Voice Answering Service: What It Is and How to Set One Up

The basic idea is simple. When a call comes in to your business number, your phone provider sends it to the answering service instead of ringing you or going to voicemail. The service answers using the information you saved about your business, such as your name, services, hours, and service area.

With AllDayDesk, the answering is automated. The service is available around the clock, and it follows the details you saved. It can answer common questions, take messages, and book new appointments on the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar once you have configured your services and availability. If you connect Google Calendar in Settings and authorize your account, that optional connection is supported too.

Every call leaves a record. In your dashboard you can review calls, read transcripts, check summaries, and see any bookings that were made. If a caller asks something the service does not know, such as a price that is not in your saved details, it takes a message so you can follow up yourself.

• You keep your existing business number; calls are forwarded to the service.
• The service answers using your saved business information.
• New appointments go on the built-in dashboard calendar by default, with optional Google Calendar connection in Settings.
• Changes to existing appointments are requests for you to approve, not confirmed changes.
• Calls, transcripts, summaries, and bookings are visible in your dashboard.

You do not need a new phone number to use a voice answering service. You keep your public number and forward calls to the service. The exact steps depend on your phone provider, so check with them for instructions that match your specific service.

There are two common kinds of forwarding. Unconditional forwarding sends all calls to the destination right away. Conditional forwarding only sends calls when you do not answer, the line is busy, or the phone is unreachable. Some providers support both; some support only one. For example, Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the destination for all calls and *71 for unanswered calls, while T-Mobile uses codes like **21*1 for unconditional and **61*1 for no-reply forwarding. Comcast Business, Spectrum Business, and Vonage Business Communications manage forwarding through their portals or account settings instead of star codes.

One important limit: Google Voice does not support forwarding calls from a Google Voice number to an automated system, so that path is not a way to connect a Voice number to a service like AllDayDesk.

Transfers are a separate feature. If you want callers transferred to you during a call, you configure a transfer destination and rules in advance. Neither pickup nor an immediate response is guaranteed, so it helps to set expectations accordingly.

• Confirm your provider and product name before using any forwarding instructions.
• Unconditional forwarding sends all calls; conditional forwarding sends only missed, busy, or unreachable calls.
• Star codes vary by carrier and product; portal-based forwarding is common on business VoIP services.
• Google Voice numbers cannot be forwarded to an automated answering system.

Setup starts by choosing your business or entering its website. AllDayDesk pulls in the details it finds, and you check them for accuracy. This saved information is what the service uses to answer callers, so it is worth reviewing carefully.

Next, you hear a personalized sample of how the service would sound for your business. The sample is a preview only and creates no real booking. If you are happy with it, you move on to phone setup, where you follow the forwarding instructions for your provider.

Before new bookings can land on your calendar, configure your services and availability in the dashboard. Once that is done, new appointments are placed on the built-in AllDayDesk calendar by default. If you prefer Google Calendar, connect and authorize your account in Settings.

• Choose your business or enter its website so details can be pulled in.
• Check the saved details and correct anything that is wrong or missing.
• Listen to the personalized sample; it does not create a real booking.
• Choose phone setup and follow your provider's forwarding steps.
• Configure services and availability so new bookings can be made.

There are three broad ways to handle calls you cannot take, and each has trade-offs. This comparison covers documented features from each provider's own materials, not hands-on testing. AllDayDesk, the product on this site, is the automated option.

Human answering services, such as Ruby and AnswerConnect, use people to answer calls. Smith.ai also offers human receptionists with per-call pricing, and separately offers an AI receptionist product. Human services can handle judgment-heavy conversations, but pricing structures differ: Ruby advertises plans starting at $245 per month as of October 2026, while Smith.ai prices per call, so you need a current quote to compare real costs. Availability and fees vary by service and plan, so do not assume all human coverage is limited to business hours or always costs more.

An in-house receptionist does more than answer phones. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, receptionists also greet visitors and handle office tasks, so a phone service is not a full replacement for that role.

An automated voice answering service like AllDayDesk answers using your saved business details around the clock. It takes messages when it does not know an answer, books new appointments on your configured calendar, and shows everything in a dashboard. It does not replace human judgment for complicated conversations, and existing appointment changes are only requests for you to approve.

• Human services: people answer; pricing is often monthly or per call and varies by plan.
• In-house receptionist: full office role, not just phones; compare scope, not just cost.
• Automated service: answers from your saved details around the clock, with dashboard records and calendar booking.
• Ask any provider about included minutes or calls, overage charges, hours, and contract terms before signing.

Being clear about limits helps you decide whether this fits your business. A voice answering service is not a dispatcher, a CRM, a medical records system, or a connection to industry scheduling software. AllDayDesk supports an optional Google Calendar connection in Settings; it does not connect to other external calendars.

Around-the-clock availability does not guarantee that every call connects, and configured transfers do not guarantee pickup or an immediate response. When the service does not know an answer, a price, or an available appointment, it takes a message instead of guessing.

The service is also not the right place for sensitive information. It does not collect sensitive medical, legal, financial, or payment details, and it does not give medical, legal, or financial advice. Those conversations belong between you and your caller directly.

• No connections to dispatch, CRM, health records, or industry scheduling software.
• Only Google Calendar is supported as an optional connection, set up in Settings.
• Unknown answers, prices, or appointment times become messages, not guesses.
• No sensitive medical, legal, financial, or payment details are collected.