Phone answering services: how they work, step by step
The short answer
A phone answering service picks up your business calls when you can’t. You forward your number to the service, which answers in your business’s name, takes the details and sends them to you, and can put urgent calls through. Live services use people; software voice assistants cost less and pick up instantly. You keep your own number either way.
If you’ve never used one, an answering service can sound complicated. It’s mostly one setting on your phone. Here’s what happens on a real call, and what to check before you pay.
Updated October 27, 2026. CoveDesk is one of the services on this page; other companies’ prices and features are from their own websites, linked below.
How a call works
- You choose when calls go over. All of them, only after hours, or only when you don’t pick up. That’s usually call forwarding from your phone or provider.
- The service answers in your business’s name, using the details you gave it.
- It finds out what the caller needs: name, number, address and what’s wrong.
- Urgent calls go through to you, following rules you set.
- You get the details by text or email, so you can call back when you’re free.
An answering service compared with your other options
| Option | What callers get | Nights and weekends | Urgent calls | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voicemail | A greeting and a beep. Many hang up and call someone else. | Same greeting, all night. | Wait until you check messages. | Included with your phone. |
| On-call cell phone | You, when you can pick up. | Whoever carries the phone. | Straight to you, if you answer. | Your time and sleep. |
| Missed-call text back | A text from your business right after the missed call. They can reply with what they need. | Texts any time; you reply when you can. | Depends on the service; some ring you for emergency words. | A monthly fee. CoveDesk Text-Back: $99/mo. |
| Live answering service | A person picks up, takes the details and sends them to you. | Most cover 24/7. | Put through or sent to whoever is on call. | Usually the highest per minute. See published prices below. |
| Software voice assistant | A computer voice picks up and takes the details. | 24/7. | Depends on the plan; transfers may cost more. | Usually the lowest per minute or per call. |
| CoveDesk Front Desk | A trained voice assistant, set up and run by our team, picks up in your business’s name and texts you the details. | Day or night, every day. | Put straight through to you. | $249/mo with 250 minutes included. |
| Receptionist on payroll | Your own person, in your office. | Only during their hours. | They find you. | Wages plus payroll taxes and benefits. |
What to ask before you sign
- How do you count usage: minutes, calls or callers? Do you round up?
- What does an extra minute or call cost once I go over?
- Is there a setup fee or a contract? How do I leave?
- What happens at 2 AM, and how exactly do urgent calls reach me?
- Do you handle Spanish, and does it cost extra?
- Can I call a demo line and hear what my customers would hear?
Published prices
| Service | Who answers | Entry plan (as published) | A bigger plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby | Live receptionistsLive receptionists, 24/7, including after hours, weekends and holidays. | $250 /month · 50 receptionist minutes 50 receptionist minutes a month. Extra: Not listed.Ruby pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026 | $720 /month · 200 receptionist minutes 200 receptionist minutes a month. Extra: Not listed.Ruby says there are no added fees for activation, onboarding or setup. |
| AnswerConnect | Live receptionistsLive answering from real people, 24/7, on every plan. | $350 per month · Entry 200 minutes. Extra: $2.50 per additional minute.AnswerConnect pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026 | $395 per month · Growth 300 minutes. Extra: $1.85 per additional minute.Entry plan: $49.99 setup fee. Growth plan: no setup fee. Prices are from AnswerConnect’s plans page; its main pricing link asks for a quote, so prices may differ. |
| PATLive | Live receptionistsLive receptionists, 24/7/365. PATLive says it doesn’t answer calls with software. | $99 · 50 minutes 50 minutes a month. Extra: $2.29 per minute.PATLive pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026 | $349 · 200 minutes 200 minutes a month. Extra: $1.99 per minute.14-day free trial. Also a pay-as-you-go plan: $49 a month with no minutes included, $2.99 a minute. Bilingual receptionists 8 AM to 10 PM Eastern, per its home services page. |
| MAP Communications | Live receptionistsLive answering with 24/7 coverage. | $179/mo · Business 125 minutes. Extra: $1.30 per additional minute.MAP Communications pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026 | $339/mo · Enterprise 250 minutes. Extra: $1.28 per additional minute.Also Pay As You Go: $49 a month with no minutes included, $1.37 a minute. Its pricing page says custom scripts can cost extra. |
| Answering Service Care | Live receptionists or software (you choose)Live operators on its Live plans (the prices shown here); it also sells software-answered plans. | $179/ Monthly · Live Small Business 100 minutes. Extra: $1.70 per additional minute.Answering Service Care pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026 | $329/ Monthly · Live Pro 250 minutes. Extra: $1.60 per additional minute.$50 one-time setup on Live plans. Also Live Starter: $40 a month, pay as you go at $1.75 a minute. |
| Moneypenny | Live receptionists or software (you choose)Live receptionists on its People Answering plans (the prices shown here); it also sells software-answered plans. | $165/mo · People Answering, 50 minutes 50 minutes. Extra: $2.85 per extra minute.Moneypenny pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026 | $422/mo · People Answering, 200 minutes 200 minutes. Extra: $2.39 per extra minute.24/7 service. |
| Abby Connect | Live receptionists or software (you choose)Live receptionists, a software voice assistant, or a mix by type of call. | $164/mo · Starter 50 Abby Minutes. Extra: Billed at the plan’s minute rate (no dollar figure listed).Abby Connect pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026 | $599/mo · Professional 200 Abby Minutes. Extra: Billed at the plan’s minute rate.No setup fee, month to month. Free trial: 14 days or 500 minutes; a card is required. Software-answered calls use half as many Abby Minutes. |
| Goodcall | Software voice assistantA software voice assistant that answers every hour of every day. | $79 a month · Starter 100 unique customers a month (Goodcall says about 150 calls). Extra: 79¢ per extra unique customer.Goodcall pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026 | $129 a month · Growth 500 unique customers a month (about 750 calls, per Goodcall). Extra: 26¢ per extra unique customer.Counts unique callers, not minutes or calls. |
| Rosie | Software voice assistantA software voice assistant, available 24/7/365. | $49 per month · Professional 250 minutes. Extra: Not listed.Rosie pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026 | $149 per month · Scale 1,000 minutes, calendar booking, call transfers. Extra: Not listed.7-day free trial. Call transfers start on the Scale plan. |
| Dialzara | Software voice assistantA software voice assistant with 24/7 answering. | $99/month · Business Pro 220 minutes. Extra: $0.45 per minute.Dialzara pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026 | $199/month · Business Plus 500 minutes. Extra: $0.40 per minute.No setup fees. 7 days free. Also Business Lite: $29 a month for 60 minutes. |
| CoveDesk | CoveDesk’s phone answering service: a trained voice assistant, set up and run by our team, in your business’s name, day or night. Not live receptionists. | $249/mo · Front Desk 250 front desk minutes a month included, then $0.35 a minute.CoveDesk pricing | No setup fee. Month-to-month, cancel any time. 30-day money-back guarantee. We set it up, write the script for your business and run it. |
Work out your own numbers
Answering service cost calculator
Work out a monthly bill from your calls and call length, and compare it with a receptionist on payroll.
Missed call calculator
See what the calls you don’t answer may be worth in a month and a year, from your own numbers.
Voicemail greeting generator
Scripts for on-a-job, after-hours and holiday voicemail, plus a missed-call text.
Common questions
How does a phone answering service work?
You forward your calls to the service. It answers in your business’s name, takes the details and sends them to you, and can put urgent calls straight through.
Do I have to change my phone number?
Usually not. You keep your number and forward calls to the service. Ask how forwarding works with your phone provider.
How much does a phone answering service cost?
It depends on the type and your usage. Live services usually cost more than software voice assistants. The table on this page lists what each company publishes.
Can an answering service answer only some of my calls?
Yes. Most businesses forward only after hours or only when they can’t pick up. Forwarding settings vary by phone provider.
Is CoveDesk a live receptionist service?
No. CoveDesk is a phone answering service: a trained voice assistant, set up and run by our team, that picks up in your business’s name at any hour. Callers hear a short notice at the start of the call about how it’s handled. Urgent calls are put through to you, and you get the details by text. If a live person on every call matters most to you, choose one of the live services on this page.
Sources
Prices, plans and features of other companies, as shown on their own websites on October 27, 2026:
- Ruby: https://www.ruby.com/plans-and-pricing/ (opens in a new tab) and https://www.ruby.com/industries/home-services/ (opens in a new tab)
- AnswerConnect: https://www.answerconnect.com/plans-direct (opens in a new tab) and https://www.answerconnect.com/industries/service-providers/residential-services (opens in a new tab)
- PATLive: https://www.patlive.com/pricing/ (opens in a new tab) and https://www.patlive.com/industries/home-services-trades/ (opens in a new tab)
- MAP Communications: https://www.mapcommunications.com/pricing/ (opens in a new tab) and https://www.mapcommunications.com/industries/contractors/ (opens in a new tab)
- Answering Service Care: https://answeringservicecare.com/pricing/ (opens in a new tab) and https://answeringservicecare.com/industries/home-services/ (opens in a new tab)
- Moneypenny: https://www.moneypenny.com/us/pricing (opens in a new tab) and https://www.moneypenny.com/us/home-services-answering-services (opens in a new tab)
- Abby Connect: https://www.abby.com/pricing/ (opens in a new tab) and https://www.abby.com/industries/plumbing/ (opens in a new tab)
- Goodcall: https://www.goodcall.com/pricing (opens in a new tab)
- Rosie: https://heyrosie.com/pricing (opens in a new tab) and https://heyrosie.com/industries/home-services (opens in a new tab)
- Dialzara: https://dialzara.com/pricing (opens in a new tab)
- CoveDesk: our pricing page
Prices and features change; check each company’s website before you buy. Company names are the trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify their services; none of them is affiliated with or endorses CoveDesk. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
Related comparisons
Virtual receptionist services
What a virtual receptionist does, published prices, and how to choose.
Answering service pricing
How answering services bill, published prices, and the extra fees to ask about.
After-hours answering service
Nights, weekends and holidays: the ways to cover them and what each costs.
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