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

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

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

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.

How do I know which plan size to choose?

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.

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

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.

Can I upgrade or downgrade my subscription anytime?

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.

How do I pay for my services?

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.

Is the live call answering free trial really free?

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.

Do I receive a local telephone number with my subscription?

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.

We already have a phone number. Does that matter?

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.

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

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.

A 24/7 plumber answering service that’s always on

Contact us

Free trial

From taking messages and answering basic customer queries, to triaging calls as urgent or non-urgent and ensuring callout fees are accepted before you’re disturbed after-hours, we have the solution you need in a plumber answering service.

Request a call back

Call answering free trial

Plumber helping a customer while he uses a call answering service for plumbing companies

Ensure customers can speak to someone at any hour, without being needlessly disturbed during the night

24/7 answering service

After-hours, weekends and public holidays … we answer every call so you never miss a booking.

NZ receptionists

Calls are answered by professionals in New Zealand or Australia, with overflow support during peak periods.

Emergency call-outs

We follow your preferred scripting to determine when it’s an emergency, quoting call-out fees as required.

New job enquiries

Can’t answer the phone when you’re on a job? We capture, qualify and send you leads so you can keep working.

Quote/job scheduling

Appointment bookings, cancellations and general diary management – in the tool of your choice.

Mobile app & portal

Use the app to check messages or change your availability for call transfers when you’re on the go.

How a plumber answering service works

1 Set up within minutes 2 Customer calls you 3 We answer for you 4 We deliver your messages

Set up within minutes

Tell us about your business, your preferred greeting and how you’d like us to interact with your callers. Then simply confirm who should receive messages or, depending on your plan, call transfers when they’re available.

Customer calls you

By forwarding your business phone to the unique number we provide, we’ll know when an incoming call is for you. You’ll have flexibility to send all calls to us or only unanswered calls.

We answer for you

Our friendly and professional receptionists will answer your business calls with your preferred greeting, 24/7 if you wish. Depending on your plan, we can take messages, transfer selected calls, answer FAQs, submit leads into your CRM, take orders, process payments, schedule your appointments and more.

We deliver your messages

After each call you’ll immediately receive a message by email, SMS or both (as chosen by you) including details such as the caller’s name, phone number and, of course, the reason for their call.

Compare solutions

Job scheduling handled for you

We’ll use your preferred tool to schedule quotes or jobs and manage your calendar.

Other software we use

Our call answering solutions

Caller greeting

List staff or departments

Collect information from callers

Warm call transfers

Advise business hours/location

Answer common questions

Scripted questions & responses

Quote fees & take payments

CRM input or submit online forms

Escalation management

Outbound calling

Appointment scheduling

Diary management

Start a free trial

MyReceptionist

From $20 per month*

See pricing

Fully customised

Unlimited contacts

5 details

Enquire now

MessageExpress

From $19 per month*

See pricing

Personalised

1 person or team

3 details

Enquire now

MyAssistant

From $49 per month*

See pricing

Fully customised

Unlimited contacts

Unlimited

Enquire now

MyDiary

From $49 per month*

See pricing

Fully customised

Unlimited contacts

Unlimited

Enquire now

* Plus GST. Refer to Terms & Conditions.

Our call answering solutions

Compare Plans

Caller greeting

List staff or departments

Collect information from callers

Warm call transfers

Advise business hours/location

Answer common questions

Scripted questions & responses

Quote fees & take payments

CRM input or submit online forms

Outbound calling

Appointment scheduling

Diary management

Start a free trial

MyReceptionist

From $20 per month*

See pricing

Inclusions

Fully customised greeting
Unlimited contacts/departments
5 details requested
Warm call transfers
Advise business hours and location
Answer common questions

Enquire now

MessageExpress

From $19 per month*

See pricing

Inclusions

Personalised greeting
Single contact/department
3 details collected

Enquire now

MyAssistant

From $49 per month*

See pricing

Inclusions

Fully customised greeting
Unlimited contacts/departments
Unlimited details taken
Advise business hours and location
Answer common questions
Scripted questions and responses
Quote fees and take payments
CRM input or submit online forms
Outbound calling

Enquire now

MyDiary

From $49 per month*

See pricing

Inclusions

Fully customised greeting
Unlimited contacts/departments
Unlimited details taken
Warm call transfers
Advise business hours and location
Answer common questions
Scripted questions and responses
Quote fees and take payments
CRM input or submit online forms
Outbound calling
Appointment scheduling
Diary management

Enquire now

* Plus GST. Refer to Terms & Conditions.

Your tools are our tools

Stop leaking opportunities and become flush with success

Many plumbers struggle with answering the phone while working on the tools. It's not always possible when you're dealing with a burst pipe or knee-deep unblocking a drain!

But missing calls can quickly lead to lost opportunities. There's nothing more frustrating to customers than a phone ringing out or going to voicemail. Often they'll simply phone your competitors instead.

Our plumber answering service puts a team of remote-working receptionists on your calls, answering basic questions about your services, determining the level of urgency, taking accurate messages or, when it's an after-hours emergency, having customers accept call-out fees before disturbing you.

Enquire now

Try our 7-day free trial

Complementary business solutions

Phone numbers

Set up virtual inbound numbers for different locations or, if you require a national presence, a toll-free 0800 number.

Find out more

Automated messaging

Have voicemails instantly emailed to you both for convenience and to ensure no important communications are ever missed.

Find out more

What our customers love

What our
customers love

Such an excellent and cost effective service, especially for small businesses. Everything was so easy to set up and turn on or off. All messages were clear with correct notes.

Sonia Sutherland

It was a seamless experience and the voicemail system worked exactly as advertised.

Daniel Murphy

Great service, easy to work with. They're always there to help if you have questions.

Go With The Flow

Read all testimonials

FAQs

Why should I get a live call answering service?

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.

Where is ReceptionHQ based?

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

Can you prevent me from missing calls?

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.

Are you able to answer just some of our calls?

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!

How do I forward my calls to ReceptionHQ?

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.

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

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.

Are all calls answered locally?

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 10 seconds, on average.

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

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.

Is there a contract or lengthy agreement?

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.

Find out more

Have questions? Please fill in your details and we'll be in touch.

Find out more

Have questions? Please fill in your details and we'll be in touch.

Want to try our call answering services for free?

Put New Zealand's leading virtual receptionist solution to the test! We're ready to answer your phone FREE for 7 days.

Start your free trial

Want to try our call answering services for free?

Put New Zealand's leading virtual receptionist solution to the test! We're ready to answer your phone FREE for 7 days.

Start your free trial

What does the free trial include?

Our free trial is based on our MyReceptionist service, with professional receptionists able to take messages and transfer calls based on your availability settings.