Answering service
An answering service is a business that answers phone calls on behalf of other businesses. It typically takes messages, relays urgent calls and gives basic information when the client cannot answer.
Also called: telephone answering service, TAS, phone answering service
Answering services grew out of message-taking: a client forwards its line, an operator answers in the client’s name, writes down who called and why, and passes the message on by text, email or a phone call. Many services also handle appointment requests, dispatch on-call staff, and follow simple scripts for common questions.
The category is staffed by operators who each handle calls for many clients, so the depth of knowledge about any one business is limited to the script. That is the practical difference from a virtual receptionist service, which usually positions itself as a fuller extension of the client’s office, and from an in-house receptionist who knows the business first-hand.
Answering services are commonly used for after-hours cover, overflow when in-house lines are busy, and industries with on-call obligations such as property maintenance, medical practices and trades.