Virtual receptionist: key facts
- A virtual receptionist is a person, not a recording. They answer live, in your business's name, from the provider's office or their own home.
- You usually keep your own number. Calls reach the receptionist through a divert you set on your phone line or system.
- The receptionist works from a briefing about your business that appears on their screen when your call comes in: greeting, staff, common questions, urgent calls and what not to say.
- Each call ends in one of a few ways: a message sent to you, a call put through to you or a colleague, an appointment booked, or a simple question answered from your briefing.
- Messages normally arrive by email, text or an app soon after the call, with the caller's details and the reason for the call.
- A receptionist takes messages and follows your instructions. They don't give legal, financial, medical or technical advice, quote prices you haven't given them, or make promises for you.
- It suits businesses where the people who'd answer the phone are busy doing the work. It's a poorer fit if you need someone on site for visitors, post and admin.
- An outside company taking callers' details for you is normally a data processor, so UK GDPR requires a written contract with it.
What is a virtual receptionist?
A virtual receptionist is a receptionist who isn't in your building. They answer your calls live, using your business name and a briefing you've written, and then pass the call or the message on to you. You share them with other businesses, so you aren't paying for a person to sit by your phone all day.
Think of the receptionist at the front desk of a small office. They pick up the phone, say the company name, find out what the caller wants, and either put them through or write down a message. A virtual receptionist does the phone part of that job, but from somewhere else.
Most virtual receptionist services work like this:
- A team, not one person. Several receptionists answer for many different businesses. Whoever is free takes your call, which is how calls still get answered at lunchtime or when someone is off sick.
- Your name, not theirs. The caller hears your business name. Unless you choose to tell them, they won't necessarily know the receptionist works for an outside company.
- Your rules. What the receptionist says and does is set by the briefing you give the provider, which you can usually update as things change.
- Your choice of when. Some businesses send every call to the service. Others only use it when they're busy, at lunch, or after they close.
You'll also see the terms remote receptionist, outsourced receptionist and call answering service. They overlap a lot. Our guide to call answering services covers the wider market and the different types of cover. This page is about what actually happens on a call when a virtual receptionist answers it.
What happens when someone rings a business that uses a virtual receptionist?
The caller dials your usual number. Your line diverts the call to the provider, a receptionist sees your business details on screen and answers in your name, they deal with the call on your instructions, and you get a transfer or a written message. To the caller, it's just your business picking up.
Here's one call, from dial tone to the moment you hear about it. Imagine a small surveying practice, Carter Surveys, where both surveyors are out on site most of the day.
- The caller dials your normal number. Nothing changes for them. It's the number on your website, your van or your letterhead.
- Your line passes the call on. A divert set on your landline, mobile or phone system sends the call to a number the provider gives you. It might divert every call straight away, only after the phone has rung a few times, only when you're on another call, or only outside the hours you choose.
- The provider's system recognises it as your call. Because each business diverts to its own number, the system knows the call is for Carter Surveys before anyone picks up.
- A receptionist answers in your name. Your greeting and briefing appear on their screen as the call rings, so they answer as you, for example: "Good afternoon, Carter Surveys, Priya speaking, how can I help?"
- They find out what the caller needs. Is this a new enquiry, an existing client, a supplier, or a sales call? Your briefing tells them what to ask in each case.
- They deal with it the way you've asked. They might put the caller through to you, take a full message, book a slot in your online diary, or answer a simple question such as your address or opening hours.
- You hear about it. If the call wasn't put through, a message reaches you by email, text or app, usually within a minute or two of the call ending.
- You call back. The caller has already been told when to expect to hear from you, so make sure that happens.
Here's how the conversation might sound:
Receptionist: Good afternoon, Carter Surveys, Priya speaking, how can I help?
Caller: Hi, I'm buying a flat and need a survey. Is anyone free to talk about it?
Receptionist: Both surveyors are out on site this afternoon, but I can take your details and ask one of them to call you back. Can I take your name and the best number to reach you on?
Caller: It's Daniel Hughes, 07700 900123.
Receptionist: Thanks, Daniel. What's the address of the property, and do you know roughly when you're hoping to exchange?
Caller: 14 Mill Lane. Ideally within the next month.
Receptionist: I've got that. I'll pass it on now, and someone will call you back before 5pm today. Is there anything else I can help with?
Notice what Priya didn't do. She didn't quote a price, say which type of survey Daniel needs, or promise a date for the survey. Those decisions belong to the surveyor. She took exactly what the business needs to call back and told Daniel what would happen next.
What does the receptionist see when your call comes in?
They see your business's profile: the greeting to use, what you do, who works there and who's available, answers to common questions, which calls are urgent, what they mustn't say, and what to take down for a message. The more useful that briefing is, the more your receptionist sounds like they work for you.
The receptionist answering your call may have answered for a dentist, a builder and a law firm in the last ten minutes. What makes them sound like part of your team is the information in front of them. Providers set this up in different ways, but a good briefing usually covers:
| Part of the briefing | What it tells the receptionist | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting | Exactly how to answer | "Good morning, Carter Surveys, how can I help?" |
| About the business | What you do, in a sentence or two, and what you don't do | "Residential surveys in Leeds and Bradford. We don't do commercial work." |
| People | Who works there, who handles what, and who is available today | "Sam: new enquiries. Jo: existing jobs. Jo is on holiday until Monday." |
| Common questions | Answers they can give word for word | Address, parking, opening hours, areas you cover, how to send documents |
| Urgent calls | What counts as urgent and who to contact | "A client whose exchange date is this week: try Sam's mobile, then email." |
| Things not to say | Questions to pass on rather than answer | Prices, advice, timescales, whether you act for a particular person |
| Message fields | What to take down on every message | Name, number, email, property address, reason for call, best time to call back |
| Calls to filter | How to handle sales and unwanted calls | "Take a name and company; don't put through. Send as a low-priority message." |
Two things make a bigger difference than the length of the briefing. First, keep the "who's available" part up to date. A receptionist can't put a call through to someone who's on holiday if nobody told them. Second, write answers in the words you'd want used. If you'd say "we'll call you back the same working day", give them that sentence, not a note saying "callback SLA same day".
If your business has professional rules about what can be said on the phone, put them in the briefing in plain terms. Our guides for solicitors, accountants and estate agents show what that looks like in practice.
How do messages from a virtual receptionist reach you?
Most services send each message by email, text or through an app or online portal soon after the call ends. A useful message gives you the caller's name and number, why they rang, what they were told, and whether it's urgent, so you can call back without having to ring them to find out what they wanted.
For most businesses, messages are where a virtual receptionist earns its keep. A voicemail tells you what the caller chose to say. A message from a receptionist tells you what you need to know, because the receptionist asked.
A good message looks something like this:
Message for: Sam (new enquiries)
From: Daniel Hughes, 07700 900123, [email protected]
Received: Wednesday, 2:41pm
About: New enquiry. Buying a flat at 14 Mill Lane. Wants to talk about a survey. Hoping to exchange within a month.
Told caller: Someone will call back before 5pm today.
Urgent: No.
Things to sort out with a provider before you start:
- Where each kind of message goes. New enquiries to one person, existing clients to another, invoices to accounts. Splitting them up stops everything landing in one inbox.
- How urgent messages stand out. A text as well as an email, a different subject line, or a phone call to you. An urgent message that looks like all the others is easy to miss.
- What happens out of hours. Do messages still arrive at 9pm, or are they held until the morning? Our out of hours guide covers this in more detail.
- Where messages are kept. If they're stored in an online portal, ask who can see them and how long they're kept, because they contain callers' personal details.
- Whether messages can go into your own systems. Some providers can send messages straight into a booking system or CRM. Ask what they work with rather than assuming.
Whatever the format, the receptionist has told the caller what happens next. Your side of the deal is to make that true, by calling back when they were promised you would.
Can a virtual receptionist put calls through to you?
Yes, most can. The receptionist rings you or a colleague and either connects the caller straight away or first tells you who's calling so you can decide whether to take it. If nobody answers, they go back to the caller and take a message instead.
Transfers are what turn a message-taking service into something closer to a real receptionist. They're also where the details matter most, so it's worth knowing the options.
Announced transfer
The receptionist puts the caller on hold, rings you, and says something like "I have Daniel Hughes on the line about a survey for a flat, are you free to take it?" You say yes, and they connect you, or you say no, and they take a message. This lets you choose which calls you take while you're in the middle of something.
Straight transfer
The receptionist connects the caller without speaking to you first. This is quicker for the caller, but you pick up without knowing who it is, and if you don't answer, the caller may end up in your voicemail rather than back with the receptionist. Ask what happens in that case.
Rules that make transfers work
- Who gets put through, and to whom. For example: existing clients go to their own contact, new enquiries go to whoever is on enquiries today, suppliers never go through.
- Which number to ring. Your desk line, your mobile, or a colleague's. If you move around a lot, a mobile is usually more reliable.
- How long to try. Agree how many rings before the receptionist gives up and goes back to the caller, so nobody is left on hold for ages.
- How you say you're busy. Some providers let you mark yourself as unavailable through an app or a quick message, so they stop trying to put calls through during a meeting.
Ask the provider whether transfers are included or cost extra, as charging varies between providers. We don't go into prices here, but our comparison of a virtual receptionist with hiring a receptionist explains how pricing usually works and what to compare.
What can a virtual receptionist do, and what can't they?
A virtual receptionist can answer, screen and transfer calls, take detailed messages, book appointments in a shared diary and give out information you've approved. They can't give professional advice, quote prices you haven't given them, make decisions or promises for you, or do anything that needs someone physically at your premises.
| Usually can | Often can, if you set it up | Shouldn't or can't |
|---|---|---|
| Answer in your business name with your greeting | Book, move or cancel appointments in an online diary you share | Give legal, financial, medical or technical advice |
| Take full messages and send them straight away | Follow a short set of screening questions for new enquiries | Quote prices or timescales you haven't given them |
| Put calls through, or try to and take a message if you don't answer | Contact an on-call person for urgent calls | Agree terms, accept instructions or make promises on your behalf |
| Answer simple questions from your briefing | Send callers a link or standard information by email or text | Discuss a client's affairs with someone who isn't authorised |
| Filter sales and unwanted calls | Answer calls on more than one number, each with its own greeting | Greet visitors, sign for deliveries, sort post or do office admin |
The middle column is where services differ most. Before you sign up, ask the provider to show you how each item you need would work, rather than just confirming they "can do bookings" or "can do transfers".
The right-hand column is the same whichever provider you choose. A receptionist takes messages and follows your instructions; the decisions stay with you. That matters for any business, but it matters more if you work in a regulated profession, because your professional duties don't pass to the provider. For example, SRA guidance says that all staff of a regulated law firm in England and Wales, including support staff, owe a duty of confidentiality, and firms need appropriate arrangements to meet it.
Which businesses does a virtual receptionist suit?
A virtual receptionist tends to suit businesses where the people who'd answer the phone are busy doing the work, where calls come at uneven times, or where there isn't enough phone work to fill a full-time job. Sole traders and small teams often get the most from it.
The businesses that tend to get the most out of a virtual receptionist share a few things:
- The phone interrupts the real work. A solicitor in a meeting, a therapist with a client, an electrician up a ladder, a dentist mid-treatment. Each call costs focus as well as time.
- Calls arrive in bursts. Monday mornings, the run-up to a deadline, or after an advert goes out. An outside team can take several calls at once, where one person at a desk can only take one.
- Nobody is at a desk. Home-based businesses, mobile trades and people who work across several sites.
- There's not enough phone work for a full-time person. If your phone rings a handful of times a day, a dedicated employee would spend most of their time waiting.
- Callers expect a person. In many professional and service businesses, a caller with a problem would rather talk to someone than leave a voicemail.
- You need cover around your own staff. Lunch, holidays, sickness and training days, when your own receptionist isn't there.
Some of the questions to ask yourself are the same whatever your sector: who calls you, what they usually want, which calls can't wait, and what you'd never want said on your behalf. Our sector guides go through those questions for law firms, accountancy practices and estate and letting agents.
When isn't a virtual receptionist the right choice?
It's usually a poor fit if you need someone on your premises, if most callers need technical or expert help on the first call, or if your call volume is high and steady enough to keep a full-time person busy. In those cases an in-house receptionist, a trained team member or a mix of both may work better.
A virtual receptionist isn't the answer for every business. It's likely to be the wrong tool, or only part of the answer, if:
- You need someone in the building. Greeting visitors, signing for parcels, handling post, keeping a waiting room calm. None of that can be done by phone.
- Most callers need an expert straight away. If nearly every call needs someone who can diagnose a fault or answer a detailed question, a receptionist will mostly be taking messages for somebody else to deal with. A support team or a direct line to specialists may work better.
- Your call volume is high and constant. If your phone rings all day, every day, there may be enough work to keep an employed receptionist busy, with time for admin in between.
- Callers need the same person every time. Some businesses depend on a long-running relationship between a caller and one named person. A shared team can't promise that.
- You won't keep the briefing up to date. A virtual receptionist working from out-of-date information will give out out-of-date answers. If nobody has time to update it, the service will disappoint.
- You won't act on messages. Taking a good message only helps if someone calls back. If messages pile up, callers have just been made a promise you're breaking.
If you're weighing up a virtual service against employing someone, our guide to a virtual receptionist vs hiring a receptionist sets out the real costs of employing someone and when a mix of the two makes sense.
How do you get a virtual receptionist working well in the first few weeks?
Write a clear briefing, make test calls before switching on the divert, start with a simple setup, then read every message for the first week or two and tighten the instructions where the receptionist had to guess. Most problems come from gaps in the briefing rather than from the receptionist.
- Write the briefing as if for a temp on their first day. Your greeting, what you do and don't do, who's who, common questions with the answers you'd give, urgent calls, and what not to say.
- Decide when calls should divert. Every call, only when you don't answer, or only out of hours. You can start narrow and widen it later.
- Make test calls before you go live. Ring as a new customer, an existing client, a supplier and a caller with an urgent problem. Check the greeting, the questions asked and the message you receive.
- Tell your team. They need to know messages will arrive, who's handling which kind, and how to mark themselves as unavailable.
- Read every message for the first week or two. Look for calls where the receptionist had to guess, gave a vague answer, or took down too little. Each one is a line to add to the briefing.
- Plan for changes. Holidays, staff leaving, new services, bank holidays. Find out how you update the provider, and how quickly changes take effect.
- Check your contract and data protection terms. Notice period, what happens to your messages and call records if you leave, and the written processor contract UK GDPR requires.
Related guides
Virtual receptionist: frequently asked questions
What does a virtual receptionist do?
A virtual receptionist answers your business calls live, in your business's name, from outside your premises. They find out what the caller needs, then put the call through, take a message, book an appointment or answer a simple question, all following instructions you've given them.
Is a virtual receptionist a real person?
In the services this guide describes, yes: a trained receptionist answers each call. Some services now use automated or AI voice answering instead of, or alongside, people, so ask any provider exactly who or what will answer your calls.
Will my callers know it's a virtual receptionist?
Not necessarily. The receptionist answers with your business name and greeting and works from your briefing. Agree with the provider how they should describe themselves if a caller asks directly whether they work for you.
Do I need to change my phone number?
Usually not. You set a divert on your existing landline, mobile or phone system so calls go to a number the provider gives you. Callers keep ringing your normal number.
Can I choose when calls go to the virtual receptionist?
Usually yes. Common options are every call, only when you don't answer after a set number of rings or are on another call, or only outside your opening hours. Check with your phone provider which divert options your line supports.
How will I get my messages?
Most services send messages by email, text or through an app or online portal soon after the call ends. Ask for urgent messages to be flagged clearly, and for different kinds of call to go to the right person.
Can a virtual receptionist transfer calls to my mobile?
Most can. They usually ring you first and tell you who's calling, then connect the caller or take a message if you're busy. Agree how many rings they should try before going back to the caller.
Can a virtual receptionist give advice to my customers?
No. A receptionist takes messages and follows your instructions. They can give out information you've approved, such as your address or opening hours, but questions needing professional judgement should be passed to you.
Can I use a virtual receptionist as well as my own receptionist?
Yes. Many businesses use a virtual receptionist only for overflow calls, lunch breaks, holidays, sickness and evenings, and keep their own receptionist for everything else.
Do I need a data protection contract with the provider?
Usually yes. The ICO says a company handling personal data on your behalf, such as callers' names and numbers, is normally a processor, and UK GDPR Article 28 requires a written contract with specific terms.
How much does a virtual receptionist cost?
Prices vary between providers and depend on your call volume, hours and what you want done on each call, so get written quotes. Our guide comparing a virtual receptionist with hiring a receptionist explains how pricing usually works.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources on 11 November 2026: