Virtual Receptionist Scheduling

When a caller dials your business number, the call is forwarded to AllDayDesk, which answers around the clock using the business information you saved. The receptionist greets the caller, answers questions it can answer from that information, and helps the caller book an appointment. If the caller asks something the receptionist does not know, such as a price you have not saved or a question about a specific appointment, it takes a message instead of guessing.

Bookings land on the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default, once you have configured your services and availability. If you prefer Google Calendar, you can connect and authorize your Google account in Settings, and the optional connection is managed there. You can check calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings in the dashboard at any time.

If a caller wants to change an existing appointment, the receptionist records that as a request for you to review. It does not confirm changes on its own, so you stay in control of your existing schedule.

• Calls are answered using your saved business information
• New appointments go on the dashboard calendar by default
• Google Calendar is an optional connection you authorize in Settings
• Changes to existing appointments are requests, not confirmed changes
• Unknown answers, prices, or appointment details become messages

The receptionist can only book correctly if your services and availability are set up first. Before you rely on it for scheduling, list the services you offer, how long each one takes, and the days and times you accept appointments. The more complete your saved business information is, the fewer messages you will get asking things the receptionist could have answered.

Setup starts by choosing your business or entering its website. AllDayDesk pulls in details from that source, and you check them for accuracy before going live. You then hear a personalized sample so you know how your receptionist will sound. The sample creates no real booking, so you can listen freely. Finally, you choose your phone setup, which means forwarding your existing number to the service.

• List your services and how long each takes
• Set the days and hours you accept appointments
• Review the business details pulled from your website
• Listen to the personalized sample before choosing phone setup

You keep your public business number. Forwarding instructions depend on your phone service, so check your provider's own directions. As examples from published provider guides: Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the destination for all-call forwarding and *71 for unanswered calls, while Verizon business landline uses *72 and *73 to turn forwarding off. Optimum Business Phone also uses *72 and *73, and Spectrum Business Voice manages forwarding through its online portal, where you choose all calls or busy/no-answer forwarding and set the destination.

One important limit: Google Voice does not support forwarding calls from a Google Voice number to an automated system, so a Google Voice line is not a compatible path for this setup. If you are unsure which product or plan you have, identify the exact service name on your bill before using any forwarding code, because instructions differ even within the same provider.

• Forwarding codes and steps vary by carrier and product
• Verify the exact service name before using any code
• Google Voice numbers cannot be forwarded to an automated system

Some calls need a person, such as an upset customer or a question only you can answer. AllDayDesk can transfer calls to you, but you must configure the destination number and the rules for when transfers happen. A transfer is not guaranteed to be picked up or answered immediately, so treat transfers as one tool among several rather than a promise of instant contact.

When the receptionist does not know an answer, a price, or an appointment detail, it takes a message instead of guessing. You can review those messages, along with transcripts and summaries, in the dashboard. This keeps unknown questions from turning into wrong bookings.

• Configure your transfer destination and rules yourself
• Transfers depend on pickup and are not guaranteed to connect
• Unknown answers become messages you review in the dashboard

A virtual receptionist makes sense when appointments arrive by phone at times you cannot answer, or when you would rather not stop mid-job to book work. Most owners answer their own phone, so the realistic comparison is between handling calls yourself, letting them go to voicemail, and having a service answer and book.

Compared with an in-house receptionist, a phone service covers only phone work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes receptionists as also greeting visitors and handling office tasks, so a phone service is not a full replacement for a front-desk employee. Human virtual receptionist services exist as well; for example, Ruby advertises plans starting at $245 per month as of October 9, 2026, and Smith.ai sells human receptionist service with per-call pricing. Those are starting prices only, and real costs depend on included allowances, overages, hours, and contracts, so compare current quotes. AllDayDesk pricing is displayed separately on this page.

• Best fit: appointment-driven businesses that miss calls during work
• A phone service covers calls, not front-desk or office tasks
• Human services and AI services differ in cost and coverage; compare quotes