# Phone answering service: definition Source: https://terminio.ai/en/glossar/phone-answering-service · Updated: 2026-09-06 ## Definition A phone answering service, also called a virtual receptionist, is an outside provider whose staff answer a business's calls in its name, note the request and callback details and, where agreed, book appointments into a shared calendar. Calls reach the service through call forwarding, usually for a monthly base fee plus a charge per call or per minute. ## How a phone answering service works You set up call forwarding with your phone provider: always, when busy, after a few seconds with no answer, or only outside opening hours. The call lands with a member of the service's team, whose screen shows your business name, your greeting and your notes. They answer the way you specified, and at best the caller never notices they did not reach your premises. The request is written down and passed to you as a message, by email, text or in a portal. Some providers also book appointments if you give them access to your calendar and set up services, durations and rules. Urgent cases are put through to your mobile, depending on what you agreed. Billing is usually a monthly base fee plus a charge per call or per minute of talk time. Depending on the provider there are bundles with a fixed number of calls, surcharges for evenings and weekends, and a minimum term. With a handful of calls that stays manageable; with many it quickly becomes a sizeable line on the bill. - Call forwarding: always, when busy, after a delay or outside opening hours - Call script: greeting, business name, notes and the answers staff may give - A person answers and speaks in your name - A message to you by email, text or portal, or a direct transfer when urgent - Optional: appointments booked into a shared calendar ## Why a phone answering service matters for businesses with appointments If you book appointments, you lose calls exactly when you are working: hands in someone's hair, at the treatment chair, under a car. Every unanswered call is a possible appointment that goes to a competitor, because many callers do not leave a voicemail, they dial the next number. An answering service makes sure someone picks up without you hiring a receptionist. The person on the line is the model's strength. They hear when a caller is upset, sort out a vague request with a few questions and take a complaint gracefully. For consultations, for older regulars and for requests no calendar can solve, that is an advantage over any automation. The price is that the work after the call often stays with you. ## Limits and what to look for The biggest limit is the path from call to appointment. If the service only takes messages, you have to call back, compare and enter the booking, and often you no longer reach the person. If it books for you, it needs calendar access and has to know your services and durations, or mistakes creep in. Add queues at peak times, when few agents cover many businesses, and evening hours that cost extra or are not covered, depending on the provider. Before you sign, check how a call is counted and what the message afterwards contains. A trial month with your real call log tells you more than any sample calculation. - Are calls only noted, or booked straight into your calendar? - What does a call cost, what a minute, what evenings and weekends? - How long do callers wait at peak times before someone answers? - Where is the call data stored, and is there a data processing agreement? - How fast does the message reach you, and by which route? ## How terminio.ai does it terminio.ai replaces the answering service with an AI phone assistant that books instead of taking notes. It answers with your greeting, knows your services, checks your real calendar during the call and enters the appointment directly. The WhatsApp reminder then runs as it does for every online booking. Requests it should not handle are transferred to you or logged with name, number and reason under callbacks in the app. It answers around the clock and takes several calls at once. The assistant is part of the Pro Voice plan at 129.99 EUR a month, with a German phone number and 200 minutes of talk time included, then 0.25 EUR per minute. No setup fee, cancel monthly, hosted in the EU. You decide when it picks up: always, only when nobody answers, or only outside opening hours. An existing answering service can stay on as a second tier for consultations. ## Common questions **What does a phone answering service cost?** Usually a monthly base fee plus a charge per call or per minute, with bundles, surcharges for evenings and weekends and a minimum term depending on the provider. Work it out with your real call volume, not the sample calculation. For comparison, terminio.ai's AI phone assistant is included in Pro Voice at 129.99 EUR a month with 200 minutes. **Is a phone answering service GDPR compliant?** It can be. The provider processes your customers' names, numbers and requests on your behalf, so you need a data processing agreement and clarity about where the data is stored. Ask where the servers are located and how long call notes are kept before they are deleted. **Do I need an answering service, or is an AI phone assistant enough?** It depends on your calls. If most are about appointments, opening hours and prices, an assistant books directly and is reachable around the clock. If consultations, complaints and sales conversations dominate, a person does better. Many businesses combine the two: assistant first, person when needed. ## AI phone assistant for your industry. - [Hair salons & barbershops](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/hairdressers/ai-phone-assistant) - [Independent garages & tyre services](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/car-workshops/ai-phone-assistant) - [Beauty salons & waxing studios](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/beauty-salons/ai-phone-assistant) - [Physiotherapy practices](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/physiotherapy/ai-phone-assistant) - [Nail studios](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/nail-salons/ai-phone-assistant) - [Tattoo & piercing studios](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/tattoo-studios/ai-phone-assistant) - [Gyms & personal trainers](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/personal-trainers/ai-phone-assistant) - [Doctors & medical practices](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/medical-practices/ai-phone-assistant) - [Dental practices](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/dental-practices/ai-phone-assistant) - [Massage & wellness studios](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/massage-wellness/ai-phone-assistant) - [Dog groomers & pet care](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/dog-groomers/ai-phone-assistant) - [Lash & brow studios](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/lash-and-brow-studios/ai-phone-assistant) - [Naturopaths & complementary practices](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/naturopaths/ai-phone-assistant) - [Coaches & counsellors](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/coaches-and-counsellors/ai-phone-assistant) - [Driving schools](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/driving-schools/ai-phone-assistant) - [Veterinary practices](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/veterinary-practices/ai-phone-assistant) - [Car detailing & valeting](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/car-detailing/ai-phone-assistant) - [Yoga & pilates studios](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/yoga-and-pilates-studios/ai-phone-assistant) - [Photographers & studios](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/photographers/ai-phone-assistant) - [Tutoring & private lessons](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/tutoring/ai-phone-assistant) - [Opticians & hearing care](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/opticians/ai-phone-assistant) - [Tax advisers & law firms](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/law-and-tax-firms/ai-phone-assistant) - [Financial & insurance advisers](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/financial-advisers/ai-phone-assistant) - [Estate agents](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/estate-agents/ai-phone-assistant) - [Trades & construction](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/trades/ai-phone-assistant) - [Service businesses of every kind](https://terminio.ai/en/branchen/service-businesses/ai-phone-assistant) --- terminio.ai is online appointment booking for small businesses with WhatsApp reminders and an AI phone assistant, from €0 a month, hosted in the EU. Provider: terminio.ai UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Großschönau, Saxony, Germany.