A receptionist with a headset answering a call at the front desk of a small law office, wooden counter and bookshelves softly out of focus

/Live Answering · Virtual Receptionist

Bilingual virtual receptionist service.

A virtual receptionist service puts a real person on your business line who answers in English or Spanish, takes messages, transfers and screens calls, and books basic appointments. You pick the hours: all day, after hours only, or overflow when your own team is busy. Receptionists work from partner centers we select and manage in Mexico and Colombia, and AI scores every call so you can check the quality yourself.

What a virtual receptionist service is

A virtual receptionist is a person who answers your business line from somewhere else. Callers hear your company name, a friendly voice and someone who can actually help. They don’t hear a phone tree or a full voicemail box.

The buyers are usually small and mid-size offices where any call can be a new client: clinics, law firms, home services companies, real estate teams and agencies. The phone rings while you’re with a patient, in court, on a roof or showing a house. A missed call often turns into a call to the next name on the list.

We deliver the service through partner centers we select and manage in Mexico and Colombia. Receptionists work your hours in English, Spanish or both, under one contract with us.

What a real person handles on your line

You set the script and the limits. Inside them, the receptionist does the routine work of a front desk, so you and your team don’t have to stop what you’re doing.

  • Answers in your company’s name with the greeting you approve.
  • Takes complete messages: name, number, reason for the call and how urgent it is.
  • Transfers live calls to the right person, or to a cell phone when you say so.
  • Screens calls, so sales pitches, spam and wrong numbers stop at the front desk.
  • Books, moves and cancels basic appointments in your calendar.
  • Answers common questions from your notes: hours, location, services, what to bring.
  • Flags urgent calls to you using the rules you set.

How it works, from setup to the first week

Setup starts with a call guide. You tell us how to greet callers, who gets transfers, what counts as urgent, what the receptionist may say about pricing or availability, and what they must never promise.

Next comes the phone side. You forward your line, or only the calls you don’t pick up, to a number we set up, so your public number stays the same. If receptionists will book, they get access to the calendar or booking tool you already use.

Then training. The receptionists who’ll take your calls practice on scenarios from your business, and you listen to the recordings before the line goes live.

In the first week we review calls with you, tighten the guide and agree what changes. The answer and response targets go into your plan in writing.

Three plans: all day, after hours or overflow

Most offices fit one of three shapes. Start with one, and change it once you see where calls actually go missing.

Each plan is priced on volume and hours, quoted in writing before you start.

All dayAfter hoursOverflow
When a person answersEvery call during the business hours you setEvenings, weekends and holidays, when your office is closedWhen your team is busy or doesn’t pick up after the rings you choose
Your teamWorks without the phone interrupting themPicks up messages and bookings the next morningAnswers first; the receptionist catches what rolls over
Good fit forOffices without a full-time front deskTeams that cover the day but lose calls at nightFront desks that get swamped at peak times
Where it runsNearshore, Mexico or ColombiaNearshore in the evening; overnight can run offshore under the same contractNearshore, Mexico or Colombia

English and Spanish on the same line

Plenty of US businesses get calls in both languages, and callers don’t announce which one they’ll use. A bilingual receptionist answers in English and switches to Spanish the moment the caller does, with no transfer and no hold.

Messages reach you in the language you read. If a caller leaves a detailed message in Spanish, you get it in English, with their exact words noted when they matter.

Spanish also varies by region. If most of your callers have roots in Mexico, Puerto Rico or Central America, tell us, and we’ll test receptionists on calls like yours before you go live.

A person or an AI receptionist?

AI receptionists have gotten good at routine calls: hours, directions, a simple booking. If that’s most of your volume, one may serve you well, and we’ll tell you so.

Calls that need judgment are different. An upset client, a new legal matter that needs careful intake, a homeowner with water coming through the ceiling: those go better with a person who listens, asks the next question and decides what happens.

We use AI behind the person. It transcribes calls, drafts the message summary and scores quality, while the receptionist answers and makes the decisions.

AI receptionistLive receptionistBoth together
Handles wellHours, directions, simple bookings and call routingNew clients, upset callers, careful intake and mixed languagesRoutine calls on the AI, the rest on a person
Struggles withCalls that don’t fit the script, and callers who want a personHuge spikes of identical callsHandoffs, when the rules for passing a call over are vague
Good fit forOffices where most calls are routineOffices where any call may be a new clientOffices with many routine calls and some that matter a lot

Quality you can check

AI scores every call against a scorecard built from your guide: the greeting, a complete message, the right transfer, tone, and anything your counsel requires. Not a sample. Every call.

Each week we calibrate those scores against a person’s review of a set of calls, so the scorecard stays honest. You see the same scores and recordings we do, and you can flag any call for review.

Call recording, health information and your data

Recording rules vary by state, and some states, California among them, require the consent of everyone on the call. The safe default is a short recording notice at the start of every call. Your counsel sets the wording, and we add it to the greeting and the scorecard.

If you’re a covered entity under HIPAA, such as a medical practice, callers may give health information to the receptionist. Ask any provider, us included, about a business associate agreement and how call data is stored and accessed. Get the answer in writing before the line goes live.

Overnight cover can run offshore under the same contract. The same data rules, scorecard and reports apply wherever the call is answered.

Sources: California Penal Code § 632 (California Legislative Information) Business associates under HIPAA (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

When a virtual receptionist isn’t the right fit

A virtual receptionist covers the phone side of a front desk. It doesn’t replace everything a person in your office does, so it’s worth knowing the limits before you start.

  • Anything physical: greeting visitors, signing for deliveries, handling paperwork in the office.
  • Decisions outside the call guide. The receptionist follows your rules, and when the answer depends on your judgment, the call comes to you.
  • Detailed technical or account support that needs deep product training. That’s a support team’s job, not a front desk’s.
  • Call volumes big enough to keep several people busy all day. At that point an inbound call center team usually fits better.
  • Calling back new leads from your forms and ads. That’s a separate lead response service.

How to start

Start with one line and one plan. Overflow or after hours is usually the right first step, because that’s where calls are being lost now. Here’s what we need from you.

  • Your hours and the plan you want to try first.
  • The calls you get most, and how you want each one handled.
  • Who gets transfers, when, and at which number.
  • Access to your calendar or booking tool, if receptionists will book.
  • The recording notice and any rules your counsel requires.

Frequently asked questions

What does a virtual receptionist do?

A virtual receptionist answers your business line in your company’s name, takes complete messages, transfers calls, screens out spam and sales pitches, and books basic appointments. They work from a call guide you approve, so they know what to say, who gets which call and what counts as urgent. Each message reaches you by email or text.

How much does a virtual receptionist service cost?

It depends on your call volume and the hours you need covered. An overflow plan for a small office costs less than all-day cover for a busy one. We price on volume and hours and quote it in writing before you start, so you can compare it with the cost of the calls you’re missing today.

Can a virtual receptionist answer calls in Spanish?

Yes. Receptionists can be English-first, Spanish-first or fully bilingual, and a bilingual receptionist switches the moment a caller does. Language level is tested at hire. Before you go live, listen to recordings of the receptionists who’d take your calls, in both languages, and tell us where your Spanish-speaking callers are from.

What’s the difference between a virtual receptionist, an answering service and a virtual assistant?

A basic answering service mostly takes messages and passes them on. A virtual receptionist does more of a front desk’s work in your company’s name: transferring and screening calls, answering common questions and booking appointments. A virtual assistant usually works on tasks rather than live calls, such as email, scheduling and admin, often for one person. Plenty of businesses use more than one.

Is a person better than an AI receptionist?

For routine calls, an AI receptionist can do fine. For calls that need judgment, such as an upset client, complex intake or an emergency that doesn’t fit a script, a person usually does better. Many offices use both. Our service is people answering, with AI in the background transcribing, summarizing and scoring every call.

Will callers know the receptionist isn’t in my office?

Most won’t ask. The receptionist answers in your company’s name, uses your greeting and knows your services from the call guide. We don’t ask anyone to claim they’re sitting in your building, though. If a caller asks, the receptionist says they’re part of your answering team and gets them what they need.

Can a virtual receptionist book appointments in my calendar?

Yes, inside the calendar or booking tool you already use. You set the rules: appointment types, lengths, who can be booked and what needs your approval first. For practices where booking is most of the work, such as clinics or salons, our appointment scheduling service also covers confirmations, reminders, reschedules and waitlists.

Do you record calls, and is that legal?

Calls are recorded so they can be scored and reviewed, with a recording notice at the start. Rules vary by state, and some require consent from everyone on the call, so your counsel should approve the notice wording. If callers share health information, ask about a business associate agreement before you go live.

Stop missing the calls you can’t take

Send us your hours, your most common calls and who gets transfers. We’ll send back a written plan: the plan shape, an outline of your call guide and the scorecard for a pilot.

Plan my front desk