Virtual reception services for IT & communications

Advanced custom scripting means we can answer your calls, convey confidence and expertise with Level 1 helpdesk support plus triage urgent technical issues. Enhance your reputation by providing 24/7 service your clients can depend on.

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Call answering free trial

We can answer your calls around the clock so clients always have help at hand

UK-based receptionists

Our local virtual reception teams answer your calls, with overflow support to ensure a fast speed of answer.

24/7 call answering that inspires confidence

After-hours, weekends and public holidays … we proudly provide support to all kinds of tech businesses 24/7.

Helpdesk support with conditional scripting

With your preferred scripts, we manage Level 1 helpdesk support enquiries, raise tickets or route calls to technicians.

Appointment booking

We schedule appointments in your existing calendar, or input into your CRM, to fit perfectly into your business.

0800 numbers

Create a national presence for your information technology business by adding a 0800 number.

Overflow cover

Already have an in-house receptionist? We can answer the calls you miss or just provide holiday or sick leave cover.

How our virtual reception service works

1 Set up within minutes 2 Customer calls you 3 We answer for you 4 We deliver your messages

Set up within minutes

Tell us about your business, your preferred greeting and how you’d like us to interact with your callers. Then simply confirm who should receive messages or, depending on your plan, call transfers when they’re available.

Customer calls you

By forwarding your business phone to the unique number we provide, we’ll know when an incoming call is for you. You’ll have flexibility to send all calls to us or only unanswered calls.

We answer for you

Our friendly and professional receptionists will answer your business calls with your preferred greeting, 24/7 if you wish. Depending on your plan, we can take messages, transfer selected calls, answer FAQs, submit leads into your CRM, take orders, process payments, schedule your appointments and more.

We deliver your messages

After each call you’ll immediately receive a message by email, SMS or both (as chosen by you) including details such as the caller’s name, phone number and, of course, the reason for their call.

Hear how we sound

Your tools are our tools

On our MyAssistant and MyDiary call answering plans, we’ll use the software you already use – such as your preferred calendar, booking system or CRM – for scheduling appointments or adding new clients.

Constant support 24/7 with reliable call answering

Extend your team by ensuring Level 1 support is readily available around the clock, with triaging of urgent technical issues to ensure clients can connect with a technician when necessary.

Whether you’re an IT support agency, SaaS company, app developer, cyber security firm, cloud service provider, telecommunications specialists or do anything else in the tech space, our virtual reception services offer the ideal solution.

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Complementary business solutions

Phone numbers

Set up virtual inbound numbers for different locations or, if you require a national presence, an 0800 number.

Find out more

Automated messaging

Have voicemails instantly emailed to you to ensure no important communications are ever missed.

Find out more

What our customers love

Having used a few similar companies before we can thoroughly recommend ReceptionHQ … their phone answering service is professional and efficient.

andy chapman

The service was super easy to set up and costs a fraction of what it would to hire a receptionist.

Karl Graf, DreamWalk Apps

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Trusted by 450 information & communications technology businesses

FAQs

Why should I get a live call answering service?

Many callers hang up when their call goes to voicemail, so you can miss out on vital conversations or leads. Ensuring your calls are answered by a live person, increases customer satisfaction, builds loyalty and improves your opportunity to create a rapport and obtain caller details. Live call answering also allows you to screen calls, as you can advise your receptionist to transfer or take messages for only those call types you wish to receive. Once answered, you can see each message as it’s taken and prioritise who you will call back first. Live call answering increases revenue through better customer connections, reduces costs as you’re not paying for a full time receptionist and helps you to be more efficient with your time.

Where is ReceptionHQ based?

ReceptionHQ is based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, and is a subsidiary of OfficeHQ, a global virtual reception company headquartered in Australia.

Can you prevent me from missing calls?

Yes, our receptionist can answer calls you’d usually miss. You may be on another call or simply unable to answer because you’re busy at the time. Our receptionists will take a detailed message and send to you instantly by email or SMS. Many clients who subscribe to our service are surprised when they learn how many calls they’d been missing prior to having their calls answered by ReceptionHQ.

Are you able to answer just some of our calls?

Yes. This is referred to as “call overflow”.

A lot of companies require their phone calls to be answered only when they are unable to take the call themselves. For example, if you step out of the office for an hour or your in-house receptionist goes to lunch, is on leave or is busy on another call and you have multiple calls coming in at the one time.

You can set your business phone number to divert (to the unique local phone number we allocate your business during the Free Trial setup process) only when the phone rings for more than a specified period (such as after 5 rings) or if your line is busy/engaged.

In such instances our receptionists will then answer the phone as if we were in your office. You’re always in control and can relax knowing you will never miss another important call again!

How do I forward my calls to ReceptionHQ?

Forwarding your business phone calls to ReceptionHQ is easy. To have our team of virtual receptionists answer your calls, simply:

Decide whether you wish to forward calls immediately to ReceptionHQ (the best solution for most businesses) or have delayed call forwarding.
Identify the call forwarding codes for your telecommunications provider. Most providers publish these codes on their websites.
Use the codes to enable call forwarding to the local or toll-free number you choose to have allocated to you (aka your Assigned DID).

For more information, check out our article Forwarding Inbound Calls to Our Team of Receptionists, which outlines:

Immediate and delayed call forwarding options
Specific instructions for forwarding from providers such as BT, EE, Virgin Media, Vodafone and others.

Do you offer a 24/7 live call answering service?

Yes. Our receptionists are available 24/7 and you can opt-in to receive after hours live call answering on any ReceptionHQ subscription.

Without after-hours call answering turned on, our receptionists will answer your calls between 8:00am and 6:00pm on weekdays. Outside of these standard business hours, calls will then go to voicemail and your voicemail message recordings will be emailed to you.

If you need after-hours call answering, please let us know when you sign up or contact us.

Are calls answered within the United Kingdom?

Yes. ReceptionHQ’s team of receptionists based in the United Kingdom answer the majority of calls for our UK clients during standard office hours, with overflow support available from our teams in Australia and the US. Calls are always answered by our team in the UK whenever possible, however calls overflow to Australia or the US after hours and during unforeseen peaks in call volumes. This enables us to provide 24/7 coverage for businesses that need it and ensure calls are always answered as fast as possible.

Can I sign-up for short-term call answering, eg. a day, week or month?

Yes, you are able to use our service for an hour, a day, a week, whenever you need our assistance. Many clients use our live call answering for short-term needs, for example, when their own in-house receptionist is at lunch, sick or on annual leave. Some clients use the service during their busy periods only, as call overflow or for campaigns. Our live call answering service is like having a casual receptionist who is always available. It’s reliable and risk-free, as you only pay for what you use.

If you prefer to use our service seasonally, you can take advantage of our pause package.

Can you transfer calls to me or a staff member?

Yes, we are able to transfer calls to any staff member on any phone (landline or mobile). With our innovative software, we can record availability preferences for each staff member and only transfer when requested. Individual details can be updated at any time via our online client portal or mobile application.

We pride ourselves in offering ‘warm transfers’, that is, callers are always announced to you before the transfer takes place. If you’re unavailable, or if you don’t answer the call, our receptionist will go back to your caller, let them know you’re unavailable, take a message then forward it to you.

We do not blind transfer calls (transfer unannounced) unless you request this.

Can email or text messages be sent to multiple recipients?

Yes, messages can be sent to multiple email addresses and mobile numbers – it’s your choice. We can also attempt to transfer calls to multiple people in sequential order. How your calls are managed can be updated instantly via your ReceptionHQ online client portal or mobile application at any time.

Find out more

Have questions? Please fill in your details and we’ll be in touch.

Want to try our call answering services for free?

Put the United Kingdom’s leading virtual receptionist solution to the test! We’re ready to answer your phone FREE for 7 days.

Start your free trial

Want to try our call answering services for free?

Put the United Kingdom’s leading virtual receptionist solution to the test! We’re ready to answer your phone FREE for 7 days.

Start your free trial

What does the free trial include?

Our free trial is based on our MyReceptionist service, with remote receptionists able to take messages and transfer calls based on your availability settings.