The affordable virtual receptionist for small business

What is a virtual receptionist?

A virtual receptionist is your always-on digital front desk. Our AI-powered solution handles calls with a warm, human-like touch - even when you're closed. It's more than just answering phones; it's a comprehensive service tailored to your business needs.

With Upfirst's virtual receptionist service, you can customize greetings, call handling, and responses to match your brand voice. From scheduling appointments to answering FAQs, your virtual receptionist for small business does it all. It's like having a skilled, tireless assistant who's always ready to provide seamless support to your callers.

Whether you're a startup or an established company, our affordable virtual receptionist adapts to your unique requirements. It's a cost-effective way to ensure professional, consistent communication with your clients, 24/7.

Benefits

Why choose Upfirst's virtual receptionist service?

Discover how our virtual reception service can elevate your business communication.

Make a great first impression with callers

Why send your potential customers to voicemail? It's impersonal, and frustrating for callers. With our virtual receptionist service, every caller gets a warm, polished greeting tailored to your brand. It's a win for everybody. Customers get help right away and you answer every call, leading to more opportunities.

    Caller requesting a demo of project management software with a virtual receptionist service scheduling a convenient time for the demo.

    Always be available, 24/7

    Your AI virtual receptionist never sleeps, so your business is always on and ready to help customers, schedule appointments, qualify leads, and more.

      mergency plumber responding to a pipe burst and flooding, showcasing the quick response of a virtual receptionist service.

      An answering solution that doesn't break the bank

      Hiring in-house receptionists can quickly drive up costs, especially if you are a small business. With our virtual receptionist service, you can flex all the same benefits as a team of professional, friendly receptionists at an affordable rate.

        Client seeking assistance with preparing a will and estate documents, arranged by a virtual answering service.

        Fully customizable to your business needs

        Need a receptionist to take messages? Forward calls when appropriate? Schedule appointments? It's completely up to you. Program your receptionist answering service to welcome, respond, and route calls your way.

          Homeowner booking an appointment for faulty wiring repair with a virtual answering service handling the request seamlessly.

          Free up your valuable time

          While we're answering phones around the clock - bringing in more clients and answering FAQs - you free up yourself and your team to focus on core business tasks.

            Customer reserving a table for four at a restaurant, efficiently managed by a virtual receptionist service.

            When you scale up, we scale with you

            Our virtual receptionist small business solution grows with you, adapting to your changing needs.

              Property owner inquiring about commission rates to list their property, assisted by a virtual receptionist for real estate services.
              key features

              Top features of our 24/7 virtual receptionist for small business

              Our virtual assistant isn’t just a friendly voice; it seamlessly connects the dots for your callers, no matter the call volume or urgency of their request. Upfirst handles it all.

              Quick, easy setup

              How to set up our virtual receptionist service in less than 30 minutes

              Getting our system set up is designed to be quick and easy, ensuring you're up and running in no time.

              1

              Sign up

              Create your Upfirst account in minutes. It's free to try for 14 days with no credit card required, so you can fully test it out risk-free. Add basic details about your business, choose your AI's voice, customize how it greets your callers, pick its phone number, and your ready to go.

              2

              Customize

              Next, you'll add commonly asked questions about your business. Input information about your services, products, and common customer inquiries. What types of callers and inquiries do you mostly receive? Tell your AI in the Knowledge base and give it instructions on how to handle these types of calls.

              3

              Test

              After you've input your business information and protocols, start making a few test calls to see how your agent handles calls. Keep refining until you are satisfied with the set up.

              4

              Go live

              Once you're happy with the setup, it's time to go live! Simply forward calls from your existing business line or use your new number directly. You can choose to forward all calls no matter what, just the ones you miss, or only after-hours calls to your new AI phone answering service. The 24/7 virtual receptionist makes sure you never miss an opportunity, even outside business hours.

              Integrations

              Connect to the apps your business already uses with Zapier

              Whether you need to pass a lead to Zoho or schedule an appointment in Calendly, you can use Zapier to pass caller info from Upfirst to any app.

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              Who we serve

              What industries benefit from a virtual answering service?

              Our virtual receptionists have the power to make an impact for a full spectrum of industries. From legal teams to plumbing experts, Upfirst can be the answer for all types of businesses.

              FAQs about our virtual answering service

              Have a question about our virtual receptionist service that isn't answered here? Get in touch with our team.

              How will I be notified about incoming calls?

              Open FAQ

              You will receive call summaries through email or SMS right after each interaction. Notifications include caller details, conversation notes, and any actions your virtual receptionist completed.

              Can Upfirst help with scheduling appointments?

              Open FAQ

              Yes, the virtual receptionist can schedule appointments for you. It connects directly to Google Calendar and Outlook, can send callers a link to your booking page, or collect their information so you can confirm the appointment later.

              How much does a virtual receptionist service cost?

              Open FAQ

              Our virtual receptionist pricing is simple and flexible, with no setup fees and no long term contracts. You can start with a 14 day free trial to test the service. Plans begin at $24.95 per month for 30 calls, $59.95 per month for 90 calls, $159.95 per month for 300 calls, and $299 per month for 600 calls. This gives small businesses and growing teams an affordable way to manage customer calls without hiring in-house support.

              Can the virtual receptionist transfer calls to me or someone on my team?

              Open FAQ

              Upfirst can perform live call transfers to your preferred number or team members when you want a call to be handled directly. You can set these transfer rules in your settings.

              Is the virtual receptionist customizable to my business needs?

              Open FAQ

              You can customize call flows, business info, scripts, questions, routing rules, availability windows, appointment preferences, and CRM connections with Zapier. This makes the virtual receptionist feel like part of your team.

              Is it possible to scale the service as my business grows?

              Open FAQ

              Yes, you can move to a larger call plan at any time. Upfirst is designed to handle high call volumes and can grow with your business without changing your workflows.

              Does Upfirst support English, Spanish, and other languages?

              Open FAQ

              Upfirst speaks over 30 languages and can switch languages automatically if the caller starts in another language. You can also receive call transcripts translated into your preferred language.

              Is Upfirst able to follow specific instructions?

              Open FAQ

              Yes, you can give Upfirst detailed directions on how to handle callers. It can greet customers using your preferred script, ask required questions, gather details, route calls to different team members, and follow business specific processes.

              Do you charge for spam calls or robocalls?

              Open FAQ

              No, we don't charge you for spam calls, robocalls, quick hangups, or any calls that last less than 15 seconds. Our virtual receptionist service automatically filters out these interruptions so you only pay for legitimate customer conversations that matter to your business.

              Can I use your virtual receptionist only during certain hours?

              Open FAQ

              Yes, you can set up your answering service to handle calls only after hours, during lunch breaks, or whenever your team is unavailable. Many businesses use Upfirst as an overflow receptionist to catch calls when their in-house staff is busy or during peak call times. Many users also use us as an after-hours virtual receptionist only. You have complete control over when the virtual receptionist answers and when calls go directly to your team.

              Is it possible to change the voice of my AI receptionist?

              Open FAQ

              Absolutely. You can choose from multiple voice options to find the one that best represents your brand. Whether you prefer a friendly and warm tone or something more professional and direct, our virtual receptionist service lets you customize the voice to match how you want your business to sound to callers. You can pick the right voice from our library of realistic human voices.

              Try our virtual receptionist answering service for free

              Stop letting opportunities go to voicemail — get a virtual answering service that 
picks up the phone for you and answers every call. Get started for free today!

              Try for free