Virtual receptionist
A UK Virtual Receptionist For A Fraction Of A Salary.
A real person answers in your business name, qualifies the caller, books the work, and sends you the details in real time. All the polish of a front desk, none of the payroll.
54%
Twilio’s 2025 State of Customer Engagement report found 54% of consumers want to know when they are talking to AI, not a human. Every Pocket Receptionist call is answered by a real person, so your callers never have to wonder.
Trusted by 1,000+ UK SMEs · 4.4/5 on Trustpilot
- UK-based receptionists
- Answered during and after business hours
- GDPR-compliant
- 10+ years
Answered in your name
Callers hear your business name and your phrasing. Most never realise the receptionist is not in your building.
More than message-taking
Your receptionist qualifies enquiries, books appointments into your calendar, transfers urgent calls, and updates your CRM.
A fraction of the cost of hiring
A full-time receptionist costs upwards of £24,000 a year. Per-call pricing from £75 per month covers the same calls without the salary, sick days, or holiday gaps.
Live within 24-48 hours
Tell us how you want calls handled, forward your line, and your virtual receptionist is answering. Setup is a two-minute change on any UK telco.
What we do
A virtual receptionist from Pocket Receptionist gives your business a professional front desk without hiring one. Our UK-based receptionists learn your greeting, your qualifying questions, and your booking rules, then answer every call as if they were sitting in your office. You get the message, the transcript, and the booking; your caller gets a human who knows your business. Plans start at £75 per month with a 7-day free trial.
See how it works or the pricing.
What a virtual receptionist service includes
Your receptionist becomes the first human contact for your business. We use the greeting, call-handling instructions, availability, and escalation rules you approve, then record each outcome so your team knows exactly what happened.
- Answering in your business name
- Call screening and warm transfers
- Detailed messages and lead capture
- Appointment booking and CRM updates
How your calls reach us
You keep your existing business number. A simple call divert sends all calls, unanswered calls, or busy-line calls to Pocket Receptionist. We recognise your number, open your instructions, and answer as your team.
Built around the way your business works
Use the service every day, only when you are busy, or outside normal hours. Update instructions as your priorities change and connect the calendars and systems your team already uses.
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
Everything an in-house receptionist does on the phone: answering in your business name, screening and transferring calls, taking detailed messages, qualifying new enquiries, and booking appointments straight into your calendar. You set the rules; we follow your script.
No. Every call is answered by a trained UK receptionist, not a recording, a menu, or a bot. The 7-day free trial lets you experience the service on your own calls before deciding whether to continue.
Plans start at £75 per month for 30 answered calls, with per-call pricing beyond your allowance (currently £2.99 per call). Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.
Yes. We integrate with Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Zoho, HubSpot, Salesforce, and dozens more, so bookings and lead details land in the tools you already use.
Stop losing customers today.
7-day free trial. Cancel any time.
- UK-based receptionists
- GDPR-compliant
- 7-day free trial
- Cancel any time