Set up for the way your business takes calls
Every receptionist is built around one business: its services, its busy times and what counts as urgent. Here is how it works in the sectors we look after most.
Trades
Plumbers, electricians, heating engineers and builders. You can’t answer the phone from a loft or under a floor, and every missed call can be a job for someone else.
- Books quotes, services and call-outs into your diary
- Checks the caller is in your service area
- Separates emergencies (leaks, no heating, no power) from routine work and alerts you straight away
- Gives basic safety advice you’ve approved, such as turning off the stopcock
Salons & beauty
Hair, nails, beauty and barbers. Stopping mid-appointment to answer the phone is bad for the client in the chair, and letting it ring loses the next one.
- Books, moves and cancels appointments with the right stylist or therapist
- Knows how long each treatment takes and what it costs
- Asks about patch tests and other requirements before booking
- Sends reminders to cut no-shows
Restaurants & hospitality
Restaurants, cafés, pubs and takeaways. The phone rings most when you’re busiest, during service, when nobody has a spare hand.
- Takes table bookings and checks availability
- Answers questions on opening times, menus, dietary options and parking
- Handles large party and private hire enquiries
- Confirms bookings on the day to reduce empty tables
Dental practices
Reception teams are busiest at opening time and lunchtime, exactly when patients ring. Out-of-hours calls often come from people in pain.
- Handles new patient enquiries and appointment requests
- Moves and cancels appointments
- Recognises dental emergencies and follows your out-of-hours instructions
- Reminds patients of appointments to reduce missed slots
Nurseries & childcare
Staff need to be with the children, not on the phone. Parents looking for a place often ring several nurseries and go with the first one that answers.
- Answers questions on places, sessions, ages and funded hours
- Books visits and show-rounds
- Takes messages from parents and passes on anything urgent
- Keeps a record of every enquiry
Don’t see your business here?
If your phone rings while your hands are full, we can probably help. Tell us how you work.