Answering service is a service offered by a third-party company that provides virtual customer support representatives for businesses to handle calls, messages, and other customer support services.

Answering services assist small and mid-sized businesses by improving client communication processes without the need for an in-house team of receptionists, saving money on hiring and training expenses.

Geekflare has researched and listed the best answering services based on features such as personalized customer experiences, bilingual agents, round-the-clock coverage, and affordability.

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Ruby

Ruby

Best for Personalized Customer Experiences

Geekflare rating score 4.5 out of 5
4.5
|
  • Call Handling
    Comprehensive
  • Bilingual Support
    Yes
  • Call Type
    Inbound and Outbound

About Ruby

Ruby is the market leader in virtual answering services, offering highly trained US-based virtual bilingual receptionists and chat specialists who are available 24/7 to assist businesses with various tasks, such as answering calls, scheduling appointments, capturing leads, and making outbound calls.

With Ruby’s call-handling service, you can customize instructions for handling calls, such as forwarding important calls to specific team members or taking messages. Instant app notifications or emails are provided after each call, ensuring team members stay informed of any important updates.

Ruby’s virtual agents are trained to work across various industries, from finance and marketing to healthcare and legal firms, making it a perfect choice for businesses seeking to deliver personalized customer experiences. To streamline workflow, it integrates with various tools, including Zapier, Clio, Grasshopper, Nextiva, Rocket Matter, etc.

Ruby Pros and Cons

  • Advantage

    It offers flexible call forwarding with number porting and hosting options

  • Advantage

    Its robocall filtering technology automatically detects spam calls

  • Advantage

    PCI & HIPAA compliant for secure business & patient data

  • Advantage

    It doesn’t add any additional setup fee or after-hour service charge

  • Disadvantage

    Costly plans with higher per-minute call rates

  • Disadvantage

    Doesn’t offer a free service trial

ReceptionHQ

ReceptionHQ

Best for Professional Virtual Receptionist Services

Geekflare rating score 4.2 out of 5
4.2
|
  • Call Handling
    Advanced
  • Bilingual Support
    Yes
  • Call Type
    Inbound

About ReceptionHQ

ReceptionHQ is a popular business answering service provider that specializes in inbound telecommunication services for businesses, such as live call answering, virtual business addresses, automated messaging, and customized corporate solutions.

ReceptionHQ provides professional and friendly bilingual virtual receptionists available around the clock, allowing them to thrive in a competitive industry for over 20 years and serve over 25,000 businesses.

Catering to various businesses and industries, including real estate, healthcare, finance, marketing, retail, e-commerce, and IT, ReceptionHQ is the perfect choice for businesses seeking top-notch virtual receptionist services. It supports integration with a wide range of CRMs, collaboration tools, calendars, practice management software, and customer service software.

ReceptionHQ Pros and Cons

  • Advantage

    Real-time call reporting via email and text messages

  • Advantage

    Online call management portal and mobile app for easy access to call logs and voicemail messages.

  • Advantage

    No extra fees for after-hours or overflow calls.

  • Disadvantage

    Receptionists take quite a while to adapt to your scripts.

  • Disadvantage

    Limited call reporting and analytics capabilities.

Conversational

Conversational

Best for Comprehensive Support Across All Team Sizes

Geekflare rating score 4.4 out of 5
4.4
|
  • Call Handling
    Advanced
  • Bilingual Support
    No
  • Call type
    Inbound
$209/month
30-day Money-Back Guarantee
Respond Better with Conversational

About Conversational

Conversational has over 20 years of experience in providing virtual receptionist services. They help businesses of all sizes enhance their professional image, streamline operations, and improve their customer service.

Their team of highly trained virtual receptionists offer a wide range of essential call handling, and administrative support solutions customized to the business. They offer tailored appointment handing using the client’s existing software.

From medical and legal industries to e-commerce, trades, beauty, and retail, Conversational possesses a deep understanding of industry-specific terminology and processes, to ensure a successful outcome for every call.

Conversational allows the client to keep complete control of the quality of VR service. Their portal keeps their clients in the know about every detail they handle, and the same also available on their app. It gives easy access to statistics, business calls, message details, and so much more.

Conversational provides customization to large plans or ones that suit a business volume best, to ensure they are paying for only what they need.

Conversational Pros/Cons

  • Advantage

    Work with any web based software for scheduling services

  • Advantage

    All North American Speaking receptionist

  • Advantage

    No setup fee and 30 day MBG

  • Advantage

    More cost-efficient than the competition

  • Disadvantage

    Not 24/7 Support

  • Disadvantage

    Not bilingual

My Receptionist

My Receptionist

Best for Appointment Scheduling

Geekflare rating score 4.5 out of 5
4.5
|
  • Call Handling
    Advanced
  • Bilingual Support
    Yes
  • Call Type
    Inbound

About My Receptionist

My Receptionist is a US-based virtual receptionist service that helps small businesses and entrepreneurs by providing bilingual remote agents specializing in business call handling with 24/7 business availability at a lesser price than hiring an on-site receptionist.

Businesses can leverage My Receptionist’s highly skilled virtual agents to improve customer service, capture leads, schedule appointments, and project a professional image at a much more affordable price.

My Receptionist Pros and Cons

  • Advantage

    Appointment scheduling and reminders to ensure you won’t miss any appointment

  • Advantage

    The call screening feature informs you about the caller’s identity before transferring calls

  • Advantage

    Agents take detailed messages and send them to you in real-time via text, email, or CRM

  • Disadvantage

    Doesn’t support outbound calling

  • Disadvantage

    Doesn’t offer a free service trial

AnswerForce

AnswerForce

Best for Lead Capture and Customer Support

Geekflare rating score 4.2 out of 5
4.2
|
  • Call Handling
    Comprehensive
  • Bilingual Support
    Yes
  • Call Type
    Inbound and Outbound

About AnswerForce

AnswerForce is a telephone answering service that provides specialized agents for business call handling and lead capture. They offer 24/7 support with bilingual receptionists to ensure all calls are handled and valued.

AnswerForce provides services for residential and commercial businesses, such as home services and plumbing, allowing teams to focus on completing projects while leaving customer handling and business calls to them.

In all its plans, AnswerForce provides a complete tech stack with advanced features like meeting scheduling, video meetings, team messaging, and live chat. It supports integration with a range of tools, including HousecallPro, ServiceTitan, and Pipedrive.

AnswerForce Pros and Cons

  • Advantage

    Trained receptionists to help you capture high-quality leads and qualify them

  • Advantage

    Custom greetings to personalize all incoming calls

  • Advantage

    Call forwarding and recording option

  • Disadvantage

    Doesn’t offer a free service trial

  • Disadvantage

    Adds a $75 setup fee on the base plan

AnswerConnect

AnswerConnect

Best for Round-the-Clock Coverage

Geekflare rating score 4.8 out of 5
4.8
|
  • Call Handling
    Comprehensive
  • Bilingual Support
    Yes
  • Call Type
    Inbound and Outbound

About AnswerConnect

AnswerConnect is a phone call answering service with bilingual receptionists available 24/7/365 to provide professional support to businesses.

All virtual receptionists at AnswerConnect receive industry-specific training to ensure they can handle live call answering, lead generation, and qualification, provide excellent customer service, and offer industry expertise.

Live chat is included in all AnswerConnect plans except the basic one. It is a great option for businesses of any size because it can efficiently handle large volumes of calls. It captures detailed messages, including caller information, the reason for the call, and any additional details.

AnswerConnect Pros and Cons

  • Advantage

    Real-time call reporting directly to your point of contact

  • Advantage

    HIPAA compliant, ensuring the privacy and security of patient’s data

  • Disadvantage

    Lacks free trial option

  • Disadvantage

    Adds additional cost for HIPAA compliance and bilingual services support

Abby Connect

Abby Connect

Best for Scalable Virtual Receptionist Solutions

Geekflare rating score 4.8 out of 5
4.8
|
  • Call Handling
    Advanced
  • Bilingual Support
    Yes
  • Call Type
    Inbound

About Abby Connect

Abby Connect is a business answering service that provides small businesses with dedicated receptionists to improve customer experience and streamline call handling.

Abby Intelligence is an AI-powered tool offered by Abby Connect that improves receptionist service quality, efficiency, and call handling while minimizing human errors to ensure exceptional customer service. Its call announcement feature provides information about the caller before the call gets transferred to you.

When it comes to industries, Abby Connect’s receptionist teams are trained to work in legal, accounting, dental, and health fields. Their HIPAA compliance ensures customer data security.

Abby Connect provides mobile apps for Android and iOS and a web-based app for desktop devices. It supports integration with Zapier, Hubspot, Clio, Lawmatics, and vCita.

Abby Connect Pros and Cons

  • Advantage

    Dedicated receptionist team

  • Advantage

    Spam filtering and call screening features ensure your agents will only deal with real callers

  • Advantage

    Industry-specific receptionists ensure your callers will communicate with SMEs

  • Disadvantage

    Doesn’t offer a free trial option

  • Disadvantage

    No custom scripts

Specialty Answering Service (SAS)

Specialty Answering Service (SAS)

Best for Complex Needs Across Various Industries

Geekflare rating score 4.5 out of 5
4.5
|
  • Call Handling
    Comprehensive
  • Bilingual Support
    Yes
  • Call Type
    Inbound and Outbound
$38/month
FREE Trial
Respond Better with SAS

About Specialty Answering Service (SAS)

Specialty Answering Service is a trusted business answering service that has been in operation since 1985. It provides client communication solutions and is ISO 27001 certified and PCI compliant to ensure data privacy and security.

Inbound and outbound calling facilities are offered by Specialty Answering Service, with agents specializing in lead generation and general business call handling. It offers customizable quota usage notifications at different thresholds.

Specialty Answering Service (SAS) Pros and Cons

  • Advantage

    Allows you to select a group of agents that align with your needs

  • Advantage

    Offers both inbound and outbound calling facility

  • Advantage

    Affordable pricing plans

  • Disadvantage

    Outdated user interface

  • Disadvantage

    IVR, Voicemail, and Patching are additionally charged

VoiceNation

VoiceNation

Best for Instant Setup and Easy Scalability

Geekflare rating score 4.5 out of 5
4.5
|
  • Call Handling
    Advanced
  • Bilingual Support
    Yes
  • Call Type
    Inbound and Outbound

About VoiceNation

VoiceNation is a top virtual receptionist service with US-based receptionists available 24/7 to provide professional and personalized assistance to enhance customer experience.

Besides offering business call answering services, VoiceNation provides outbound calling services to assist businesses in generating and qualifying leads, connecting with potential customers, and scheduling appointments.

One key benefit of using VoiceNation is the convenience and flexibility of its services. With apps available for Android and iOS and a web-based online portal, businesses can easily access and manage their outbound calling campaigns from anywhere at any time.

VoiceNation offers flexible pricing plans based on receptionist minutes, with no extra charges for additional features like setup, call transfers, custom scripting, and bilingual answering services. It also offers advanced call features, including robo and spam call blocking, on-call scheduling, custom on-hold music, etc.

VoiceNation Pros and Cons

  • Advantage

    Custom answering scripts for a personalized experience

  • Advantage

    Automatic screening for solicitations and robocalls

  • Advantage

    Neatly designed online dashboard with tracking and analytic features

  • Disadvantage

    Limited integration with third-party services such as CRMs, business software, etc.

  • Disadvantage

    No discount for annual billings or high-volume callings

PATLive

PATLive

Best for High-Quality Scripted Responses

Geekflare rating score 4.2 out of 5
4.2
|
  • Call Handling
    Advanced
  • Bilingual Support
    Yes
  • Call Type
    Inbound and Outbound
$205/month
FREE Trial
Respond Better with PATLive

About PATLive

PATLive is a leading provider of business answering solutions with over 34 years of experience, offering 24/7 live call and web chat receptionists to assist businesses with various tasks such as business book appointments, pre-qualify leads, managing event registrations, sales calls, and more.

PATLive provides extensive training for its receptionists, with new hires undergoing 80 hours of training and ongoing monitoring to ensure top-quality service for their clients.

Besides, PATLive supports integration with various calendars, CRMs, e-commerce services, property management, and legal practice management software, making it a great tool for businesses because it helps streamline workflows.

PATLive Pros and Cons

  • Advantage

    Flexible call answering with pre-call screening and transfers

  • Advantage

    Offers good performance for lead generation campaigns

  • Advantage

    Custom voicemail option

  • Disadvantage

    Bilingual receptionist facility is available as an add-on

  • Disadvantage

    The web chat option is quite costly

Davinci Virtual

Davinci Virtual

Best for Full-Service Virtual Office Solutions

Geekflare rating score 4.5 out of 5
4.5
|
  • Call Handling
    Comprehensive
  • Bilingual Support
    Yes
  • Call Type
    Inbound and Outbound

About Davinci Virtual

Davinci Virtual is a virtual business office solution that provides multiple services for small businesses and solopreneurs, including virtual office spaces, virtual live receptionists, and on-demand meeting spaces in major cities worldwide.

With Davinci Virtual’s live receptionist service, businesses can get a free local, toll-free US number starting with 888, 855, 866, and 877, along with all essential back-end support such as live call answering agents, voicemail management, online fax, call forwarding, etc. It is accessible through apps for Android and iOS and a web-based app for desktop devices.

Davinci Virtual offers a premium plan that allows businesses to use virtual receptionists for additional administrative tasks, such as scheduling appointments, generating leads, making follow-up calls, order processing, and more.

Davinci Virtual Pros and Cons

  • Advantage

    Solid back-end answering with call screening and forwarding, voicemail management, and auto-receptionist features

  • Advantage

    Additional services include virtual office addresses, spaces, entity registration, and on-demand meeting spaces

  • Advantage

    Advanced call routing and conferencing with multiple virtual phone numbers

  • Disadvantage

    Live chat support is quite expensive

  • Disadvantage

    Lacks integration with other business apps

Answering Services Comparison

Answering ServiceStarting Price USD (monthly)Bilingual SupportLocation Coverage
Ruby$235YesUnited States
ReceptionHQ£15YesUSA, UK, New Zealand, and Australia
Conversational$209NoUSA and Canada
MyReceptionist$110YesUSA and Canada
AnswerForce$349YesUSA and Canada
AnswerConnect$350YesUSA and Canada
Abby$329YesUnited States
Specialty Answering Service$38YesUnited States
VoiceNation$70YesUSA and Canada
PATLive$205YesUSA and Canada
Davinci Virtual$129YesUSA

What is an Answering Service?

An answering service is a service offered by a third-party company that acts as an extension for small businesses. It helps businesses by assigning trained virtual agents to answer calls on their behalf. These agents act as in-house receptionists for businesses, dealing with incoming calls, taking detailed messages, and re-routing calls to respective team members if needed.

Answering services can provide benefits such as 24/7 visibility, improved customer support, additional features like business numbers and voicemails, integration with business software, and cost savings compared to hiring in-house receptionists.

Why should you hire a virtual receptionist?

Virtual receptionists can help businesses improve their customer experience, project a professional image, capture more leads, and reduce the overhead expenses of hiring in-office receptionists.

For example, if your business is growing, an answering service company is a great option to handle business calls, as it is difficult to estimate the call volume in the growing stage. After identifying the call volume, you can decide whether to proceed with the business call answering service or hire in-house receptionists.

When call volume is high, in-house receptionists may be a slightly more cost-effective option. They provide better control compared to external services, as you won’t incur extra charges for outbound calling, call transfer, and additional features.

For on-site receptionists, you can opt for a reliable cloud phone system for easy call management, as these are more affordable than on-premise solutions and offer more features.

Role of Answering Services in Modern Businesses

Only businesses that focus on client satisfaction thrive in competitive industries, and answering services try to help businesses by improving their client communication, playing a crucial role in their success.

The right answering service company keeps your business available beyond working hours to project a professional business image, ensure you never miss a call, and get a higher customer satisfaction rate.

And since you don’t have to worry about customer satisfaction, your staff can focus on aspects that will help your business grow.

Criteria for Choosing the Best Answering Services

Here are a few things you should consider while choosing an answering service to ensure you make the right choice –

Understand Your Requirements

Before picking any answering service company, make sure to understand your business requirements, such as the estimated call volume, operating hours, specific features, and other industry-specific needs.

Experience

When selecting an answering service, choose one that has experience and serves other businesses in your industry to ensure professional caller experience.

Data Collection and Management

Data privacy should be a top priority for businesses choosing an answering service. The mentioned services prioritize keeping user data safe and secure and complying with HIPAA.

Additional Features

When choosing an answering service, consider what additional features beyond call answering are offered, such as voicemail, message taking, appointment scheduling, lead generation, and call forwarding, and choose based on what features are needed for your business.

Pricing

Pricing is one crucial factor to consider, and for this, we recommend first examining the answering service’s per-minute rate and increment rate and then considering additional features.

If the budget is limited, it is recommended to use IVR software for incoming calls and voice broadcasting software for outbound calling instead of an answering service.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Answering Services cost?

The cost of answering services ranges between $0.99 per minute to up to $4.7 per minute. The exact cost depends on the service and the plan you choose.

Can Answering Services work for any industry?

Yes. Answering services can work for almost any industry. However, I’d recommend picking the answering service that offers expertise or features tailored to your industry or business type.

What should I look for when choosing an Answering Service?

When choosing an answering service for your business, consider their billing increment rate, per-minute cost, experience in the industry, data management strategy, and additional features.

What are the benefits of using a virtual receptionist?

Virtual receptionists can help your business by answering business calls, generating and qualifying leads, and reducing the cost of hiring and training an in-house receptionist.