Yes. A call answering service is often a good fit for a sole trader because you cannot answer the phone while working, driving or meeting clients. A receptionist answers in your business name, takes details and sends you a message, so you can stay focused on paid work and call back at a time that suits you, without the cost of employing staff.
Picture a plumber under a sink, a bookkeeper in a client meeting or a photographer halfway through a shoot. The phone rings, and there is nobody else to pick it up. For a sole trader, that is not an occasional problem. It happens every working day.
You are far from alone. The government's business population estimates for 2025 show the UK private sector had 3.2 million sole proprietorships, 57% of all private sector businesses. So the question of how a one-person business answers its phone is one a great many people face. Here is how a call answering service fits in, and when it is worth paying for.
The phone problem every sole trader knows
When you run the business alone, you are the salesperson, the person doing the work and the admin team all at once. That makes answering every call close to impossible. Typical moments when calls slip through include:
- Working on site or with your hands full
- Driving between jobs
- Sitting with a client who deserves your full attention
- Evenings and weekends, when you are trying to switch off
- Holidays and sick days, when there is no one to cover
Voicemail seems like the obvious answer, but it is often ignored. Many callers would rather ring the next business on their list than leave a message, especially when the job is urgent. Our article on why a telephone answering service beats an answering machine explains the difference in more detail.
What an answering service actually does for a one-person business
With a telephone answering service, your calls are diverted to a receptionist who answers in your business name. They follow a script you agree, take the caller's details and pass everything on to you. Depending on the service, they can also:
- Answer common questions about your services, prices or service area
- Book appointments into your calendar
- Transfer urgent calls to your mobile
- Make calls on your behalf, such as confirming a booking
After every call, you receive a summary by email or SMS. You decide when to call back, rather than stopping a job to take a call you cannot give your full attention.
This is especially useful for trades. Our page on call handling for construction and trades shows how that works when you are on site all day.
Can a sole trader afford it?
This is usually the deciding question. It helps to compare the realistic options side by side. The figures below are published prices or typical costs at the time of writing; prices vary and can change, so always check current terms.
| Option | Typical cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Voicemail | Usually included with your line | A recorded message that many callers will not leave |
| Pay as you go answering (Answer) | A flat £2.20 per call plus VAT | Calls answered and charged individually |
| Monthly fee plus per-call charge (The Answer Centre) | £35 per month plus 99p per call | Lower base price, but costs rise with call volume |
| Onwards Answering | From £72 per month after a free 2 week trial | No per-call charges and no cap on calls taken |
| Employing a receptionist | Salary of £21,000 to £25,000 a year (National Careers Service) | A person in your business, with employer costs on top |
The National Careers Service puts typical receptionist pay at £21,000 for a starter up to £25,000 for someone experienced. Add employer National Insurance, pension contributions, holiday cover and equipment, and hiring is out of reach for most sole traders. Our comparison of a call answering service versus hiring a receptionist breaks those costs down.
Per-call pricing can look cheaper at first, but it becomes harder to predict as your business grows. A flat monthly price means a busy week does not mean a bigger bill.
Keeping work and personal calls separate
Many sole traders run the business from a personal mobile. That works until a customer rings at 10pm, or a family call gets answered with your business greeting. An answering service can help you draw a line between the two.
With Onwards Answering, you can add an optional secure Business Number to keep work and personal calls apart. Alternatively, you can divert your existing number. On most mobiles, you can switch on call forwarding in your phone's settings, or use widely used codes such as **61* followed by the answering service number and # to divert calls you do not answer. Our step-by-step guide on diverting business calls to an answering service covers landlines, mobiles and cloud phone systems.
Use it all the time, or only when you cannot answer
You do not have to hand over every call. Many sole traders prefer to answer themselves when they can and let the service pick up the rest. That is known as overflow answering: your phone rings first, and if you do not answer within a set time, the call diverts to the receptionist. Read more in using a call answering service only when you are busy.
Others use the service as the single point of contact for the business, so every call is answered the same way and they deal with messages in batches. Both approaches work. The right one depends on how often you can realistically pick up.
When it may not be worth it
A call answering service is not for everyone. If your work comes almost entirely through email or online bookings, or your customers are happy to wait for a text back, the phone may not be where you are losing business. It makes the most sense when new enquiries arrive by phone, when a single job is worth a meaningful amount to you, or when you are regularly unable to answer during working hours.
How Onwards Answering works for sole traders
Onwards Answering suits one-person businesses because the price does not rise with every call. Receptionists based in Scotland, working from home, answer live during business hours in your business name, and an after-hours voicemail option is included at no extra cost. During your free 2 week trial, the team builds a bank of frequently asked questions so callers get useful answers from day one.
After the trial, prices start from £72 per month with no per-call charges. Take a look at our prices and plans, or speak to the team about how it would fit around your working day.
Frequently asked questions
Can a sole trader use a call answering service from a mobile phone?
Yes. You can divert calls from your mobile to an answering service, either through the call forwarding option in your phone settings or with widely used network codes. You can divert all calls, or only the ones you do not answer. Onwards Answering also offers an optional secure Business Number to separate work and personal calls.
Is a call answering service cheaper than hiring a part-time receptionist?
For most sole traders, yes. Even part-time staff bring wages at or above the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over, plus holiday, pension and cover costs. Onwards Answering starts from £72 per month after a free 2 week trial, with no per-call charges.
Will customers think my business is bigger if I use an answering service?
Callers hear a receptionist answering in your business name, following a script you agree, so the business sounds organised and reachable. They are not told it is an outside service unless you choose to tell them. The aim is not to pretend to be bigger, but to make sure every caller is looked after.