Affordable call answering service for small businesses

That’s entirely up to you.  During your account setup, you tell us what greeting we should use and, depending on your plan, how you’d like calls handled – from information we share to the details you’d like us to collect from callers.  The aim is to provide a consistent experience that feels like a natural extension of your team.

No.  Our receptionists answer in your business name using your preferred greeting, so callers experience a seamless, professional service.  We don’t disclose that we’re a third-party provider, unless you prefer us to do so if asked directly, and every call is handled in a way that reflects your brand.

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

Yes. ReceptionHQ is used by many sole traders across the UK who want to handle calls professionally without the cost of hiring staff.  If you’re with a client, working on-site or simply unavailable, our receptionists make sure your callers reach a real person rather than voicemail.

Yes.  You can use our service on a short-term basis to cover holidays, sick leave or particularly busy periods – there’s no need for a long-term commitment.  This makes it straightforward to maintain your usual level of service even when your team is short-staffed.

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! 

Yes.  We have receptionists available around-the-clock and 24/7 coverage is included as standard on any ReceptionHQ live call answering plan subscription, without any after-hours surcharges.

Whether your calls come in during UK business hours (9:00am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday) or out-of-hours, there is no extra cost.

If you opt out of after-hours call answering, our receptionists will answer your calls only between 9:00am and 5:30pm on weekdays; outside of these standard business hours, including weekends and bank holidays, calls will then go to voicemail and your voicemail message recordings will be emailed to you free of charge.

ReceptionHQ offers a month-to-month agreement, which can be cancelled by giving us at least three days’ notice prior to your monthly renewal date.

Set up can take as little as a few minutes.  For a MessageExpress or MyReceptionist service, you can start using the service almost instantly. Simply set up an account yourself, using the free trial webform or have our customer service team do this for you.  Either way, it only takes a few minutes to get started.  Once your account is set up, you simply need to forward your phone line to us and we’ll start answering your calls.

If you’re interested in a MyAssistant or MyDiary plan, a short setup may be required, depending on complexity, to train our receptionists on your preferred software, business information or webforms.  Please contact us to find out more.