For service businesses, agencies and multi-location teams that receive more calls, forms or messages than their staff can answer consistently.
Define what the receptionist may and may not do
We start with the real enquiry types: new requests, existing customers, bookings, complaints and calls that must reach a person immediately. Each type gets an agreed answer, a set of questions and a handover rule.
The receptionist works from approved information only. When a question falls outside that scope, it collects the contact details and passes the case to the responsible person instead of guessing.
What a scoped implementation can include
- Phone, website chat, email or messaging channels agreed during scoping.
- Qualification questions and routing rules per enquiry type.
- Appointment booking against an agreed calendar with buffer and availability rules.
- A structured record of each conversation written to your CRM or ticketing system.
- Escalation to a named person with a summary, transcript and the reason for handover.
Measure it against your current response
The baseline is usually the share of unanswered calls, the time to first response and the share of enquiries that reach the right person with complete information. The pilot runs on one channel and one enquiry type before it is extended.
Call recording, consent notices and data retention are agreed before launch and depend on your jurisdiction and your existing customer communication policies.
A practical starting brief
- Your top five enquiry types with real (anonymised) examples.
- Opening hours, locations and who handles which request.
- The calendar, CRM or helpdesk where results must be recorded.
- Languages required and any phrases the business must or must not use.