Call answering
UK Phone Answering Service - Every Call Picked Up, Professionally.
Stop sending callers to voicemail. Real UK receptionists answer in your company name, take the details, and book the work. Per-call pricing. Live within 24-48 hours.
Trusted by 1,000+ UK SMEs · 4.4/5 on Trustpilot
- UK-based receptionists
- Answered during and after business hours
- GDPR-compliant
- 10+ years
Every call answered
24/7 cover available. Or just out-of-hours. Or just when your team is on a job. You set the rules.
Your name, your script
Callers hear your business name and your phrasing. They never know we’re an external team.
Real-time messages
Messages arrive by SMS and email within seconds. Active calls visible in your phone or browser as they happen.
Per-call pricing
A clear rate per answered call. No per-minute meter, no plan-locked minutes, no overage surprises.
7-day free trial
Test the service on real calls before you commit. Cancel any time.
UK team only
Every receptionist works from our London office. GDPR-aligned by default.
What we do
Call answering is the simplest version of our service: someone picks up your phone, in your name, every time it rings. Where most "answering services" hand you a list of voicemails to chase, we qualify the caller in-call, take action where you want us to (book a slot, take the deposit, escalate the urgent), and only message you when we genuinely need you.
See how it works or the pricing.
What Is A Call Answering Service?
A call answering service gives your business a trained receptionist without adding another person to payroll. When you are busy, unavailable, or away from the office, calls are forwarded to our UK team. We answer using your business name, follow the instructions you have approved, and complete the next step you have chosen.
How Our Call Answering Service Works
First, we agree your greeting, common questions, escalation rules, and what should happen with each type of caller. You then choose whether to forward every call, only unanswered calls, calls received while busy, or calls outside your normal opening hours. The receptionist handles the conversation and sends the result to you immediately.
- Tell us how calls should be handled
- Choose which calls reach the service
- A UK receptionist answers in your name
- Receive the message, booking, or outcome
More Than Taking Messages
Depending on your requirements, our receptionists can establish why someone is calling, ask qualifying questions, arrange appointments, transfer priority calls, and provide approved answers to common enquiries. The aim is to complete as much of the customer journey as possible during the first conversation.
- Structured message taking
- Lead qualification
- Appointment booking
- Call screening and transfer
- Approved FAQ handling
- Calendar and CRM updates
Use It Whenever You Need It
You do not need to outsource every call. Some businesses use Pocket Receptionist as their full-time front desk, while others send calls to us only when their team is busy, in meetings, working on-site, or unavailable. Call forwarding remains under your control, allowing the service to change with your working day and call volume.
Who Uses Call Answering?
The service is designed for businesses where a missed call can mean a missed customer, but employing a dedicated receptionist is not yet practical or does not provide enough coverage.
- Tradespeople and field-based teams
- Professional-services firms
- Clinics and appointment-led businesses
- Estate agents and property companies
- Small teams without a receptionist
- Growing reception teams needing additional cover
How it works
How our UK answering service works
Three steps. Set up within 24-48 hours. Calls answered during and after business hours.
- 1
Forward your calls
Two-minute setup. Forward all calls or only when you’re busy / out of hours.
2 min setup - 2
We answer in your company name
Trained UK receptionists pick up using your script. Qualify, book, escalate.
UK-based team - 3
You get the work
Bookings dropped into your calendar. Messages and lead details by SMS + email instantly.
Instant delivery
Frequently asked questions
Our virtual assistants act as an extension of your team, providing you with a phone answering service that is bespoke to you. Our trained, UK-based receptionists are available after hours; allow them to handle all of your inbound calls or divert after-hours calls to them when you are unavailable. Our phone answering services can all be managed in our easy-to-use app too, allowing for a frictionless experience. Pocket Receptionist’s receptionists will also follow a bespoke script, forward messages to your team and offer customer support to your callers, meaning that the person on the other end of the line won’t even know you are using a third-party call answering service.
More and more businesses are turning to AI, but nothing beats a friendly, helpful human tone. At Pocket Receptionist, we guarantee that every call is answered by a trained, real human who is able to handle bespoke queries and offer personalised advice to your callers, leading to better business efficiency and enhanced customer service thanks to our call answering service.
Using our leading phone answering service means your business can: Ensure a 100% call answer rate, so you never miss a business opportunity Improve customer service with lower wait times Free up your time to focus on more important tasks Save money compared to employing a full-time receptionist Handle calls professionally outside opening hours or when you’re unavailable Reduce missed calls, meaning every potential business opportunity is captured
We offer a variety of packages, with our most basic call answering package designed for small businesses and our enterprise package, which is designed for businesses receiving a high volume of monthly calls. With Pocket Receptionist, you’ll pay for a certain number of calls, starting from just £70.00 a month for 30 calls. Every one of our plans comes with a 7-day trial, allowing you to try our phone answering services for a week.
Stop losing customers today.
7-day free trial. Cancel any time.
- UK-based receptionists
- GDPR-compliant
- 7-day free trial
- Cancel any time