Question 1

Why should I get a live call answering service?

Accepted Answer

Many callers hang up when their call goes to voicemail, so you can miss out on vital conversations or leads.  Ensuring your calls are answered by a live person, increases customer satisfaction, builds loyalty and improves your opportunity to create a rapport and obtain caller details.

Live call answering also allows you to screen calls, as you can advise your receptionist to transfer or take messages for only those call types you wish to receive.  Once answered, you can see each message as it's taken and prioritise who you will call back first.

Live call answering increases revenue through better customer connections, reduces costs as you're not paying for a full time receptionist and helps you to be more efficient with your time.

Question 2

Where is ReceptionHQ based?

Accepted Answer

ReceptionHQ is based in Auckland and is a subsidiary of OfficeHQ, a global virtual reception company headquartered in Australia.

Question 3

Can you prevent me from missing calls?

Accepted Answer

Yes, our receptionist can answer calls you'd usually miss.  You may be on another call or simply unable to answer because you're busy at the time. Our receptionists will take a detailed message and send to you instantly by email or SMS. Many clients who subscribe to our service are surprised when they learn how many calls they'd been missing prior to having their calls answered by ReceptionHQ.

Question 4

Are you able to answer just some of our calls?

Accepted Answer

Yes. This is referred to as "call overflow".
A lot of companies require their phone calls to be answered only when they are unable to take the call themselves. For example, if you step out of the office for an hour or your in-house receptionist goes to lunch, is on leave or is busy on another call and you have multiple calls coming in at the one time.
You can set your business phone number to divert (to the unique local phone number we allocate your business during the Free Trial setup process) only when the phone rings for more than a specified period (such as after 5 rings) or if your line is busy/engaged.
In such instances our receptionists will then answer the phone as if we were in your office. You're always in control and can relax knowing you will never miss another important call again!

Question 5

How do I forward my calls to ReceptionHQ?

Accepted Answer

Forwarding your business phone calls to ReceptionHQ is easy.  To have our team of virtual receptionists answer your calls, simply:

Decide whether you wish to forward calls immediately to ReceptionHQ (the best solution for most businesses) or have delayed call forwarding.

Identify the call forwarding codes for your telecommunications provider.  Most providers publish these codes on their websites.

Use the codes to enable call forwarding to the local or toll-free number you choose to have allocated to you (aka your Assigned DID).

For more information, including collated instructions for various telecommunications providers, check out our article Forwarding calls to ReceptionHQ’s virtual receptionists.

Question 6

Do you offer a 24/7 live call answering service?

Accepted Answer

Yes.  Our receptionists are available 24/7 and you can opt-in to receive after hours live call answering on any ReceptionHQ subscription.

Without after-hours call answering turned on, our receptionists will answer your calls between 8:00am and 6:00pm on weekdays.  Outside of these standard business hours, calls will then go to voicemail and your voicemail message recordings will be emailed to you.

If you need after-hours call answering, please let us know when you sign up or contact us.

Question 7

Are all calls answered locally?

Accepted Answer

Yes – if you’re on a MyAssistant or MyDiary plan, all calls are answered within New Zealand or Australia. For MessageExpress and MyReceptionist plans, the majority of calls are answered within New Zealand or Australia, with overflow support available from our global offices, e.g. in the UK and the US, during unforeseen peaks in call volumes.

This enables us to ensure your calls are always answered as fast as possible, reducing the risk of call abandonment. We know Average Speed of Answer (ASA) is very important to our clients and one of our key differentiators is that we’re able to answer calls in under 15 seconds, on average.

We hold ourselves to a higher standard than most of our competitors and we’re one of the few answering service companies with a global presence, coupled with enterprise-grade call answering software. This combination enables us to provide seamless global call routing capability for your benefit.

Our local staffing levels are always intended to cover the expected call volumes, however on occasions when no local receptionist is available to answer within an acceptable timeframe the call will be routed to an equally skilled receptionist in one of our global offices. Rest assured, these are also highly-trained professionals, who are held to the same excellent quality standards.

Question 8

Can I sign-up for short-term call answering, eg. a day, week or month?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you are able to use our service for an hour, a day, a week, whenever you need our assistance. Many clients use our live call answering for short-term needs, for example, when their own in-house receptionist is at lunch, sick or on annual leave. Some clients use the service during their busy periods only, as call overflow or for campaigns. Our live call answering service is like having a casual receptionist who is always available. It’s reliable and risk-free, as you only pay for what you use.

If you prefer to use our service seasonally, you can take advantage of our pause package.

Question 9

Is there a contract or lengthy agreement?

Accepted Answer

ReceptionHQ offers a month-to-month agreement, which can be cancelled by giving us at least three days’ notice prior to your monthly renewal date.

Question 10

Can I sign up for a live call answering service only?

Accepted Answer

Yes.  You can subscribe just to live call answering plan or you can bundle with a phone number, IVR or voicemail to email service.

Question 11

When can I start using the call answering service and how long does it take to set up?

Accepted Answer

Set up can take as little as a few minutes.  For a MessageExpress or MyReceptionist service, you can start using the service almost instantly. Simply set up an account yourself, using the free trial webform or have our customer service team do this for you.  Either way, it only takes a few minutes to get started.  Once your account is set up, you simply need to forward your phone line to us and we'll start answering your calls.

If you're interested in a MyAssistant or MyDiary plan, a short setup may be required, depending on complexity, to train our receptionists on your preferred software, business information or webforms.  Please contact us to find out more.

Question 12

How do I know which plan size to choose?

Accepted Answer

If you start with the virtual reception free trial, it gives you an opportunity to understand what call volume or duration you should select ongoing.  Once you've selected your plan, you can upgrade or downgrade at any time without penalty.  To help give you confidence you are on the correct plan, you will be provided with an online client portal and mobile application, which allows you to track your usage in real time. You'll be able to see every incoming call by day and time, the messages received, where they were sent and whether any calls were transferred.

Question 13

Can I cancel my service at any time with no fees?

Accepted Answer

Yes.  We don't have a minimum contract term and you may cancel your service at any time without penalty.  We simply ask for you to let us know three days prior to your billing renewal date.  If you want to keep your account available, but stop using it for a while, we also have a pause option.  Just speak to our friendly team for more information.

Question 14

Can I upgrade or downgrade my subscription anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you have the flexibility to upgrade or downgrade at any time to a more suitable subscription that meets your requirements and budget.  For example, you can change the number of calls being answered by ReceptionHQ or you can change the type of package you have subscribed to.  There's no cost to change plans.  We want you to feel comfortable you are on the right plan for your usage.

Question 15

How do I pay for my services?

Accepted Answer

Our services are paid for in advance, with the preferred method of payment being direct debit via credit card (AMEX, Mastercard and Visa).  All invoices are sent to your nominated email address, as well as made available to be viewed or printed from your online client portal.  For large clients, we also offer EFT payment methods on request.

Question 16

Is the live call answering free trial really free?

Accepted Answer

The live call answering free trial is based on the MyReceptionist service and is completely free.  We don't require a credit card and it can be cancelled at any time.  When you sign up for a free trial, you'll be allocated a local phone number to divert your calls to as well as gain instant access to a client portal and mobile application to manage your service.  At the end of the trial, you can simply add a credit card to continue, or stop using the service if you'd rather not continue with the service.  There is no obligation at all.

Question 17

Do I receive a local telephone number with my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we allocate an exclusive phone number to each client so our receptionists know which business the incoming call is for.  If you have an existing phone number, simply forward your calls to the number we provide.  Through your telephone provider you have the option to forward all calls, or have calls only come to us when you're busy or there's no answer.  We'll answer as many or as few calls as you need.

Question 18

We already have a phone number. Does that matter?

Accepted Answer

No.  If you have a toll-free 0800 number, you can request to port it across to ReceptionHQ to save costs.  If you already have a local number, simply forward calls from your existing phone number to the unique number we provide.  We can work with any existing scenario, just ask.

Question 19

Can I set up additional local or national numbers with my service?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in addition to your free local number, you can add one or more additional business numbers, to give the impression you have localised coverage.  We have phone numbers available in regions across New Zealand. 
Alternatively, if you'd like to give the appearance your business operates nationally, you can add a national toll-free 0800 number to your service at any time.  Depending on availablity, most phone numbers can be set up for you instantly.  Please contact us for more details.

Building, construction & trades answering service

With support for your clients 24/7, your business is always open with a trades call answering service

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On site doesn’t mean unreachable

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