Your Virtual Receptionist, Without Hiring One
Greeting callers, managing your diary, booking appointments and answering web chats: front desk work done by real people, for a fraction of a salary.
- UK-based receptionists
- Real people, not bots
- Answered in your company name
What a virtual receptionist does for your business
A virtual receptionist covers your front desk without sitting at it. Onwards Answering gives you a trained receptionist who greets callers in your company name, books them into your diary, answers their questions and makes calls on your behalf, all from a home office in Scotland rather than a desk in your building.
Some providers use the same phrase for an automated phone menu or a voice bot. Ours are real people, supported by team leads and client managers, and they learn your business during a free 2 week trial while the team builds a bank of answers to the questions your callers ask. If you are weighing up providers, our guide to choosing a virtual receptionist service lists what to check.
For many small firms the choice is between a receptionist they cannot quite justify and no receptionist at all. A virtual receptionist sits between the two: packages start from £72 per month, with no recruitment, payroll or holiday cover to arrange.
The front desk tasks we take on
These are the jobs a receptionist would do in your office, handled remotely by our team.
Greeting every caller
Your receptionist answers with your business name and a greeting you have agreed, recognises callers who have rung before and treats them as a member of your own team would. First impressions are made by a person, not a menu.
Diary and appointment booking
Appointments can go straight into your own calendar, or you can have free access to the secure Onwards booking platform. Callers finish the conversation with a time in the diary, and you see the booking without arranging it yourself.
Messages and call summaries
After every call you get a summary by email or SMS. Messages also collect in the Onwards Answering Connect app and portal, so you can catch up between jobs or meetings wherever you happen to be.
Outbound calls for you
A receptionist can ring people on your behalf, for example to return an enquiry, confirm a booking or pass on information. It saves you making routine calls yourself, and the person you are calling still hears your company name.
Live chat on your website
Website visitors who would rather type than talk can be answered too. Our team responds to live chat on your site, so enquiries arriving online get the same personal attention as those that arrive by phone.
A secure Business Number
If you use one phone for work and home, an optional secure Business Number keeps the two apart. Customers call the business line, your receptionist answers, and your personal number stays private.
How your virtual receptionist fits into your day
- 1
Brief us like a new starter
Tell us what a good receptionist in your business would need to know: your services, your diary rules, your regular callers and how you like things worded.
- 2
Hand over the phone
Divert your calls to us for the whole working day or only when you are busy. Your callers keep dialling the number they already know.
- 3
Let the front desk run
Calls are greeted, questions answered, appointments booked and messages logged, just as they would be by someone sitting at your reception desk.
- 4
Pick up the threads
Check your summaries in the Connect app or portal, act on what matters to you and leave the routine front desk work with your receptionist.
In-house receptionist or virtual receptionist?
Employing a receptionist brings costs well beyond the salary. The in-house figures below are typical UK employment costs from government and National Careers Service sources.
| In-house receptionist | Onwards virtual receptionist | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | Typically £21,000 to £25,000 a year | Packages from £72 per month |
| Employer National Insurance | 15% on earnings above £5,000 a year | Nothing to pay |
| Holiday | At least 28 days of paid leave a year, which needs cover | Covered by the team, with nothing for you to arrange |
| Pension | Usually at least 3% of qualifying earnings | Not applicable |
| Recruitment and training | Your time and your budget | Set up during a free 2 week trial |
| Desk, phone and equipment | Provided by you | Not needed |
ChiroProActive have worked with Onwards for several years now. ... I know that my clients get an expert, friendly service when they call.
Businesses that use a virtual receptionist
It suits any business that needs a front desk but does not need, or cannot fund, a full-time person to sit at it.
Clinics without a front desk
Practitioners cannot stop a treatment to answer the phone. A virtual receptionist greets patients, books and moves appointments in your diary and passes on anything that needs the practitioner's attention.
See the sector pageOnline shops with phone customers
Customers still ring about orders, deliveries and returns. Receptionists can support your order management and answer live chat on your website, so shoppers get help however they choose to get in touch.
See the sector pageAccountants and financial advisers
Client meetings and focused work fill most of the day. Your virtual receptionist manages the diary, books consultations and makes sure clients reach a friendly voice instead of an engaged tone.
See the sector pageEstate and letting agents
Viewings, valuations and landlord calls all need booking in. A receptionist can arrange them in your calendar while your negotiators are out showing properties to buyers and tenants.
See the sector pageWhat are the typical duties of a virtual receptionist?
The core duties are answering calls in your company name, taking messages, transferring callers, booking appointments and managing your diary. Onwards Answering receptionists can also make outbound calls on your behalf, answer live chat on your website and, for online shops, help with order management. Our guide on answering in your company name explains how the greeting works.
How do virtual receptionists work?
You divert your business calls to the service, either for every call or only when you are busy or away. A receptionist answers using your script, deals with the caller as you have instructed and sends you a summary afterwards. Find out more about keeping your existing business number when you divert.
Is a virtual receptionist a real person?
With Onwards Answering, yes. Some services use the term for automated menus or voice bots, but our virtual receptionists are trained people working from home in Scotland, supported by team leads and client managers. They answer in your company name and learn the details of your business during the free trial.
Is a virtual receptionist cheaper than hiring a receptionist?
For most small businesses, yes. The National Careers Service puts a typical receptionist salary at £21,000 to £25,000 a year, before employer National Insurance, pension, holiday cover and equipment. Onwards Answering packages start from £72 per month after a free 2 week trial, and our prices and plans page explains how they work.
What skills does a good receptionist need?
A good receptionist listens carefully, stays calm with a difficult caller, writes accurate messages and knows enough about the business to answer common questions. Our receptionists are trained in call handling with a sector-specific approach, and the FAQ bank built during your trial gives them the knowledge that is particular to your business.