Virtual Assistant Telephone Answering Service

When you cannot pick up, the call is forwarded to your virtual assistant instead of ringing out to voicemail. The assistant greets the caller using your business name, answers questions from the business information you saved, and takes a message when it does not know an answer, a price, or an open appointment time. That last part matters: a good service would rather take a message than guess.

With AllDayDesk, new appointments go on the built-in dashboard calendar by default, once you have set up your services and availability. If you prefer Google Calendar, you can optionally connect and authorize your Google account in Settings. Changes to existing appointments are passed to you as requests — the assistant does not confirm them on its own.

If a caller needs you directly, the assistant can transfer the call to a destination you configure, along with the rules for when transfers happen. Transfers depend on that setup, and neither pickup nor an immediate response is guaranteed, so the assistant also takes ordinary messages as part of normal call handling.

• Answers calls in your business name using your saved business details
• Takes a message whenever an answer, price, or opening is unknown
• Books new appointments on the dashboard calendar, or Google Calendar if you connect it
• Sends existing-appointment changes to you as requests, not confirmed edits
• Shows calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings in your dashboard
• Can transfer calls to a destination and rules you configure

There are three common routes, and this comparison covers documented features rather than hands-on testing. AllDayDesk is the site's own product, so weigh that when reading.

Human virtual receptionist services, such as Ruby and Smith.ai's receptionist plans, staff calls with trained people. Ruby advertises plans starting at $245 per month as of October 2026, and Smith.ai prices per call; both costs depend on included allowances, hours, and contract terms, so verify current quotes. Human coverage and fees vary by service and plan, so it is not accurate to say people always cost more or only work business hours.

Some providers also sell AI receptionists — Smith.ai has a separate AI product with escalation to its live agent network. An in-house receptionist, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, does far more than answer phones, including greeting visitors and office tasks, so a phone service is not a full employee replacement. AllDayDesk's approach is an AI assistant trained on your business information, available around the clock, with pricing shown separately on this page.

• Human receptionist services: real people, per-call or monthly pricing that varies by plan
• AI receptionist services: automated answering; features like escalation differ by provider
• In-house receptionist: full office role, not just phone coverage
• AllDayDesk: AI assistant using your saved business info, around-the-clock availability, dashboard with transcripts and bookings

You do not change your advertised phone number. You set your phone service to forward calls to AllDayDesk, and the exact steps depend on your carrier or phone system. Check which product you actually have first — for example, Verizon wireless and Verizon business landline use different instructions, and Comcast Business features depend on whether you have Voice Mobility, Business Voice, or VoiceEdge.

Some verified examples: on Verizon mobile, dial *72 plus the 10-digit destination to forward all calls, *71 for unanswered calls, and *73 to turn it off. On T-Mobile, **21*1 followed by the destination and # enables unconditional forwarding, and ##21# disables it. On Optimum Business Phone, dial *72, wait for dial tone, then dial the destination; *73 turns it off. Spectrum Business Voice manages forwarding through the SpectrumBusiness.net portal under Voice Settings or Forwarding Manager. Always confirm the steps for your exact service with your provider.

• Verizon mobile: *72 + destination (all calls), *71 + destination (unanswered), *73 to disable
• T-Mobile: **21*1 + destination + # (all calls), **61*1 for no reply, ##004# to reset
• Optimum Business Phone: *72, wait for dial tone, dial destination; *73 disables
• Spectrum Business Voice: enable forwarding in the online portal, choosing all calls or busy/no-answer
• Google Voice: forwarding a Google Voice number to an automated system is unsupported by Google, so use a carrier line instead

Setup starts by choosing your business or entering its website. AllDayDesk pulls in your business details, you check and correct them, and then you hear a personalized sample of how the assistant would answer for your business. The sample is a demonstration only — it does not create a real booking. After that, you choose your phone setup and forward your number using your carrier's instructions.

Before the assistant can book appointments, configure your services and availability in the dashboard. Once that is done, new bookings land on the built-in calendar automatically, or on Google Calendar if you connect and authorize it in Settings. From then on, calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings are visible in your dashboard, so you can follow up on messages and appointment requests on your own schedule.

• Step 1: choose your business or enter its website
• Step 2: review the business details the assistant will use
• Step 3: hear a personalized sample call (no real booking is made)
• Step 4: choose phone setup and forward your existing number
• Step 5: configure services and availability so booking works

Most owners answer their own phone, so the question is what happens on the calls you cannot take — on a ladder, mid-job, or after hours. A virtual assistant telephone answering service fits owners who want calls handled in their business name without hiring staff, and who are comfortable reviewing messages and appointment requests in a dashboard rather than fielding every ring.

It works differently by trade: a plumber needs job-type and service-area questions handled, a salon needs booking, and a law office needs careful message taking. AllDayDesk handles all of these the same way — answer from your saved details, book when availability is known, take a message when it is not.