answering service
Hired phone responders
An answering service is a business that takes phone calls on behalf of other businesses, typically when offices are closed or staff unavailable.
Before voicemail became widespread, answering services employed operators who would answer calls, take messages, and relay them to clients: The doctor's answering service paged him about the emergency.
Some still operate for medical practices and other businesses requiring human response.
Visitor-greeting office worker
- voicemailRecorded caller messages
- call centerTelephone support facility
- operatorOne who works machinery
- switchboardTelephone routing panel
hotline · paging · callback · intercom · after-hours · screening · hold · forwarding
Continuously without pause
- after-hoursBeyond regular closing
- round-the-clockHappening all day, every day
- on-callAvailable when summoned
- weekendEnd-of-week rest days
holiday · emergency · overnight · continuous · backup · live · always-on · uninterrupted
Modest independent commercial venture
- appointment schedulingCoordinating future meeting times
- professionalCredentialed in one's field
- outsourcingThird-party task delegation
- overflowExceed capacity and spill
bilingual · real estate · property management · contractor · salon · dental office · veterinary · funeral home
receptionist
Visitor-greeting office worker
- voicemailRecorded caller messages
- call centerTelephone support facility
- operatorOne who works machinery
switchboard · hotline · paging · callback · intercom · after-hours · screening · hold · forwarding · extension
24/7
Continuously without pause
- after-hoursBeyond regular closing
- round-the-clockHappening all day, every day
- on-callAvailable when summoned
weekend · holiday · emergency · overnight · continuous · backup · live · always-on · uninterrupted · extended hours
small business
Modest independent commercial venture
- appointment schedulingCoordinating future meeting times
- professionalCredentialed in one's field
- outsourcingThird-party task delegation
overflow · bilingual · real estate · property management · contractor · salon · dental office · veterinary · funeral home · plumber
message
Transmitted communication
- voicemailRecorded caller messages
- transcriptionWritten version of speech
- notificationFormal notice given
relay · memo · dispatch · recording · log · notes · dictation · verbatim · urgent · timestamp
- servicescleaning services, streaming, delivery services, salon, bellhop
- phone servicesvoicemail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, call blocking
- service workersserver, waiter, waitress, bartender, barista
- phone systemsPBX, extension, phone line, handset, main menu
- communicationtelephone, conversation, inform, hand signal, messages
- telephonytelephone, telephone network, call, dial tone, phone lines
answering servicevoicemail
Recorded caller messages
answering machine · phone tree · recorded message · chatbot · virtual assistant
answer, service, answers, answering, answered, unanswered, answerable, unanswerable