5 best telephone answering services for small business

Does your company rely on incoming calls from potential customers who want to place orders or book in new business? If customers or potential future customers use the telephone to call and make an appointment or ask about pricing or services, then you want to make sure that there is always someone to answer the call – which, for a small business, is where a telephone answering services can help.

Telephone answering services replace, or sometimes just support, a traditional in-house receptionist or call centre and can quickly become essential for a small business to answer incoming calls when you’re out or busy.

Business telephone answering service

A telephone answering service for your business works though a company that provides operators who can answer the phone in the name of your company, take messages, answer basic questions, provide essential information, clarify intent calls, and even arrange customer meetings by accessing your online diary.

There are plenty of service providers to choose from and if you’re working from a coworking space you might find that the centre offers phone answering (though perhaps only during normal office hours). When assessing a provider, think if your business needs someone to answer calls over extended working hours, say from 7.00am to 7.00pm, or even over the weekend. It’s worth checking if the service offers extras such as booking appointments and if they will work with your business phone system or VoIP phone provider to make it easier to transfer incoming calls.

If you’re looking for a call answering service for your small business, there are some great providers with plans available to suit small businesses, startups, self-employed and sole traders. You’ll need to make work out your likely call volume – how many calls you’ll receive per month – and make sure that you choose a plan that covers this volume without paying too much as a basic subscription; also make sure that the notice period if not too long – a one-month notice period is typical and avoids you being locked in to a long contract.

Best answering service for small businesses

I’ve looked across the market and picked out five of the best telephone answering service providers in the UK at the moment. Here’s my shortlist:

1. Moneypenny
2. Answer Connect
3. Aidey
4. Verbatim Virtual Receptionists
5. Face For Business

Moneypenny

Find out more at: www.moneypenny.com/uk/

Moneypenny is one of the biggest service providers in the market and offers a combination of features including answering phone calls, answering online chat sessions and more with a large team of operators that can provide live cover 24/7. This 23-year-old UK telecommunications pioneer, has evolved into a global answering service that supports over 13,000 businesses. This British market veteran now extends its reach to the US market by offering a unique mix of human expertise and technology.

The operators follow your scripts and can answer questions from an FAQ you write, and transfer calls to your mobile if required. I’ve used them and they’re dependable and efficient. They have a number of different pricing models including a basic subscription and a price for each caller interaction.

Services offered

Moneypenny’s services include:

• Personal Assistant: Moneypenny provides a dedicated personal assistant service, which is matched based on features such as skill set and personality. Also, they will take messages, forward calls, and provide every other service that any physical personal assistant will;
• Live Chat: an always-available live chat system on a web page can remove the need for a call to be made; you add a small amount of code to your website and it pops up when a visitor lands on your site; you can even link this to your CRM or marketing system. And, for Moneypenny, the live chat system is fully customisable: from the colour and position to even the chat button style and the background of the chat;
• Direct system: to turn your phone into a business phone system. Moreover, Moneypenny offers business phone numbers if needed, and you can manage where your calls end up from your phone.

Key features

Moneypenny has a detailed range of communication solutions:

• Dedicated receptionist team – A team of four receptionists who understand your business will serve you consistently
• 24/7/365 availability – Service runs around the clock without extra charges during holidays or after-hours
• Bilingual support – Staff members speak both English and Spanish fluently
• Call transfer options – Warm and blind transfer capabilities connect callers naturally
• Mobile app – You can manage services, check messages, and make immediate changes anywhere
• Customised responses – Receptionists follow your specific scripts and instructions
• CRM integration – New leads go directly into your customer management system
• Caller recognition – The system spots repeat callers automatically for tailored service
• Pocket phone system – You can redirect calls through mobile to different numbers or receptionists

Their technology excels by showing caller details automatically during incoming calls. This lets receptionists greet returning customers by name without asking for information again.

Moneypenny pros and cons

Pros:

• UK-based receptionists with training specific to your industry
• No contracts bind you – just give a month’s notice
• Run your business without missing crucial calls
• Combines smoothly with Microsoft Teams
• Customer satisfaction reaches 4.6 out of 5 from 447 reviews
• Outstanding company culture with seven “100 Best Companies to Work For” awards
• HIPAA compliance protects sensitive information

Cons:

• Website doesn’t show clear pricing plans
• Overage charges exceed competitor rates
• Simple plans don’t include appointment scheduling or order processing
• Outbound calling services need £794.16 setup fee
• Chat response times can lag (usually under one minute)

Moneypenny pricing

Moneypenny creates custom quotes after free trials instead of publishing standard packages. Here’s some general pricing information:

A full week’s free trial helps you pick the right pricing plan. Your usage patterns and business needs determine the final quote.

Moneypenny best for

1. UK-based small businesses – Their deep roots in Britain make them especially suited to UK business needs.
2. Companies needing smooth team integration – Businesses can handle calls between team members easily with their Pocket Phone System app.
3. Businesses with unpredictable call patterns – Studies show businesses miss about 1 in 3 calls. Moneypenny’s flexible answering service captures these opportunities.
4. Businesses seeking a personal touch – Instead of automated systems, you get dedicated human receptionists who understand your business.
5. Companies with sustainability goals – Their headquarters uses ground source heat pumps and recycled rainwater.

Moneypenny helps small businesses solve a common challenge – professional communication without full-time reception staff costs. Many customers say their mix of trained staff and smart technology works like “a seamless extension” of their business.

AnswerConnect

Find out more at: www.answerconnect.co.uk

AnswerConnect is a 24/7 live answering service offering answering services and inbound and outbound call centres for businesses of all sizes including small businesses and startups across a range of sectors and industries; it provides telephone answering, online chat answering and even video calls with your customers. AnswerConnect can integrate with a wide range of business systems to book appointments or transfer incoming calls.

Pricing plans follow a model of a basic monthly subscription which includes a quota of telephone minutes and range from £149 per month with 100minutes up to £1199 per month with 1200minutes.

Services offered

AnswerConnect offers a variety of services that you can mix and match to meet your own needs. So, whether you’re a small professional office that simply needs someone answering the phone and taking messages, or a retail business with an e-commerce store that wants help processing orders, AnswerConnect can help you.

• Live Answering: AnswerConnect agents are available 24/7/365 to answer callers and the operators follow scripts you write and use FAQs you have setup.
• Message taking: AnswerConnect agents will capture all relevant information from a caller, including their details (name, contact information) and reason for calling. And they will save that information in your existing CRM system or forward the message to you.
• Order taking: Agents can help callers navigate your e-commerce store and place orders, making digital sales easier for your business. 
• Appointment setting: AnswerConnect agents can set appointments in your diary and send you an alert when a new appointment is made.
• FAQs: You can provide agents with a list of the most common questions and answers your company gets, helping them respond on the fly to the callers without forwarding the call to your employees or taking a message for your later response.
• Web chat: AnswerConnect provides customer service over live web chat without extra cost. One of the agents will respond to chat inquiries on your website.

Key features

AnswerConnect provides a resilient set of services that go beyond simple call handling:

• 24/7 live answering service with real people (not bots or AI) who answer calls every day of the year
• Live chat support to help website visitors with quick responses
• Lead qualification to screen calls and send the best opportunities to your sales team
• Appointment scheduling through secure booking platforms that work with your calendar
• Multiple call handling options including Live Relays for urgent issues and Call Patching (Cold, Warm, and Hot)
• Outbound dialling to reach out to warm leads
• Order management to help customers complete their purchase
• CRM integration that works naturally with your existing systems

Their call patching system stands out as a useful feature. Hot Patching puts the caller briefly on hold while the agent introduces them to your team member before disconnecting. This creates a smooth human connection throughout the process.

AnswerConnect pros and cons

Pros:

• UK-based virtual receptionists who create a local experience for callers
• Monthly contracts with no lock-in periods
• Mobile app and desktop access to see message details and follow up on leads
• Called ID technology that knows returning callers to create tailored experiences
• High ratings on review platforms: 4.8/5 on Trustpilot and 4.7 on G2
• Knowledge specific to different industries
• Support in English and Spanish

Cons:

• Extra charges for additional features like IVR plans (£29.99-£1299/month) and local numbers (£19.99/month)
• US answering teams may handle calls during very busy times
• Billing rounds up all interactions to the nearest minute

AnswerConnect pricing

Monthly minutes determine AnswerConnect’s tiered pricing:

Forbes reports that high-volume users pay £277.96 for 200 minutes plus £1.99 for each extra minute. Plans come with set minutes, and any overages get billed in 1-minute increments. AnswerConnect doesn’t charge for the first 30 interactions under 30 seconds in each billing cycle.

Popular add-ons beyond base plans include:

• IVR plans: £29.99-£1299/month
• Additional phone number: £19.99/month
• Local number: £19.99/month
• Live operator relay: £29.99/month

AnswerConnect best for

AnswerConnect works best for:

1. Small businesses looking to grow – Their round-the-clock answering ensures you catch every potential lead, while lead qualification helps you focus on promising opportunities.
2. Businesses needing voice and live chat support – Forbes finds their bundled plans offer great value for companies wanting both communication channels.
3. Service-based businesses needing urgent responses – Live Relay makes this service perfect for plumbers, locksmiths, home restoration companies, and others who must respond quickly.
4. Companies with changing call volumes – Monthly plan adjustments help seasonal businesses or those with varying needs.
5. Businesses wanting to give personal attention – Their caller ID technology and returning caller recognition help create consistent, tailored interactions.

Users’ testimonials back these strengths, with many praising AnswerConnect’s professional service, consistency, and skill at capturing leads.

Aidey

Find out more at: aidey.net

Aidey has been providing telephone support for businesses around the world from its base in the Philippines for over seven years and provide 24/7 coverage with multiple timezone support.

Services on offer

Aidey works across sectors and industries from small SaaS startups through to e-commerce businesses and professional service organisations. Aidey provide telephone and online chat answering services and also offer email answering for incoming customer enquiries by email. They can provide basic business call answering services (taking messages and answering queries based on your scripts) or can extend the service to book appointments, process orders via your e-commerce website for telephone callers, and provide basic support for customers. They’ll integrate to your existing business sytems including CRM, calendar and helpdesk systems.

Pros

• Provides free onboarding
• Facilitates smooth workflow no matter what time zone it is
• Sets up a team after assessing your customer support volumes, order complexities, and protocols
• Free 21 days trial

Cons

• Multilingual support is not available

Verbatim Virtual Receptionists

Find out more at: verbatim-cc.co.uk

Verbatim Virtual Receptionists is a UK-based team providing telephone and web chat answering services together with appointment setting, diary management and incoming lead-qualification, which would be useful if you’re running a campaign to drive up new business leads.

Verbatim Virtual Receptionist Services

• Telephone answering: standard telephone answering service with 24/7 coverage – the operators learn about your business rather than following set scripts
• Virtual receptionists: a team of personal assistants who can take messages, manage your diary, filter out incoming unwanted sales calls, and so on
• Web chat service: similar to the telephone answering, but using web chat and with the aim of answering online visitor enquiries.

Pros

• A free 30-day trial
• Money back if not satisfied
• 24/7 coverage

Cons

• The team is small compared to some of its competitors – this could be a real benefit if you’re looking for a personal service, or a disadvantage if you’re looking for capacity to deal with high volume

Face for Business

Find out more at: ffb.co.uk

Face for Business is a UK-based service that aims to offer all of its customers a tailored, personal service to differentiate it from its bigger rivals. It focuses on telephone and online chat answering, together with PA-style services to manage your diary, answer incoming customer enquiries and filter out unwanted callers. There’s also the option to access the full recording of your calls through their dedicated app, which is not offered by everyone and could be very useful for sales training or if you’re in a regulated industry such as medical or financial services.

Pros

• Offers a personal service tailored to your needs
• Full recording of your calls through their app

Cons

• Smaller team that might not be right for volume customers

How to choose an answering service

When you’re choosing an answering service, think about why you’re looking at a service: is it to cover your business out of hours, or in office hours but because you don’t have the capacity, or is it for something specific like booking meetings or supporting e-commerce customers?

Next, consider the channels you want to support – you can be pretty certain that all the providers will be able to support telephone and online chat answering but do you need video call support or social media support?

Lastly, look at providers who can integrate with your existing business systems, such as your CRM, helpdesk, and calendar. Whilst it’s not essential that the provider can connect in to your technology, it’ll certainly make it easier to transfer calls and manage new customer enquiries.

With this in mind, make your check-list of requirements and consider these features:

• 24/7 availability?
• Channels and formats supported (eg telephone, online chat, video, social media)?
• Do you need support for specific caller activities (eg e-commerce, setting meetings, qualifying leads)?
• Do you need multi language operator support?
• Do you prefer a large provider with scale to support volume or a small provider that offers a personal service?
• What business technology do you use that the provider needs to integrate with?
• What is your budget?

How do answering services work?

The answering service exists to make calls, answer calls, and deliver information on behalf of a company. And the principal advantage of these agencies is that they can provide a service to small and medium-sized businesses that don’t have the financial resources to hire an in-house team to handle their volume of calls.

There are three main categories of service provided:

• Automated Answering Service. Does something like this sound familiar to you? “Press 1 for technical support, 2 for company hours, 3 for billing, and 4 for a live operator.” These automated answering services aim to get the customer the help they need without having any human interaction.
• Live Answering Service. These are the opposite: they use live agents for the first line when a customer calls in. A live operator can work in a call centre remotely as a virtual receptionist. Many business owners prefer live answering services for their customers to get the answers to their questions quicker.
• Call Center. Many often confuse call centres with answering services, as they can perform many of the same functions.

Here are just a few of the services these agencies offer to make your life much easier:

• after-hours/weekend call answering;
• call screening;
• text and email communication;
• recording and delivering messages;
• customer service, technical support;
• setting appointments;
• making sure all calls are answered;
• handling high-volume calls during holidays, etc.

Choosing an answering service for your small business

A telephone answering service can be a huge benefit for any business, from a startup to an established business. It can help answer traditional incoming telephone calls but can also help you manage online chat, video calls and more. If you have specialist requirements, for example helping e-commerce customers or booking appointments, then there are providers that offer these services.

Consider what would help make your business more efficient and improve the overall customer experience – use our checklist to help you assess and compare providers and choose a partner that will help you manage and grow your business.

FAQs

Q1. What are the key benefits of using an answering service for small businesses? Answering services provide 24/7 call coverage, professional call handling, lead capture, and appointment scheduling. They help small businesses never miss potential opportunities, improve customer service, and create a more professional image without the cost of full-time reception staff.

Q2. How much do small business answering services typically cost? Costs vary, but most services offer tiered pricing based on monthly minutes. Entry-level plans start around £40-£50 per month for basic coverage, while more comprehensive packages can range from £200-£500+ per month. Many providers offer flexible plans to accommodate different business needs and call volumes.

Q3. Can answering services integrate with my existing business systems? Yes, many modern answering services offer integration capabilities with CRM systems, appointment scheduling software, and other business tools. This allows for seamless data transfer and workflow management between the answering service and your internal processes.

Q4. Are bilingual answering services available for UK businesses? Most top answering services now offer bilingual support, typically in English and Spanish. This allows businesses to cater to a wider customer base and provide more inclusive service options.

Q5. How do I choose the right answering service for my small business? Consider factors such as your call volume, budget, specific industry needs (e.g., HIPAA compliance for healthcare), and desired features like appointment scheduling or lead qualification. Many services offer free trials, which can help you assess how well they represent your brand and handle customer interactions before committing.