Virtual Receptionist or Auto Attendant: Which Do You Need?

A virtual receptionist is a live person, usually at an answering service, who picks up your calls and takes messages. An auto attendant is the "press 1 for scheduling" phone menu that answers and sends callers to the right person. Most small offices do well with an auto attendant, and some add a live answering service for after-hours or overflow calls.

Here is how to tell which calls need a person, and how the two can work together.

What Does an Auto Attendant Do?

An auto attendant (the "press 1 for..." phone menu) answers every call right away, plays a short greeting and lets the caller choose where to go. On Telonium, it can:

• Use keys 0 through 9 for options like scheduling, billing or a specific person.
• Play greetings you record yourself and upload.
• Offer a dial-by-name directory, so callers can type the first letters of a name.
• Send callers who press nothing to a fallback, such as the front desk or voicemail.
• Play a different menu after hours, based on each number's schedule.

It never takes a lunch break and never puts the first caller on hold to answer the second. The auto attendant is included with every Telonium user; see our features page for the full list.

What Does a Live Answering Service Do?

A live answering service, sometimes called a virtual receptionist, is a company whose staff answer your calls with your business name. They usually take a message, follow a script you give them and pass the message along by email or text. Some can book appointments in your calendar.

Telonium provides the phone menu, not live answering. If you want a person to answer, you can use an answering service of your choice and send calls to their number.

Which Calls Need a Person?

Go through the reasons people call you and sort them:

• The menu handles it well: "I'd like to make an appointment," "I need billing," "Can I talk to Maria?" A key press gets them to the right person faster than a receptionist transferring them.
• A person helps: an upset customer, an emergency, or a new customer who does not know who to ask for.
• Voicemail is fine: routine questions after hours, when nobody could act on the call until morning anyway.

For a small office, the menu plus a call group often covers the "person helps" calls too. Pressing 0 can ring the front desk and the owner at the same time, so whoever is free picks up.

Can You Use Both?

Yes, and it is a common setup. During business hours, the auto attendant answers and sends calls to your team. After hours, the number's schedule sends calls to your answering service's number, so a live person takes the message.

You can also send just one option to the service. For example, a home services company might keep the after-hours menu and send "press 1 for an emergency" to the answering service, while everything else goes to voicemail. Your holiday hours can point to the service too, set up ahead of time so they switch on and off by themselves.

How Do You Write the Menu?

Keep it short: your business name, three or four options, and 0 for a person. Put the most common reason people call first. Our post of phone menu scripts and auto attendant examples has wording you can copy.

If you add an answering service, give them the same information a new front desk person would need: your hours, the questions people ask most, what counts as urgent and who to contact for it.

What Does Each Cost?

The auto attendant is part of every Telonium plan, which is $24.95 per user per month plus taxes and fees, with unlimited calling in the lower 48 states and parts of Canada. There is no separate charge for the menu, the directory or the schedules. See our pricing page for details.

A live answering service is a separate company with its own prices, often based on the number of calls or minutes. Ask for their pricing in writing, and ask what happens on a very busy day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an Auto Attendant the Same as a Virtual Receptionist?

No. An auto attendant is an automated phone menu. A virtual receptionist is usually a live person at an answering service who answers in your business name.

Can the Auto Attendant Send Calls to an Answering Service After Hours?

Yes. Set your number's schedule so after-hours calls, or one option in the menu, go to the answering service's phone number.

Does Telonium Offer Live Answering?

No. Telonium provides the phone system and the auto attendant. You can pair it with any answering service you choose.