Glossary
Key terms and definitions for AI phone answering, virtual receptionists, and business call management.
24/7 Answering Service
A 24/7 answering service answers business calls at any time of day, including outside regular office hours.
Read moreAfter-Hours Answering
After-hours answering refers to phone coverage for a business outside its regular operating hours, including evenings, early mornings, weekends, and holidays.
Read moreAfter-Hours Lead Capture
After-hours lead capture is the process of collecting useful lead information from callers outside regular business hours.
Read moreAI Answering Service
An AI answering service uses voice AI technology to answer business phone calls automatically without a live operator. It handles common caller requests like appointment booking, FAQ responses, and message-taking, 24 hours a day.
Read moreAI Answering Service Pricing
AI answering service pricing is the way vendors charge for automated phone answering, often through monthly plans, usage limits, or add-ons.
Read moreAI Phone Answering
AI phone answering is the use of voice AI to answer inbound business calls and complete call handling tasks without sending callers to voicemail.
Read moreAI Phone System
An AI phone system uses artificial intelligence to manage incoming and outgoing calls for a business, handling reception duties, routing, voicemail replacement, and call management through voice AI instead of human staff.
Read moreAI Receptionist
An AI receptionist is a voice AI assistant that answers business calls, understands caller requests, and completes reception tasks such as intake, booking, routing, and message-taking.
Read moreAI Virtual Receptionist
An AI virtual receptionist is a remote receptionist powered by voice AI rather than a person in an office or call centre.
Read moreAnswering Service
An answering service handles incoming phone calls for a business when staff are unavailable, ensuring every call is answered and the caller's needs are addressed.
Read moreAppointment Booking AI
Appointment booking AI uses conversational AI and calendar rules to help callers find and reserve available appointment times.
Read moreBilingual Answering Service
A bilingual answering service handles incoming business calls in two or more languages, allowing callers to be served in their preferred language without transferring to a different team.
Read moreBusiness Answering Service
A business answering service answers calls on behalf of a company so prospects, clients, patients, or customers do not reach a dead end.
Read moreBusiness Phone Number
A business phone number is a dedicated phone number used for company calls, separate from a personal mobile number.
Read moreCall Intake
Call intake is the process of collecting the right details from a caller so your team can decide what to do next.
Read moreCall Overflow
Call overflow refers to incoming calls that cannot be handled by your existing staff or phone system, including calls that ring busy, go to voicemail, or are placed on hold because all lines are occupied.
Read moreCall Routing
Call routing is the process of deciding where an incoming call should go based on rules such as time, caller need, urgency, or department.
Read moreCall Summary
A call summary is a concise record of what happened on a phone call and what should happen next.
Read moreCall Transfer
Call transfer moves an active phone call from one handler to another, such as from an AI receptionist to a staff member.
Read moreCCPA Answering Service
A CCPA answering service is a phone answering service configured to support privacy obligations for businesses subject to California consumer privacy law.
Read moreConversational AI
Conversational AI is technology that lets software hold a back-and-forth conversation with a person through voice or text.
Read moreFrench Answering Service
A French answering service answers business calls in French for callers who prefer or require French-language service.
Read moreHuman Answering Service
A human answering service is a phone answering service staffed by people who answer calls for multiple businesses.
Read moreLead Capture Call
A lead capture call is an inbound call where the goal is to collect enough information to follow up, quote, book, or qualify the caller.
Read moreLive Answering Service
A live answering service uses human agents to answer calls for a business, usually from a shared call centre.
Read moreLocal Business Number
A local business number is a phone number with an area code associated with the market your business serves.
Read moreMissed Call Recovery
Missed call recovery is the process of capturing, responding to, or routing calls that your team did not answer live.
Read moreOverflow Answering
Overflow answering catches calls your primary team cannot answer before callers hang up or reach voicemail.
Read morePhone Answering Service
A phone answering service picks up inbound calls for a business when the owner or team cannot answer directly.
Read morePIPEDA Answering Service
A PIPEDA answering service is a call handling service designed to support Canadian privacy obligations for personal information.
Read moreReceptionist Cost
Receptionist cost is the total cost of hiring or outsourcing someone to answer calls, including wages, benefits, coverage, and management time.
Read moreSpanish Answering Service
A Spanish answering service handles calls in Spanish so callers can ask questions, book, or leave details in their preferred language.
Read moreVirtual Receptionist
A virtual receptionist is a service that answers your business phone calls, handles common inquiries, books appointments, and routes messages remotely, without a dedicated in-house receptionist.
Read moreVoice AI
Voice AI is artificial intelligence that can understand spoken language, decide how to respond, and speak back to a caller.
Read moreVoicemail Alternative
A voicemail alternative is a call handling option that helps callers in real time instead of only recording a message.
Read moreVoicemail Drop
A voicemail drop (also called ringless voicemail) delivers a pre-recorded message directly to a phone's voicemail inbox without causing the phone to ring. The recipient receives a voicemail notification without experiencing an incoming call.
Read moreAI phone answering that works.
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