Glossary of call answering & virtual receptionist terminology

Published 15 hours ago

Welcome to our go-to guide for understanding the terms we use every day. If you’re exploring our answering services, this guide is here to help make things simple and transparent. If you come across a term that’s not listed, we’d love to hear from you – just reach out to our team and we’ll happily add it.

Call management & routing

Live answering service

A professional team answers your business calls in real time – 24/7 if needed – ensuring no caller is left on hold or directed to voicemail.

Virtual receptionist

A remote human receptionist who answers calls using your custom scripts, handles transfers, takes messages, routes calls, and schedules appointments – just like on-site support.

Call diversion

Automatically routes calls to the correct person, department, or service based on factors such as time or availability settings.

Call forwarding

How you send your calls to ReceptionHQ – whether immediately, only if they are not answered in-house within a certain timeframe or only if there’s a busy signal on your line. We have a step-by-step call forwarding guide to follow based on your preferences and telecommunications provider.

Call overflow

When your in-house lines are full or busy, overflow calls are diverted to ReceptionHQ, so callers are always attended – even during peak times.

After-hours answering

Covers calls outside standard business hours – weekends, evenings, holidays – to maintain responsiveness and protect your reputation.

Temporary / short-term reception coverage

Ideal for holidays, staff leave, or sudden call spikes – ReceptionHQ seamlessly steps in to cover these periods.

Bilingual coverage

Receptionists answer your calls with your preferred greeting (in English unless you’ve requested a dedicated Spanish line). If a non-bilingual receptionist answers in English and the caller speaks in Spanish, they will be asked to hold briefly. The call will then be transferred to a Spanish-speaking receptionist.

Dedicated Spanish line

Every call that comes in on this line will be automatically answered in Spanish by a receptionist who is fluent in the language.

Virtual reception features

Personalized / customized greeting

The specific greeting your receptionist uses (for example, “Thank you for calling [Business Name]. How may I help?”).

Call screening

Filters out non-essential or spam calls, transferring only important ones – keeping you focused and distraction-free.

Message taking (instant emails or texts)

Every call answered is summarised and delivered immediately at the end of each call via email and/or SMS – depending on what you prefer.

Warm transfers (call patching)

The receptionist connects callers to you or team members with context, introducing the caller and why they’re calling to guarantee a smooth handoff – and allow you to reject the transfer if you wish to.

Custom call scripts

Tailored directions guide receptionists on tone, phrases, and responses – ensuring consistent brand voice across all calls. Our team can work with you to create a script that fits your business needs.

Order taking

A process in which the receptionist assists the caller in placing an order for your products or services.

Lead management & scheduling

Lead qualification / capture

Receptionists gather critical info – as specified as required to be collected – before passing validated leads on to your or your team.

Appointment scheduling / booking (calendar management)

Receptionists can book, reschedule or cancel appointments in your online calendar or scheduling software, plus manage waitlists.

Software & technology

CRM / webform input

Receptionists can input new client information, contact details or responses directly into your CRM in real time or via web forms.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Automated “Press 1 for…” menus route callers before reaching a receptionist – ideal for busy or multi-branch businesses.

Porting

The ability to transfer responsibility for a toll-free number over to ReceptionHQ.

Online portal & smartphone app

Access and manage greetings, receptionist instructions, call transfer availability and more in real time via desktop or mobile.

Support

Customer service

Our customer service team is able to assist with free trial setup, onboarding, account updates, billing-related inquiries and general customer service issues. Simply phone (866) 883-3499 or email support@receptionhq.com.

Acronyms & jargon

IVR

Interactive Voice Response (see above).

CRM

Customer Relationship Management software – your system of record for customer data.