Phone Answering and Scheduling Service

The idea is simple: instead of a call going to voicemail when you are on a ladder, under a sink, or with a customer, it is answered first. The service uses the details you save about your business — services, pricing, hours, and service area — to answer common questions and collect what a new caller needs.

When a caller wants an appointment, the service checks your availability and creates the booking. New appointments go on the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default, once you have set up your services and availability. If you prefer Google Calendar, you can connect and authorize your Google account in Settings as an optional step.

Everything the service does on a call is visible to you. Calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings show up in your dashboard, so you can review what was said and what was scheduled without listening to a single voicemail.

Two limits are worth knowing up front. Changes to existing appointments are captured as requests for you to approve, not confirmed changes. And when the service does not know an answer, a price, or an open time, it takes a message instead of guessing.

• Calls answered around the clock using your saved business information
• New appointments booked on the built-in dashboard calendar
• Optional Google Calendar connection available in Settings after you authorize your account
• Transcripts and summaries for every call in the dashboard
• Messages taken whenever an answer, price, or appointment time is unknown

You do not change your phone number or print new cards. You keep your public number and forward calls to AllDayDesk. The exact steps depend on your phone carrier or phone system, so setup asks how your phone service works and gives you matching instructions.

Most carriers support forwarding in one of two ways. Unconditional forwarding sends all calls straight to the destination. Conditional forwarding only sends calls that go unanswered, are busy, or are unreachable — which lets you answer your own phone first and let the service catch the rest.

A few verified examples show how much the codes vary. Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the destination for all calls and *71 for unanswered calls, with *73 to turn forwarding off. T-Mobile uses **21*1, destination, and # for unconditional forwarding, with ##21# to disable. AT&T Phone for Business uses *72, destination, # for all calls, *92 for no-answer, and *90 for busy. Comcast Business features are managed through My Account or the Comcast Business App, and the exact steps depend on which Comcast voice product you subscribe to.

One important exception: Google Voice does not support forwarding calls from a Google Voice number to an automated system, so it is not a compatible path for this setup. If you are unsure what your carrier supports, check your bill or account portal for the exact product name before following any instructions.

• Keep your existing public number and forward calls instead of porting
• Unconditional forwarding sends every call; conditional forwarding only sends missed, busy, or unreachable calls
• Carrier codes differ — Verizon mobile (*72/*71/*73), T-Mobile (**21*1, **61*1), AT&T Phone for Business (*72/*92/*90) are all different
• Comcast Business forwarding is managed in My Account or the app, depending on your subscribed product
• Google Voice numbers cannot be forwarded to an automated answering system

Setup starts with your business, not a form. You enter your business name or website, and the service pulls in details like your services and hours. You check those details and fix anything that is wrong, because the accuracy of every future call depends on what you save here.

Next, you hear a personalized sample of how your business would be answered. This lets you judge the tone and the information it uses before anything goes live. The sample is a demonstration only — it does not create a real booking.

Finally, you choose your phone setup option and follow the forwarding instructions for your carrier. Once calls are forwarding, new bookings land on the built-in dashboard calendar as long as you have configured your services and availability. If you want bookings in Google Calendar instead, connect and authorize your Google account in Settings.

• Enter your business name or website to pull in your details
• Review and correct the saved information before going live
• Hear a personalized sample — no real booking is created
• Choose phone setup and forward your existing number
• Configure services and availability so new bookings can be made

Some calls genuinely need you — an upset customer, an unusual request, or a question the saved information cannot cover. AllDayDesk can transfer a call to you, but you must configure a transfer destination and the rules for when transfers happen first. A transfer reaching you is not guaranteed: there is no promise that you will pick up or respond immediately.

For everything else, the safe behavior is taking a message. If a caller asks something the service does not know, requests a price that is not saved, or wants a time that is not open, the call ends with a message for you instead of a wrong answer or a wrong booking.

This is also why the dashboard matters. Reading transcripts and summaries lets you spot questions that come up repeatedly, then add the answers to your saved business information so future callers get them directly.

• Transfers require you to configure a destination and rules in advance
• No guarantee of pickup or immediate response on a transferred call
• Unknown answers, prices, and times become messages, not guesses
• Existing appointment changes are requests for you, not confirmed edits
• Use transcripts to improve the saved information over time

Costs for this kind of service usually come in two parts: a monthly plan with a set of included minutes, and a per-minute rate for minutes beyond that. AllDayDesk plans follow this structure, with current pricing displayed separately on this page.

Human answering services are priced differently. Ruby, a live virtual receptionist company, advertises plans starting at $245 per month as of October 9, 2026. Smith.ai uses per-call pricing for its human receptionist service, and the cost depends on the needs you select. Starting prices are not complete comparisons — you need each provider's included allowance, overage rates, hours, and contract terms from a current quote.

An in-house receptionist is a different scope entirely. Bureau of Labor Statistics guidance notes that receptionists also greet visitors and handle office tasks beyond phone work, so a phone service is not a one-for-one employee replacement. Compare what you actually need covered before comparing dollar figures.

• AllDayDesk pricing is shown separately on this page
• Human services like Ruby (from $245/month) and Smith.ai (per-call) price differently — verify current quotes
• Compare included minutes or calls, overage rates, hours, and contracts
• In-house reception covers visitors and office tasks, not just phones

A phone answering and scheduling service fits best when calls arrive while you are working and most callers want one of two things: an answer to a routine question or an appointment. Solo operators and small teams in trades, salons, clinics, and similar appointment-based businesses tend to fit that pattern.

Ask yourself three questions. First, do you regularly miss calls or let them ring out during the workday? Second, could a caller book correctly if the service knew your services, prices, and open times? Third, are you comfortable reviewing messages and appointment requests in a dashboard rather than hearing every call yourself?

If most of your calls need judgment calls, on-site decisions, or sensitive detail collection, a service like this works best as a first line — answering, booking, and passing everything else to you as messages. It is not designed to collect sensitive medical, legal, financial, or payment details, and it does not replace you for calls that truly need your expertise.

• Best fit: appointment-based businesses with routine call questions
• Consider whether saved business info could answer most caller questions
• Plan on reviewing messages and appointment requests in the dashboard
• Not for collecting sensitive medical, legal, financial, or payment details