Call answering
UK Call Answering - 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
The questions everyone asks
- Is this expensive?
- Per-call pricing - typically £85–£240/month for most SMEs, with month-to-month contracts and real-time spend visibility in the app. About 80% cheaper than hiring a part-time UK receptionist.
- Will receptionists sound like my business?
- Yes. A trained UK team answers using your script and tone.
- What if calls spike unexpectedly?
- Plans are month-to-month - step up to a higher tier when you’re busy, step down again when you’re not. The app shows your spend in real time, and you can adjust your forwarding rules whenever you need to.
- How fast can I be set up?
- Most customers go live within 24-48 hours. Forwarding rules are two-minute changes on every UK telco.
- Can you book directly into my calendar?
- Yes - Google, Outlook, Calendly, plus CRM bookings into Zoho, HubSpot, and Salesforce.
- What about confidentiality?
- Call data is encrypted in transit and at rest, with role-based access for the receptionist team. GDPR-aligned by default; UK-only storage.
Frequently asked
It is an outsourced receptionist service that answers calls in your business name when you cannot. The receptionist follows your instructions and can take messages, qualify enquiries, book appointments, or transfer selected calls.
Calls are answered using your business name, greeting, and approved wording. The receptionist does not introduce Pocket Receptionist unless you specifically ask us to.
No. You can forward every call or only calls that are busy, unanswered, or received during particular times. You stay in control of the forwarding settings.
Yes. Your rules determine which callers should be transferred and where. If you are unavailable, the receptionist follows the alternative action you have approved.
Caller details and outcomes can be sent by email and SMS, with bookings and structured lead information also passed into connected calendars or CRM systems where configured.
Yes. Receptionists can use your availability and booking rules to arrange appointments while the caller is still on the line.
Setup covers your greeting, call types, instructions, contacts, and forwarding. The exact launch time depends on the complexity of your call flow, and the team will confirm it during onboarding.
Stop losing customers today.
7-day free trial. Cancel any time.
- UK-based receptionists
- GDPR-compliant
- 7-day free trial
- Cancel any time