If calls and admin are slipping, you've got three common options. They overlap, but each suits a different kind of business.
AI receptionist
- Answers every call instantly, day and night
- Handles routine questions, messages and bookings
- Usually the lowest monthly cost
- Needs a good setup and someone to check and improve it
- Passes complex calls to you
Call answering service
- Real people answer in your business name
- Good for a personal touch on every call
- Usually priced per call or per minute
- Mostly takes messages rather than handling the work behind them
Virtual PA or assistant
- A person who handles your inbox, diary and admin
- Flexible across many tasks
- Usually priced by the hour
- Limited to their working hours and skills
A combined approach
Many small businesses get the best result from a mix: an AI receptionist for routine calls, people for anything that needs judgement, and better systems so there's less admin in the first place. That combination is exactly what our digital right hand service is designed to do.
How to choose
- Mostly missed calls? Start with an AI receptionist.
- Want every caller to speak to a person? Use an answering service.
- Drowning in inbox and admin? You need a PA, or a partner who also fixes the systems behind it.