Telephone answering service: what it costs and which to choose

A telephone answering service answers your business calls for you, in your business name, when you can't. It takes the caller's name, number and what they need, and sends you the message by email or text. Many can also transfer urgent calls to you or book appointments.

You keep your own number and forward the calls you can't take: when you're busy, when you don't answer, or after hours. You'll also see it called a call answering service, a virtual receptionist or a business telephone answering service. They mean the same thing.

There are two kinds. A human answering service uses real receptionists, usually in a call centre, and charges per call. An AI receptionist answers with software, usually for a monthly price, and can take any number of calls at once.

Here's what UK telephone answering services publish. Human services first, then AI.

Moneypenny and AllDayPA, two of the biggest UK answering services, don't publish fixed prices, so they aren't in the table.

Check the hours too. Some services cover business hours only, or charge more for evenings and weekends. ReceptionHQ says it doesn't add an after-hours surcharge, and AI receptionists usually answer 24/7 at the same price.

Here's what each published plan comes to, using the cheapest plan that covers the calls. These are worked examples from the published prices, not quotes.

Pay-per-call services are cheapest for a few calls. Somewhere between 50 and 100 calls a month, an unlimited plan usually costs less, and it doesn't go up in a busy month.

For a handful of calls, The Answer Centre's pay-as-you-go service is the cheapest human service we found, at 99p a call with no monthly fee. Answer.co.uk's AI Receptionist starts at £10 a month plus 85p a call, plus VAT.

For more calls, look at plans with calls included or unlimited calls. ReceptionHQ's MessageExpress is £49 a month plus VAT for 50 calls. Hey Jodie is £49 a month and Ringzel £99 a month, both with no limit on calls.

The cheapest service isn't always the cheapest choice. If a cheaper plan only covers business hours, or callers hang up, the jobs you lose can cost more than you save. Our missed call calculator shows what your missed calls are worth.

The best telephone answering service for a small business depends on how many calls you get, when they come in and what you need done on each call.

Whichever you pick, use the free trial on your real calls. Ring it yourself, then check the message you get afterwards.

Not every telephone answering service covers nights and weekends. From the services we checked:

1. 1Ringzel answers every call 24/7, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays, with unlimited calls from £99 a month.
2. 2ReceptionHQ answers 24/7 as standard, with no extra charge for evenings, weekends or bank holidays.
3. 3Answer.co.uk answers 24/7, 365 days a year.
4. 4Pocket Receptionist's plans cover 8am to 8pm, with a separate 24/7 service.
5. 5Answerpoint's plans cover business hours.

If you get calls in the evening or at weekends, check this before you sign up. Our guide to out-of-hours call answering covers what to set up.

A human receptionist can handle calls that need judgement, and some callers prefer it. You pay for each call, and prices often go up for longer calls, more calls or out-of-hours cover.

An AI receptionist answers every call straight away, however many come in at once, and usually costs one monthly price. It works best when most calls are enquiries, bookings and messages. Our guide to AI receptionists vs answering services covers when each one fits, and our AI receptionist cost guide compares AI prices.

1. 1Count your calls. Check how many calls you miss a month, and when. That tells you whether pay per call or a monthly plan works out cheaper.
2. 2Check the hours. Make sure the plan covers the times your calls come in, and whether evenings and weekends cost more.
3. 3Check what's included. Message taking is standard. Call transfers, bookings and a choice of how messages reach you can cost more.
4. 4Check how calls are counted. Per call, per minute, a set number of calls, or unlimited.
5. 5Keep your number. You should be able to forward your existing number, so customers still ring the number they know.
6. 6Check the contract. Look for monthly plans with no setup fee.
7. 7Use the free trial. Put it on your real calls, ring it yourself and read the messages you get.