In Australia, a virtual receptionist is a person at another business who answers your phone in your business name, takes the caller’s details and sends them to you. It works well for a trade business when you want every call picked up and a clear message to read at smoko, as long as you set the script and know what the service cannot judge.
It is not a salesperson and it is not an estimator. It catches the call. What happens next is still yours. This guide is about a human service; if you are weighing software that answers calls instead, see AI receptionist for tradies.
What a receptionist service does
Most services work the same way. Calls to your number are diverted to them when you do not answer, or all the time. They greet the caller with your business name, ask a few set questions, and send you the answers by text or email. Some will also book a callback time or put a visit in your calendar.
The value is simple. A homeowner who rings a tradie wants a person. If nobody picks up, they ring the next business on the list, which is the problem described in how fast to respond to building enquiries.
Services differ in what they charge for. Some bill by the minute, some by the call, some by a monthly allowance with extra for overs. Ask for the billing basis in writing before you compare anything, because the same number of calls can cost very different amounts depending on how the bill is built.
What it can capture and what it cannot judge
A good receptionist can reliably take down:
- the caller’s name and the best number to ring back
- the suburb or address of the job
- what the job is, in the caller’s own words
- whether they own the place
- when they would like it done
- how they found you
What a receptionist cannot judge is whether the job is worth your time. They do not know your minimum job size, your travel limits, or the difference between a tyre kicker and a homeowner with approved drawings and a budget. They will write down whatever the caller says.
That means you still need to read each message and decide. If you have a short checklist already, hand it over as part of the script. How to qualify an enquiry before you quote gives you questions that work on the phone.
Scripts and what the caller hears
The script is the product. A service that follows a weak script gives you weak messages. Write yours in plain words and keep it to five or six questions, so the call does not feel like an interview.
- The greeting. Your business name and a line such as “[Name] is on a job, I can take your details and have a call back to you.”
- The job. “What is the work you need done?”
- The place. “Which suburb is it in?”
- The decision. “Are you the owner of the property?”
- The timing. “When are you hoping to have it done?”
- The callback. “What is the best number, and is there a time that suits?”
Then listen to the real calls. Ask the service to record them, or to send you a few transcripts in the first fortnight. If the greeting sounds stiff or the questions interrupt people, change the script.
Be careful about what the script promises. Do not let the receptionist say you will “definitely” attend on a day, quote a price, or claim licences and insurance you have not confirmed. The ACCC says claims a business makes should be true, accurate and based on reasonable grounds, and that covers what is said on your behalf.
After hours and urgent calls
Decide in advance what counts as urgent. For a plumber or an electrician it might be a burst pipe or a power fault. For a builder or a fencer it may be nothing at all after 5pm.
Write the rule down for the service: which calls are passed to your mobile straight away, which wait for the morning text, and who to try if you do not pick up. Test it by ringing from another phone at night.
Also ask how the service tells a caller what to do in a real emergency. A receptionist should not give safety advice. If the situation is a gas smell or live wires, the caller should be told to contact emergency services.
Questions to ask an Australian virtual receptionist service
- How is the bill built, and what does a typical month look like for a business like mine?
- Are the people who answer in Australia (or New Zealand), and do they know the area’s suburb names?
- Can I change the script myself, and how fast does a change go live?
- Are calls recorded, and how are callers told? (Check the privacy regulator’s guidance for your situation, and ask the service what it does.)
- How quickly does the message reach me, and by what channel?
- What happens to the caller details if I cancel?
- Is there a minimum term, and what notice do I give to leave?
Then run it for a few weeks and read every message the same day. If the details are thin or you are ringing back people who were never going to book, the service is not the problem so much as the questions. Change them.
Doing it with a text-back instead
If most of your lost calls happen while you are on a ladder, a human receptionist may be more than you need. A short automatic text to a missed call, saying who you are and when you will ring, keeps the job warm for far less. We cover the wording and the spam rules in missed call text back for tradies.
A text will not take details the way a person can. Many businesses use both: the text for quiet hours, a service for the busy weeks. The enquiries page covers replying fast and following up.
Common questions
Is a virtual receptionist worth it for a small trade business?
It can be, if you lose calls while on the tools and a returned call usually turns into paid work. Count the calls you missed last month and what a typical job is worth before you commit.
What is the difference between a virtual receptionist and an answering service?
The words overlap. An answering service usually takes a message. A virtual receptionist may also book times, answer set questions and transfer calls. Ask what each one does in practice.
Can they quote or book jobs for me?
They can book a callback or a time in your calendar if you give them rules. Quotes should come from you, because you know the site and the scope.
How do I know the calls are handled well?
Listen to a sample of recordings or transcripts in the first weeks, and ring the line yourself as a customer.