relying on transfers.
• Neither pickup nor an immediate response is guaranteed on a transfer.
• Unknown answers, prices, or appointment availability become messages.
• Changes to existing appointments are requests you approve, not automatic changes.

You have a few ways to handle business calls, and each fits a different situation. 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. Human virtual receptionist services, such as Ruby and Smith.ai, answer calls with people; their pricing depends on the plan, included allowance, and contract terms, so compare current quotes rather than assuming any single price.

An automated telephone answering service like AllDayDesk answers with software around the clock using your saved business information. Around-the-clock availability describes when the service can take calls, not a promise that every single call connects. The right choice depends on your call volume, your budget, and how much of your phone work can be handled from saved information.

• In-house reception covers visitors and office tasks beyond phone answering.
• Human virtual receptionist services price by plan and call volume; verify current quotes.
• Automated services answer using saved business details and work around the clock.
• Compare what each option actually handles before deciding.