Virtual Receptionist Telephone Answering Service

The core idea is simple: your callers dial the same number they always have, and the service answers on your behalf. You do not change your public number or print anything new. Instead, you turn on call forwarding with your phone provider so calls route to the receptionist service.

With AllDayDesk, setup starts by choosing your business or entering its website. AllDayDesk checks the business details, you hear a personalized sample of how it would answer, and then you choose your phone setup. Forwarding instructions depend on your phone service, so you follow the steps for your specific carrier or phone system.

Once live, the receptionist answers using your saved business information. It can answer common questions, take messages, and book new appointments. When it does not know an answer, a price, or an available time, it takes a message so you can follow up yourself. You can see every call, transcript, summary, and booking in the AllDayDesk dashboard.

• You keep your existing public phone number; forwarding happens behind the scenes.
• The receptionist works from the business information you save, not guesses.
• Unknown answers, prices, or times become messages for you, not made-up replies.
• New appointments go to the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default, once you have configured your services and availability.
• An optional Google Calendar connection is available in Settings after you connect and authorize your Google account.

Forwarding instructions depend entirely on who provides your phone service, so the first step is identifying your exact product — a mobile plan, a business landline, or a hosted voice platform can each use different steps. Some carriers use star codes dialed from your phone; others use a web portal or app.

A few verified examples show how much this varies. Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the 10-digit destination for all-call forwarding and *73 to turn it off, while T-Mobile uses **21*1 followed by the destination and # for unconditional forwarding. Spectrum Business Voice manages forwarding through the SpectrumBusiness.net portal rather than codes, and Vonage Business Communications enables forwarding to a phone number through its Call Forwarding setting.

One important limit: Google Voice explicitly does not support forwarding calls from a Google Voice number to an automated system, so a Google Voice line is not a compatible forwarding source. If you are unsure what your provider supports, check their support pages for your exact product before dialing any code.

• Identify your exact service (mobile, landline, hosted voice) before using any instructions.
• Star codes differ between carriers and even between products from the same carrier.
• All-call forwarding sends every call; conditional forwarding sends only busy or unanswered calls.
• Forwarding applies to calls only, not texts — for example, Verizon mobile forwarding covers calls but not texts.

A telephone answering service is strongest at routine call handling: greeting callers, sharing the business information you saved, taking messages, and booking new appointments into your calendar. Around-the-clock availability means the receptionist is available to answer at any hour, though no service can guarantee that every single call connects.

Changes to existing appointments work differently from new bookings: the receptionist submits those as requests for you to review, rather than confirming them on its own. That keeps you in control of your schedule.

Transfers to you are possible, but only after you configure a transfer destination and rules. Even then, pickup is not guaranteed — if you are on a job site or with a customer, the call may not reach you. The receptionist also does not connect to dispatch software, CRMs, health records, or industry scheduling tools; its calendar support is the built-in dashboard calendar plus the optional Google Calendar connection.

• Answers routine questions from your saved business information.
• Takes messages when an answer, price, or appointment time is unknown.
• Books new appointments once services and availability are configured.
• Submits changes to existing appointments as requests, not confirmed edits.
• Transfers calls to a destination you configure, with no guaranteed pickup.

Pricing for these services generally falls into two patterns. AI-based services like AllDayDesk typically charge a monthly plan with a set number of included minutes plus a per-minute rate for extra use. Human virtual receptionist services usually charge more, often with per-call or per-minute pricing — for example, Ruby advertises plans starting at $245 per month and Smith.ai uses per-call pricing for its human receptionist service, based on their published pages as of October 2026. Starting prices alone are not a full comparison; you need the included allowance, overage rates, hours covered, and contract terms from a current quote.

There is also a scope difference worth weighing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes in-house receptionists as doing more than phone work — greeting visitors and handling office tasks — so a phone answering service replaces the phone part of the role, not an entire employee. AllDayDesk plan pricing is displayed separately on this site, so you can compare included minutes and rates directly.

• AI services: monthly plan with included minutes and a per-minute overage rate.
• Human services: often per-call or per-minute pricing, typically at a higher starting price.
• Compare included minutes, overage rates, coverage hours, and contracts — not just the headline price.
• A phone service covers calls and bookings, not front-desk tasks like greeting visitors.

A virtual receptionist telephone answering service makes the most sense when calls come in while you are hands-busy, with customers, or outside working hours, and each missed conversation means a lost job or booking. It matters less if your calls are rare or always arrive when you are free to pick up.

Before choosing any service, check four things. First, confirm your phone provider supports forwarding to an outside service — and remember Google Voice numbers do not support forwarding to automated systems. Second, decide whether you want every call forwarded or only the ones you miss, since those use different forwarding settings. Third, look at how appointments are handled: where new bookings land, and how changes to existing ones reach you. Fourth, compare total cost at your realistic call volume, not just the base plan.

If you serve a specific trade, it is also worth checking how a service would handle your typical callers — emergency-style requests, pricing questions, or scheduling — before committing.

• Confirm your phone service supports forwarding to an outside answering service.
• Decide between all-call forwarding and forwarding only missed calls.
• Check where new bookings go and how appointment changes reach you.
• Estimate your monthly call minutes and compare total cost, not just the base price.