24/7 Telephone Answering Service for UK Businesses
The calls you can't take still get answered. AI Answerphone picks up in a natural British voice, finds out what the caller wants, takes their details and sends you the message, whether it's a busy Monday morning or a Sunday night.
From £47/month · Fixed monthly price · No per-call charges · No contract
Our own number is answered by AI Answerphone: call it to hear what your callers would.
When your line diverts
- Unanswered after a few rings
- Line engaged
- Phone off or no signal
- Every call, straight away
Why calls go unanswered
It's rarely because nobody cares. It's because the people who could answer are busy doing the job.
On a job
Hands full, gloves on, somewhere noisy. The phone rings out and the caller tries someone else.
Driving
You can't safely take down a name and address at 50mph, so the call waits or goes to voicemail.
Busy periods
Monday mornings, lunchtimes and seasonal rushes bring more calls than one line can take.
Already on the phone
While you deal with one customer, the next caller gets an engaged tone.
Many callers won't leave a voicemail; they'd rather ring the next business on the list. An answering service gives them a proper conversation instead of a beep.
How our answering service works
AI Answerphone works like a traditional telephone answering service: your calls divert to us, get answered in your business name, and the message comes back to you. The difference is who answers. Instead of a call centre, every call is picked up by AI that has been set up with your greeting, your business details and the questions you want asked.
You decide which calls it takes
You set a divert on your existing number, so there's nothing new to install. Divert every call if you want the AI to be your front line, or only the calls you don't answer, calls when you're engaged, and calls when your phone is off. Our guides show how on BT, iPhone and Android. If you're on a VoIP system, our VoIP and landline guide explains the options.
It answers around the clock
There's no night rate and no weekend surcharge. The service answers whenever your divert sends it a call, and uses your separate out-of-hours greeting when you're closed.
Callers get answers, not just a message pad
Because the AI knows your opening hours, the areas you cover and what you do, it can answer routine questions on the spot. Anything it isn't sure about, it passes on rather than guessing.
What you receive after each call
- Caller's name and phone number
- The reason for the call, in a short summary
- Answers to your questions: postcode, company, reference, urgency, whatever you've chosen
- A link to the full written transcript
- Delivered by email, WhatsApp or SMS, to the contacts for that department
Every call also appears in your online call log, whether or not you've opened the notification.
AI answering vs a traditional answering service
Both take your calls and pass the messages on. How they do it, and what you pay, is different.
| Traditional answering service | AI Answerphone | |
|---|---|---|
| Answered by | Call centre staff | AI with natural British voices |
| Pricing | Commonly per call or per minute, sometimes with a monthly minimum | A fixed monthly plan with minutes included |
| Evenings and weekends | Often charged at a higher rate or not covered | Same price, 24/7 |
| Several calls at once | Depends on staff available | Yes |
| What you receive | A typed message | A message, a summary and the full transcript |
| Transfers and bookings | Often available | Not available: it takes the details for you to follow up |
AI answering suits you if…
- Most calls are new enquiries, quotes, booking requests or messages
- You want the same price at 2pm and 2am
- You'd like a written record of every conversation
- You ring people back yourself anyway
A staffed service may suit you better if…
- Callers often need to be put straight through
- Someone must book appointments into your diary during the call
- Calls regularly need judgement on sensitive or unusual matters
For figures, see our AI vs staffed answering service cost comparison. For a fuller explanation of the AI side, read what an AI receptionist does.
Who uses a telephone answering service?
Any business whose phone rings while everyone is busy. Some common examples:
Plumbers, electricians and builders
Quote requests and call-outs taken while you work.
Garages and MOT centres
Service and repair enquiries while the team is in the workshop.
Estate and letting agents
Viewing requests and tenant calls, including after the office shuts.
Salons, barbers and clinics
Booking requests taken while you're with a client.
Solicitors and accountants
New-client enquiries with the details you need to call back.
Removals, cleaning and local services
Enquiries captured while you're out on jobs.
More on how it fits different sectors on our industries page.
Telephone answering service pricing
A fixed monthly price with call minutes included, the same for daytime, evening and weekend calls. No set-up fee and no per-call charges.
Starter
Perfect for sole traders and small businesses
£47/month
350 call minutes included
- AI answers every call 24/7
- 1 department
- 2 voice choices (1 male, 1 female)
- Professional greeting
Growth
For growing businesses with multiple departments
£77/month
750 call minutes included
- Everything in Starter, plus:
- Up to 3 departments with auto-detection
- 6 voice choices (3 male, 3 female)
- Per-department data collection
Pro
Maximum flexibility for larger businesses
£97/month
1,250 call minutes included
- Everything in Growth, plus:
- Up to 10 departments
- All 8 voice choices
- 10 email notification contacts
No set-up fee, no contract, cancel any time. Compare every plan feature or see how the cost compares with a staffed answering service.
Telephone answering service questions
Related services
The same AI Answerphone service, from a different angle.
Stop losing calls to voicemail
Divert the calls you can't take and every one is answered, written up and sent to you. Fixed monthly price, no contract.
Our own line is answered by AI Answerphone, so calling it is the quickest demo. Prefer to talk it through? Get in touch.