Call answering services: key facts
- A call answering service (often called a virtual receptionist) answers your calls in your business's name from outside your premises.
- You normally keep your existing number. Calls are diverted to the service all the time, only when you're busy or don't pick up, or only out of hours.
- Most services can take messages, transfer calls, book appointments and send you the details by email, text or app straight away.
- Common types of cover: overflow (when you're busy), out of hours, all calls, holiday or lunch cover and appointment booking.
- Employing a full-time receptionist at the National Living Wage (£12.71 an hour from April 2026) costs roughly £28,000 a year once employer National Insurance and pension are added, before recruitment, cover and equipment.
- If a provider handles callers' personal details for you, UK GDPR normally requires a written contract between you (the controller) and them (the processor).
- A receptionist follows your instructions. They shouldn't give legal, financial, medical or technical advice on your behalf.
- Call Answering Hub is an independent guide. We don't answer calls ourselves.
What is a call answering service?
A call answering service is an outside team that answers your business calls for you, using your business name and your instructions. To the caller it sounds like your own receptionist; to you it works like a reception desk you only pay to use when you need it.
Most small and medium-sized businesses have the same problem: the people who answer the phone are also the people doing the work. A solicitor is in a meeting, an accountant is with a client, an estate agent is on a viewing, a plumber is under a sink. The phone rings, nobody picks up, and the caller either leaves a message or tries someone else.
A call answering service fills that gap. Trained receptionists, working from the provider's own office or from home, answer your calls with a greeting you choose, such as "Good morning, Harper & Co, how can I help?". They work from a briefing you give them: what your business does, who deals with what, which calls are urgent, and what to say about things they can't answer.
You'll see the same thing called different names. Virtual receptionist, telephone answering service, remote receptionist and outsourced reception all describe broadly the same idea. Some providers use "virtual receptionist" for a fuller service (booking appointments, transferring calls, knowing your staff by name) and "call answering" for a simpler message-taking service, but there's no fixed definition, so always ask exactly what's included.
It isn't the same as a call centre making sales calls, an automated phone menu ("press 1 for sales"), or voicemail. The point is that a real person answers and deals with the caller properly.
How does a call answering service work?
You divert your calls to a number the provider gives you, they answer in your name using a script you agree, then they transfer the call, book it into your diary, or send you a message straight away.
- You brief the provider. Your business name and greeting, what you do, opening hours, staff and who handles what, frequently asked questions, which calls are urgent, and where messages should go.
- You set up a divert. Your phone system, landline or mobile sends calls to the provider. You choose when: every call, only when you're engaged or don't answer after a set number of rings, or only outside office hours. Callers still dial your normal number.
- They answer as you. The receptionist sees your briefing on screen when your call comes in, so they can greet the caller with your business name and follow your instructions.
- They deal with the call. Depending on what you've agreed, they take a detailed message, try to transfer the call to you or a colleague, book an appointment in your online diary, or give out basic information such as opening hours or your address.
- You get the details. Messages usually arrive by email, text or an app within moments of the call ending, with the caller's name, number, reason for calling and anything urgent flagged.
Most providers let you change your instructions as you go: "I'm on holiday this week, put calls through to Sam", or "we're closed for the bank holiday, say we'll call back on Tuesday". How easy that is varies a lot between providers, so it's worth asking to see how you'd do it.
What kinds of call answering cover can you get?
The main options are overflow (only when you're busy), out of hours, all calls, holiday or lunch cover, and appointment booking. Many businesses combine two, for example overflow in the day and out of hours at night.
| Type of cover | When calls go to the service | Often suits |
|---|---|---|
| Overflow | Only when your line is busy or nobody answers within a set number of rings | Businesses with a receptionist or team who can't always get to every call |
| Out of hours | Evenings, weekends and bank holidays | Letting agents, trades, vets, funeral directors, anyone whose customers call after 5pm |
| All calls (full virtual receptionist) | Every call, all day | Sole traders and small firms with no one free to answer, or who want calls screened |
| Holiday, lunch or sickness cover | For set periods when your own receptionist is away | Practices and offices with one receptionist |
| Appointment booking | Any of the above, with the receptionist booking straight into your diary | Clinics, therapists, estate agents (viewings and valuations), trades booking quotes |
Our guide to out of hours call answering explains how to decide what counts as urgent at night and how escalation to an on-call person works.
Which businesses use a virtual receptionist?
Any business where the people who would answer the phone are busy doing the work. Professional firms, such as solicitors, accountants and estate agents, use them for new enquiries and client calls; trades use them so they don't lose jobs while they're on site.
The reasons differ by sector, and so does what the receptionist needs to know:
- Law firms need confidentiality, care about what's said to a new enquirer before a conflict check, and want urgent matters spotted. See virtual receptionist for solicitors.
- Accountants get huge peaks before tax deadlines such as 31 January, and need client queries kept separate from new enquiries. See call answering for accountants.
- Estate agents get valuation requests and viewing bookings in the evenings and at weekends, often while negotiators are out. See virtual receptionist for estate agents.
- Health and care practices (dentists, clinics, therapists, vets) need bookings handled and anything clinical routed to a clinician, never answered by the receptionist.
- Trades (plumbers, electricians, builders, locksmiths) need emergencies separated from quote requests, and enough detail taken that they can price or attend the job.
We're adding a guide for each profession and trade, covering how its calls actually work and what a receptionist script for that business should include.
How much does a call answering service cost?
Providers usually charge a monthly fee that includes a set number of calls or minutes, with a charge for extra calls, and sometimes a set-up fee or extra for out-of-hours or bookings. Prices vary widely, so compare quotes based on your own call volume.
We don't publish prices because they change and depend heavily on what you need. What you'll usually see:
- Monthly plans with an allowance of calls or minutes, and a rate for anything over.
- Pay as you go per call or per minute, which can suit low or unpredictable volumes.
- Extras such as appointment booking, call transfers, out-of-hours or 24/7 cover, a dedicated number, or integration with your diary or CRM.
- Terms: minimum contract length, notice period, free trial, and whether prices can rise during the contract.
To compare fairly, count your calls for a couple of typical weeks (most phone systems and mobiles show a call log) and ask each provider what that volume would cost, including the calls you'd want handled out of hours.
It's also worth comparing with the cost of employing someone. At the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour (from 1 April 2026), a full-time receptionist on 37.5 hours a week earns about £24,850 a year. Add employer National Insurance (15% above £5,000 a year) and the 3% minimum pension contribution and it's roughly £28,400, before recruitment, training, equipment and cover for 28 days' holiday a year. Our guide to a virtual receptionist vs hiring a receptionist works through this properly, including when hiring is the better choice.
What should you ask before choosing a call answering service?
Ask what hours they cover, how they learn about your business, what happens with urgent calls, how messages reach you, how they protect callers' data, and what the contract and notice period are.
- Hours: are the hours you need actually staffed by people, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays? Is out-of-hours cover included or extra?
- Who answers: where are the receptionists based? Will a small team get to know your business, or could any of a large pool answer?
- Your briefing: how do they learn about your business, and how quickly can you update instructions?
- Urgent calls: how do they flag them, how many times will they try to reach you or an on-call person, and what happens if nobody answers?
- Messages: how quickly do they arrive, in what format, and can they go to different people for different types of call?
- Bookings and transfers: can they book into the diary or software you already use, and transfer calls to mobiles?
- Data protection: will they sign a data processing agreement? UK GDPR normally requires a written contract when another company handles personal data for you. How long do they keep call details and recordings?
- Contract: minimum term, notice period, what counts as a chargeable call (do wrong numbers and spam count?), and whether there's a trial.
Before you go live, test it: call your own number at different times and listen to how you're greeted and what message arrives.
What shouldn't a virtual receptionist do?
A receptionist answers, records and routes calls on your instructions. They shouldn't give advice, make promises on your behalf, quote prices you haven't given them or discuss a client's affairs with someone who isn't authorised.
A good provider will be clear about where the line is, and a good briefing will spell it out. For example:
- A law firm's receptionist can take details of a new enquiry and say when someone will call back, but not say whether the caller has a case.
- An accountant's receptionist can take a message about an HMRC letter, but not explain what it means or what the client owes.
- A clinic's receptionist can book an appointment, but anything about symptoms or treatment goes to a clinician, and anyone in danger is told to call 999.
- A plumber's receptionist can log a leak as urgent and pass it on immediately, but not diagnose it or promise an arrival time you haven't agreed.
You stay responsible for your business and for any rules your profession sets. The receptionist is an extension of your front desk, not a replacement for your judgement.
Where should I start?
Start with the guide for your profession or trade, then read about the kind of cover you need and how the cost compares with employing someone.
Professions
Situations
Guides
We're adding new guides every week, including letting agents, financial advisers, mortgage brokers, dentists, vets, therapists and trades such as plumbers, electricians and locksmiths.
Related guides
Call answering services: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a call answering service and a virtual receptionist?
There's no fixed definition. Both mean an outside team answering your calls in your business's name. Some providers use 'virtual receptionist' for a fuller service that includes booking appointments and transferring calls, and 'call answering' for message-taking. Ask each provider exactly what's included.
Do I need a new phone number?
Usually not. You divert your existing number to the provider, either all the time or only when you're busy, don't answer or are closed. Callers keep dialling the number they already know.
Will callers know it isn't my own receptionist?
The receptionist answers with your business name and follows your script, so most callers simply experience a receptionist. You decide how they describe themselves, for example as part of your team or as your answering service.
Can a virtual receptionist book appointments?
Many can, if they have access to your online diary or booking software and clear rules, such as appointment lengths and gaps between them. Check which systems a provider can work with before you sign up.
What happens to urgent calls?
You decide what counts as urgent. The receptionist can try to transfer the call to you, text or call an on-call person, or mark the message as urgent. Ask each provider how many attempts they make and what happens if nobody answers.
Can I just use call answering when I'm busy?
Yes. Overflow cover sends calls to the service only when your line is engaged or isn't answered within a set number of rings, so you still answer most calls yourself.
Is it cheaper than employing a receptionist?
For many small businesses it is, because you only pay for the calls handled. A full-time receptionist at the National Living Wage costs about £28,000 a year with employer National Insurance and pension, before other costs. But if you need someone on site to greet visitors and do admin, employing someone may be the better choice.
Do I need a data protection agreement with the provider?
Normally yes. If a call answering company takes callers' names, numbers and messages for you, it is usually acting as your data processor, and UK GDPR requires a written contract with the right terms. Most established providers have a standard one.
Is Call Answering Hub a call answering company?
No. We're an independent website with guides to call answering and virtual receptionists. We don't answer calls. If you send us an enquiry, we pass it to one call answering provider from our partners, who will contact you.
What happens when I send an enquiry?
We pass your details to one call answering provider from our partners, who'll contact you to talk through what you need and their prices. It's free and there's no obligation. Our privacy policy explains who we share your details with.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources on 11 November 2026: