What each one does, where it falls short and how to choose the right help for your trade business.
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The short answer. If you only need every call picked up, a call answering service or an AI receptionist will usually do the job. If you also lose your evenings to quotes, invoices and chasing payments, you need help with the admin behind the call as well. A virtual assistant can cover that if you find one who understands your trade. The right choice depends on whether your problem is missed calls or missed paperwork.
These are general descriptions. Every provider is different, so check the details before you sign up.
| Feature | Call answering service | AI receptionist | Virtual assistant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who answers | A trained person, often shared across many businesses. | Software that talks to the caller. | A person, often working set hours for several clients. |
| Hours | Varies by provider. Some cover long days and some offer 24 hour answering. | Usually available at any hour. | Usually set working hours. |
| Knows your trade | Varies by provider. Many cover lots of industries. | Only what it has been set up with. | Varies. It depends on the person. |
| Strongest at | Making sure a person picks up during the working day. | Capturing basic details from any call at any hour. | Flexible help with a mix of admin tasks. |
| May stop short of | Quotes, invoices and diary work, unless they are included. | Unusual questions and calls that need a human decision. | Answering live calls, unless that is part of the role. |
| Good fit if | Your main problem is missed calls during the day. | You want every call captured, including at night. | You want flexible admin help and are happy to manage someone. |
Scroll sideways on a phone to see all three columns.
A call answering service is a team of people who pick up your phone when you cannot. They take a message, pass it on and may transfer urgent calls. Many answer for lots of different businesses at once. Some follow a script, so how much they know about your trade varies.
Worth checking: whether they answer in your business name, which hours they cover and whether they can book jobs into your diary.
An AI receptionist is software that answers calls, talks to the caller and sends you a summary. It can usually answer at any hour and does not need breaks. It tends to work best for simple calls, such as taking a name, a number and the kind of job.
Worth checking: how it handles an emergency, an unusual question or a caller who wants to speak to a person. Some customers are happy talking to software and some are not.
A virtual assistant is a person who helps with admin remotely, usually at set hours. Many handle email, diary and bookings. Some also answer calls and others do not. The quality depends a great deal on the individual.
Worth checking: whether they answer calls live, who covers when they are away and whether they understand how a trade business works.
Answering the phone is only part of the admin that follows a job. Quotes still need writing, invoices still need sending, late payments still need chasing and materials still need ordering. Some providers include these jobs and many do not, so ask before you sign up. If you are doing those jobs in the evening, answering calls on its own will not give you your evenings back.
Multicore Management is back office support for tradespeople, run by Michael Mitchell, who has about 17 years of experience across the trades, electrical wholesale and trade administration. A real person answers your calls in your business name. The same person handles your quotes, invoices, payment chasing, email, diary and material orders.
Multicore works Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 5pm and calls outside those hours go to a personalised voicemail. If you need round the clock emergency call handling, you may need a 24 hour service alongside Multicore. You can see what each package includes and how the terms work on the packages page.