Virtual Telephone Assistant

A virtual telephone assistant handles your incoming calls the way a front-desk person would, without sitting in your office. When a caller reaches your business, the assistant greets them, answers questions using the business information you saved, and records what was said.

AllDayDesk answers calls around the clock using your saved business details. When a caller asks something the assistant does not know, such as a specific price or an answer to an unusual question, it takes a message so you can follow up. It does not guess or make up answers.

Everything the assistant handles is visible to you. Your dashboard shows calls, transcripts, summaries, and any bookings that were made, so you always know who called and why.

• Answers calls using your saved business information
• Takes a message when an answer or price is unknown
• Books new appointments once your services and availability are configured
• Shows calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings in your dashboard

Setup starts by choosing your business or entering its website. AllDayDesk checks the details it finds about your business, and you confirm they are correct. You then hear a personalized sample so you know how your assistant will sound before any real caller does. The sample does not create a real booking.

Next you choose your phone setup. Most owners keep their public number and forward calls to AllDayDesk. The forwarding instructions depend on your phone service, so you follow the steps for your carrier. Your callers keep dialing the same number they always have.

Once your services and availability are configured in the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar, new appointments can be booked directly there. If you prefer, you can optionally connect Google Calendar in Settings after connecting and authorizing your Google account.

• Choose your business or enter its website
• Check and confirm the business details it found
• Hear a personalized sample of your assistant
• Choose phone setup and forward your existing number
• Configure services and availability so new bookings land on your calendar

Forwarding is how calls reach your assistant while your business keeps its public number. The exact steps depend on your phone provider, and some providers use different codes for forwarding all calls versus forwarding only missed or busy calls. Always confirm the instructions for your exact product before activating.

For example, Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the ten-digit destination to forward all calls, *71 for unanswered calls, and *73 to turn forwarding off, and setup must be done from the phone while in Verizon coverage. T-Mobile uses **21*1 plus the destination and # for unconditional forwarding, with ##21# to disable, and separate codes for no-reply, unreachable, and busy conditions. AT&T Phone for Business uses *72, destination, # for all calls and *92 for no-answer forwarding, while AT&T Collaborate has its own different codes. Comcast Business features are managed through My Account or the Comcast Business App and depend on which 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 a Google Voice number cannot be used this way.

• Verizon mobile: *72 plus destination for all calls, *71 for unanswered, *73 to disable
• T-Mobile: **21*1 plus destination and # for unconditional, ##21# to disable
• AT&T Phone for Business: *72, destination, # for all calls; *92 for no-answer
• Comcast Business: manage forwarding in My Account or the Comcast Business App
• Google Voice numbers cannot forward to an automated system

New appointments made by your assistant go to the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default, once you have configured your services and availability. You can see and manage everything from the same dashboard where your calls and transcripts appear.

If you already run your schedule in Google Calendar, you can optionally connect it in Settings. You connect and authorize your Google account yourself, and the connection is optional, not automatic.

Changes to existing appointments work differently from new bookings. When a caller wants to move or cancel an existing appointment, the assistant records it as a request for you to review and approve. It does not confirm the change on its own, so you stay in control of your schedule.

• New bookings go to the built-in dashboard calendar by default
• Google Calendar connection is optional and set up in Settings
• Changes to existing appointments are requests for you, not confirmed changes

Sometimes a caller needs to reach you directly. AllDayDesk can transfer calls, but you must first configure a transfer destination and the rules for when transfers happen. Because a transfer depends on your phone being reachable, neither pickup nor an immediate response is guaranteed.

When the assistant cannot answer a question, does not know a price, or cannot book an appointment, it takes a message instead of guessing. You see the message in your dashboard along with the call transcript and summary, so you can call the person back with the right answer.

AllDayDesk does not connect to dispatch systems, CRM tools, health records, or industry scheduling software. The supported calendar connection is the optional Google Calendar link described above.

• Transfers require you to configure a destination and rules
• Pickup and immediate response on transfers are not guaranteed
• Unknown answers and prices become messages you review
• No dispatch, CRM, or health record connections

A virtual telephone assistant fits owners who handle their own phones and cannot always pick up, such as contractors on job sites, salon owners mid-appointment, or solo professionals in meetings. If you already have front-desk staff, an assistant can still help with calls that come in outside their hours, though coverage details vary by service and plan.

Compare options on what actually matters for your situation: whether the service answers around the clock, how it books appointments, whether you keep your number, what the dashboard shows you, and what the plan costs including any per-minute overages. Human virtual receptionist services exist as well, and their pricing and hours differ by provider, so request current quotes before deciding.

This page compares documented features rather than hands-on tests. AllDayDesk is the product on this site, so weigh that when reading any comparison.

• Best fit: owners who answer their own phones and miss calls while working
• Compare on hours covered, booking, number retention, dashboard visibility, and cost
• Human receptionist services are a separate option with different pricing and hours
• Ask providers for current quotes before committing