ReceptionHQ

ReceptionHQ: virtual reception and telephone answering for UK businesses

ReceptionHQ is a British company specialising in outsourced virtual reception and telephone answering services. Its offering is aimed at businesses that need to handle calls professionally without bearing the cost of a full-time receptionist. The company states it has more than 25,000 customers, from small and medium-sized businesses to large corporations and government departments.

Telephone answering services

The core service consists of answering calls on behalf of the client company by trained receptionists. Calls are answered with customised greetings and scripted responses to frequently asked questions. According to the company, the average speed of answer is 15 seconds or less. Coverage is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and bank holidays, with no after-hours surcharge. Clients can choose to receive calls only during standard business hours (9:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday); outside those hours, calls go to voicemail and messages are sent by email at no additional cost.

In addition to basic answering, ReceptionHQ offers message taking, call transfers, appointment scheduling, responses to frequently asked questions, lead capture in the client's CRM, order taking and payment processing, depending on the plan chosen. Messages are delivered to the client by email, SMS or both, with the caller's details and the reason for the call.

Complementary solutions

The company has additional services to manage telephone communications:

• Virtual phone numbers, including local, 0333 and 0800 freephone numbers, to project a national or local presence.
• Call diversion and voicemail to email.
• Interactive voice response (IVR) systems to direct callers to the right department.
• Call centre services and bespoke corporate solutions for high-volume or high-complexity accounts.
• Virtual assistants and short-term call answering services.

How the service works

The sign-up process is described as quick: the client provides information about their business, their preferred greeting and how they want calls to be handled. ReceptionHQ provides a unique number to which calls are diverted, either all calls or only unanswered ones. Receptionists answer on behalf of the company and, after each call, the client receives a message with the details. The company states that it does not require a long-term contract and that the subscription is monthly and cancellable, allowing the service to be adjusted as needed.

Industries served

ReceptionHQ states that it works with multiple industries and offers solutions tailored to each one. Among the sectors it mentions are: small business, property and letting agencies, legal services, financial services, information technology, healthcare and medical, marketing and advertising, construction and trades, retail and eCommerce, tourism, travel and hospitality, franchises, and corporate and government. The company notes that its staff are trained in these sectors and that it works with various software and scheduling systems for client management.

Pricing and promotions

ReceptionHQ plans start from £15 a month, with prices varying according to the level of service and call volume. The company states that it offers per-call and per-minute billing, and that on per-minute plans billing is by the second, without rounding up. It does not apply an after-hours surcharge. The website showed a temporary promotion of 15% off for two months on live call answering, with the code BIRTHDAY15, subject to conditions. It also offered a 7-day free trial.

Presence and coverage

ReceptionHQ operates in the United Kingdom and also offers services in Australia, New Zealand and the United States, according to the country options on its site. The company highlights that calls are answered by professionals in the United Kingdom, with overflow support after hours and during peak periods.