Virtual Receptionists
A dedicated receptionist who knows your business, not a shared answering service reading your name off a screen. iFOVS places trained, office-based receptionists working your hours.
What your virtual receptionist does
- Answers inbound calls in your business hours, in your greeting
- Qualifies enquiries against your criteria and books them into your calendar
- Handles website chat and enquiry forms while the visitor is still there
- Takes messages with enough detail to be useful, and routes them correctly
- Manages your appointment book, including reschedules and cancellations
- Follows up on enquiries that went quiet
- Keeps the CRM accurate so nothing falls out of the pipeline
Why dedicated beats a shared answering service
A shared service answers for dozens of businesses. They cannot qualify, cannot answer a second question, and cannot tell an urgent caller from a supplier — because they do not know your business and were never meant to.
A dedicated receptionist learns your services, your pricing, your common questions and your regular callers. Within a month they are answering things your answering service would have taken a message about.
The cost difference is smaller than most people expect. The conversion difference is not.
Systems they work in
RingCentral · Dialpad · Zoom Phone · Aircall · Google Voice · your CRM and calendar · live chat platforms including Intercom, Tidio and LiveChat
How to choose a virtual receptionist
Listen to a recording before reading the CV
You are hiring a voice and a manner. Two minutes of audio tells you more than any resume.
Test what happens when they do not know the answer
The right instinct is to take ownership and find out, not to guess or to dead-end the caller. Ask directly what they do.
Check they can qualify, not just answer
Ask how they would decide whether a caller is worth booking. If everyone gets booked, your calendar fills with people who were never going to buy.
Ask about their internet and power setup
This role fails loudly when connectivity does. Office-based with backup power is the answer you want.
What it costs
Virtual receptionists are hired on a straight hourly rate, part-time or full-time. Multi-person coverage for extended hours is quoted on the same hourly basis. See the cost guide.
Frequently asked questions
Will they answer in my business name?
Yes, with your greeting, your qualification criteria and your escalation rules.
Can they cover my timezone?
Yes, including night shift coverage of US hours. Tell us the window you need.
What if two calls come at once?
Overflow handling is agreed up front — voicemail with a callback promise, or a second person, depending on your volume.
Can they book directly into my calendar?
Yes, with their own named access to your booking system.
Is this a call centre?
No. One dedicated person on your account, in an office, working your hours.
Related roles
Worth reading before you hire
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