Virtual Office Answering Service

A virtual office answering service handles your incoming phone calls without a person sitting at your desk. When a call comes in, the service answers in your business's name, answers questions using the details you saved, takes messages, and can book new appointments.

It is different from a full virtual office. A virtual office often includes a business address and mail handling. An answering service focuses only on the phone. If you want a broader comparison of reception options, our guide to what a virtual receptionist is covers the different levels of help.

AllDayDesk is an answering service that works around the clock. It answers calls using your saved business information, so callers hear answers about your hours, services, and location even when you are busy or away from the phone.

• Answers calls in your business name using your saved details
• Takes messages when it does not know an answer, price, or open time
• Books new appointments once your services and availability are set up
• Shows calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings in your dashboard
• Works around the clock, though no service can promise every single call connects

Setup starts with your business. You choose your business or enter its website, and the service 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.

Next, you choose how to connect your phone. You keep your public phone number. You forward calls to the service, and the exact instructions depend on your phone provider. Some providers use star codes you dial from the phone itself, while others use an online portal.

For example, Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the destination number for all-call forwarding and *73 to turn it off, and this must be done from the phone while in Verizon coverage. Verizon business landlines also use *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 features depend on which services you subscribe to. Always confirm the exact steps for your own provider and product before relying on them.

• Choose your business or enter its website so details can be checked
• Listen to a personalized sample of your answering experience
• Pick your phone setup option and follow your provider's forwarding instructions
• Keep your existing public number; callers dial it as always

New appointments go on the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default. This works once you have configured your services and availability, so the service knows what you offer and when you can take appointments.

If you prefer Google Calendar, you can connect it in Settings after you connect and authorize your Google account. This is an optional connection, not something that happens automatically.

Changes to existing appointments work differently. The service passes those requests to you as the owner; it does not confirm changes on its own. That keeps you in control of your schedule.

• New bookings land on the built-in dashboard calendar by default
• Services and availability must be configured before booking works
• Google Calendar can be connected optionally in Settings after authorization
• Changes to existing appointments are sent to you as requests, not confirmed changes

Sometimes a caller needs to reach you directly. The service can transfer calls to you, but you must first configure a transfer destination and the rules for when transfers happen. A transfer is not guaranteed to be picked up or answered immediately, so plan your destination accordingly.

When the service does not know an answer, a price, or whether a time is open, it takes a message instead of guessing. Messages, along with call transcripts and summaries, appear in your dashboard so you can follow up on your own schedule.

This matters for owners who work alone. Most owners answer their own phone, and an answering service fills the gaps when you are on a job, with a client, or simply unavailable.

• Configure a transfer destination and rules before expecting transfers
• Transfers are not guaranteed to be picked up or answered right away
• Unknown answers, prices, and times become messages instead of guesses
• Everything shows up in your dashboard: calls, transcripts, summaries, messages, and bookings

You have a few ways to handle calls at a virtual office. An in-house receptionist does more than answer phones, including greeting visitors and office tasks, so compare the full scope rather than treating a phone service as a full employee replacement. Human answering services exist too; for example, 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. Starting prices alone are not a complete cost comparison, since included minutes, overages, hours, and contracts all vary.

AllDayDesk, the service on this site, is an AI-based answering service that works around the clock using your saved business information. Pricing is displayed separately on this page, so you can compare plans against human services on total monthly cost, not just a starting rate. This comparison is based on documented features and published prices, not hands-on testing of every service.

If you want a deeper look at the tradeoffs, our guide comparing an AI receptionist to a human receptionist covers cost, coverage, and capability differences in detail.

• In-house reception includes duties beyond the phone, like greeting visitors
• Human answering services charge per call or per month, with varying inclusions
• AI services answer around the clock using saved business information
• Compare total monthly cost, included minutes, and overage rates before choosing

A virtual office answering service fits best when you have calls you cannot answer but do not want to lose. Ask yourself a few questions before signing up.

First, how often do you miss calls? If you are frequently on jobs, with clients, or working solo, an answering service covers those gaps. Second, do you want bookings handled? If yes, plan to configure your services and availability, and decide between the built-in dashboard calendar and the optional Google Calendar connection. Third, do you need callers to reach you live? If so, set up a transfer destination and rules you trust, knowing pickup is not guaranteed.

If your main need is a professional greeting rather than full call handling, a well-written voicemail greeting may be enough for now. If your calls come mostly outside business hours, a 24/7 answering service page explains around-the-clock coverage in more depth.

• Best fit: solo owners and small teams who miss calls during work
• Plan ahead: configure services, availability, and transfer rules before launch
• Lighter alternative: a strong voicemail greeting if you only need basic coverage