Answering service FAQ

A trained receptionist, on every call, at every hour. We don't operate an AI voice agent and we don't hand calls to one when volume is high. Software writes the call summary afterwards and keeps your records searchable; it never speaks to your caller.

Not unless they ask directly, in which case we tell them the truth. We answer with your greeting and your company name and follow your script, so the call sounds like your business.

Yes, and writing it is the main part of setup. It covers your greeting, the questions you want asked, your definition of urgent, and the things nobody says on your behalf. You approve it before any call runs on it and can change it any day.

Both are answered. You're buying answered calls from a staffed shift, not one person's time, so there's no queue behind a single receptionist.

Yes, under rules you set — a named caller, a keyword, a time of day, an emergency by your own definition. Transfers are live, with the caller introduced so you don't start the conversation from zero.

Yes, into your calendar and against your rules: appointment type, duration, buffers, bookable hours and how far ahead. The appointment is confirmed with the caller before the call ends.

No, on any account. If a caller starts reading out card or bank details, the receptionist stops them and redirects.

Plans start at $49 a month. Essential is $119 for 25 calls, Business is $209 for 50 calls, and it goes up to $649 for 200 calls. Above that, or for more involved work, it's Custom Operations.

No: one answered call = one billable call, whatever we do on it. A six-minute call and a ninety-second call cost the same, which makes your bill predictable and means a good conversation isn't a line item.

An answered call where we do something for you: take a message, book, transfer, screen or escalate. Several actions in one conversation is still one call.

Spam calls, hang-ups under ten seconds and calls abandoned before we answer. A caller who rings back is a second call; a connected transfer is part of the original one.

Extra calls are charged individually at your plan's rate — $4.50 on Business, less on higher plans. Going over doesn't automatically move you to a bigger plan.

No. A call in Spanish is billed exactly like a call in English. There's no bilingual surcharge and no separate Spanish plan.

No. There is no night rate, weekend rate or holiday surcharge. The whole point of round-the-clock cover is that it doesn't punish you for the hours your customers call.

No, for a standard setup: one number, one script, one forwarding arrangement.

About three business days. A twenty-minute intake call, a script you review and approve, and a call forward your carrier configures in minutes. Nothing is installed.

No. Your number stays yours and you forward it to us. You can switch the forwarding off yourself at any time.

Yes, and it's the most common setup. Your phone rings first and only forwards after the number of rings you choose, so you pay only for the calls you'd otherwise have lost.

Yes, in 21 metro areas and most US area codes. Or we answer the number you already publish. Where we answer.

Plans run month to month and can be changed by email. The free first month offer is the one thing that carries a commitment: 12-month agreement, card on file at signup, overage billed from month one, no setup fee.

In writing, by email. There's no retention call to get through and nothing to unwind — an answering service holds your script, not your data. Your call history exports to CSV on the way out.

Several US answering services offer Spanish, usually by transferring the caller to a separate Spanish line or a daytime shift. CloudSecretary answers English and Spanish on the same number with the same receptionist, on every shift, with no menu and no transfer.

Yes. Bilingual virtual reception means the receptionist does the full job — screening, booking, transferring — in either language, not just message taking. CloudSecretary includes it on every plan at no extra cost.

The same thing that happens at 2 p.m.: it's answered in Spanish by the receptionist who picks up. Both languages are covered on every shift, so there's no separate Spanish queue to be short-staffed overnight.

Yes, 24/7/365, with the same team working from the same script and urgency rules at 3 a.m. as at 3 p.m. It's worth asking every provider whether their overnight shift has your script — it's the most common weak point in this industry.