What Is a Telephone Answering Service and How Does It Work?
Running a business often means trying to do several things at once. You might be speaking to a customer, attending a meeting, driving between jobs or simply trying to concentrate on the work that actually needs doing.
Then the phone rings.
You either stop what you're doing to answer it, let it ring, or hope the caller leaves a voicemail.
A telephone answering service offers another option.
Instead of unanswered calls going to voicemail, they can be diverted to a professional receptionist who answers in your company name, takes the appropriate action and passes the information back to you.
For the caller, it can feel just like they're speaking to somebody within your own business.
At That's My Call, we've been helping UK businesses answer their customer calls professionally since 2015. Here's how telephone answering works and what you can expect when using a service like ours.
What is a telephone answering service?
A telephone answering service provides businesses with trained receptionists who answer incoming calls on their behalf.
Rather than employing another member of staff solely to answer the telephone, businesses can outsource some or all of their incoming calls.
The receptionist can answer using your preferred greeting, collect the caller's details and follow instructions agreed with you in advance.
Depending on your requirements, this might include taking a message, identifying the reason for the call, transferring certain calls or collecting specific information.
The important difference between professional telephone answering and a basic voicemail is that your caller gets to speak to a real person.
How does telephone answering work?
Getting started is much simpler than many businesses expect.
You don't need to change your existing telephone number.
Your calls are diverted to a dedicated number provided by the answering service. You decide when calls should divert – for example, when you're busy, when nobody answers after a certain number of rings, or whenever you want your answering service to handle them.
When a diverted call reaches That's My Call, our team can see which business the call is for.
We answer using your company name and follow the call-handling instructions we've agreed with you.
Once the call has finished, the message and relevant information are sent to you so you can take whatever action is required.
A typical call might look like this:
1. Your customer calls your usual business number.
2. The call diverts to That's My Call.
3. We answer in your company name.
4. We speak to the caller and collect the information you require.
5. We send the message to the appropriate person.
Your customer receives a professional response while you can carry on with what you were doing.
Will callers know their call has been diverted?
Generally, there is no reason for a caller to know that their call has been diverted to an external telephone answering service.
We answer in your company name rather than answering as That's My Call.
For example, rather than:
"Good morning, That's My Call."
we might answer:
"Good morning, ABC Services, Becky speaking. How can I help?"
Your answering instructions can also be tailored to your business so that we know what information to collect and what should happen with different types of enquiries.
This helps the service feel like an extension of your own team rather than a separate call centre.
When can businesses use a telephone answering service?
You don't necessarily have to divert every call.
Some businesses use telephone answering throughout the working day, while others only need help at particularly busy times.
You could use a service:
when you're already on another call
while you're in meetings
when your receptionist is away
during staff holidays
when you're working away from the office
during particularly busy periods
when you simply need uninterrupted time to get work done
It can also provide call overflow when your own team normally answers the telephone but can't always get to every call.
For businesses that only need occasional support, short-term telephone answering can provide cover during holidays, sickness or unusually busy periods without requiring a permanent arrangement.
What information can a telephone answering service collect?
This depends entirely on your business and what you need to know.
A straightforward message might include the caller's:
name
company
telephone number
email address
reason for calling
preferred contact method
relevant reference or job details
But the service can be tailored further.
For example, different types of enquiries can be categorised so the right information reaches the right person.
That's particularly useful for businesses receiving several different kinds of calls, where simply receiving "John called – please call him back" isn't enough information to decide what needs your attention first.
What types of businesses use telephone answering?
Telephone answering isn't limited to large companies with hundreds of calls.
It can be particularly useful for small businesses where the person answering the telephone is also the person doing the work.
Tradespeople may be unable to answer while they're on a job. Solicitors and other professionals may be with clients. Mortgage brokers may be in appointments. Estate agents may be conducting viewings, and small office teams may simply have everyone occupied at the same time.
In all of those situations, the telephone can still be ringing.
A telephone answering service provides an extra pair of hands without the business needing to employ a full-time receptionist.
Is telephone answering the same as a virtual receptionist?
The terms are often used interchangeably, although a virtual receptionist service can involve more detailed call handling depending on the provider.
Both are designed around the same basic principle: somebody outside your physical office professionally handles calls as part of your business.
If you're looking for more personalised receptionist support, you can also read about our Virtual Receptionist Service.
What happens outside normal office hours?
Traditional human telephone answering is generally provided during agreed working hours.
Businesses that also need calls answered outside those hours have another option.
At That's My Call, our Hybrid Telephone Answering Service combines human receptionists during office hours with AI answering outside those hours.
That means businesses can retain the personal human service when their team would normally be working while having additional cover available when the office is closed.
You can also read our guide AI Receptionist vs Human Receptionist – Which Is Right for Your Business? if you're considering the different options.
How much does telephone answering cost?
The cost usually depends on the level of call handling and the number of calls your business receives.
That's My Call telephone answering packages currently start from £45 per month, allowing smaller businesses to use professional telephone answering without the cost associated with employing another full-time member of staff.
The right package depends on your call volume and what you'd like us to do with your calls.
You can view our Telephone Answering Service for more information about how our service works and the options available.
Could telephone answering work for your business?
Think about what normally happens when your telephone rings and nobody is available to answer it.
Does it go to voicemail?
Does the caller try again?
Do they contact somebody else?
And how much of your working day is interrupted by calls that somebody else could have handled for you?
Telephone answering isn't about putting a barrier between you and your customers. It's about making sure somebody is there to answer when you can't be.
At That's My Call, we answer in your company name, follow your instructions and make sure you receive the information you need.
Because when your customer makes the call, somebody should be there to answer it.