---
title: "Hire remote receptionist staff"
description: "Hire a remote receptionist to answer calls, book appointments and take messages in your own hours. See the role scope, tools and how we vet staff."
url: https://assistbpo.com/roles/receptionist/
updated: 2026-09-20
publisher: AssistBPO (SS Support Network LLC)
language: en-US
---

# Hire remote receptionist staff

Hire a remote receptionist from AssistBPO and every call to your business is answered by the same named person, in your company name, during your hours. She books appointments in your calendar, transfers warmly, takes messages that make sense and clears the voicemail each morning.

- Front desk & phones
- Employed staff of the group

[Hire a remote receptionist](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=front-desk-phones) [Book a 20-minute call](https://assistbpo.com/book-a-call/) Employed, trained on your scripts, with a backup receptionist and a team lead behind her.

In short

- Calls answered in your name by one named receptionist, not a queue
- Bookings, warm transfers, messages and voicemail clearing in your systems
- Your hours, with an after-hours desk and backup receptionist available

**Desk**
: [Front desk & phones](https://assistbpo.com/services/desks/front-desk-phones/)

**Occupation code**
: 43-4171.00 Receptionists and Information Clerks

**Works in**
: 10 platforms you already run

Updated September 2026 · Reviewed by [Issabela Masters](https://assistbpo.com/team/issabela-masters/)

## What does a remote receptionist do?

An AssistBPO receptionist works a standing brief of 10 duties, and anything on it can be added or dropped in the weekly review.

1. Answer inbound calls in your company name with the greeting you approve
2. Book, confirm and reschedule appointments in your calendar or practice system
3. Warm-transfer callers to the right person with a whispered introduction
4. Take accurate messages and deliver them by email, SMS or CRM note within minutes
5. Screen callers and apply the gatekeeping rules you set
6. Capture new-lead details with every field your CRM needs
7. Make outbound confirmation and reminder calls with lawful consent and do-not-call scrubbing
8. Clear voicemail every morning and work the callback list
9. Answer common questions from an FAQ sheet: hours, location, parking, pricing pages
10. Handle light admin between calls: inbox triage, data entry, follow-up emails

## What skills and tools does a remote receptionist need?

The 7 skills below are the ones AssistBPO screens for, and the receptionist works them inside 10 platforms you already run.

- Clear, friendly speaking voice with an accent matched to your callers
- Calm handling of upset, confused or rushed callers
- Accurate message-taking: names, numbers, reason, urgency
- Softphone and call-routing fluency (hold, transfer, conference, voicemail)
- Calendar and practice-management booking without double-booking
- Quick typing while talking
- Script discipline with the judgment to go off-script when a caller needs it

## Tools this role works in

- [RingCentral](https://assistbpo.com/software/ringcentral/)
- [Dialpad](https://assistbpo.com/software/dialpad/)
- [Aircall](https://assistbpo.com/software/aircall/)
- [Zoom Phone](https://assistbpo.com/software/zoom-phone/)
- [Calendly](https://assistbpo.com/software/calendly/)
- [Acuity Scheduling](https://assistbpo.com/software/acuity-scheduling/)
- [HubSpot](https://assistbpo.com/software/hubspot/)
- [ServiceTitan](https://assistbpo.com/software/servicetitan/)
- [Clio](https://assistbpo.com/software/clio/)
- [Google Workspace](https://assistbpo.com/software/google-workspace/)

[See all 80 tools we work in](https://assistbpo.com/software/)

## A sample day, in your time zone

1. 8:00 Line opens in your time zone: overnight voicemail cleared, four callbacks queued, today's calendar checked for gaps
2. 8:15 First calls: two new-patient bookings, one reschedule, one caller warm-transferred to the office manager
3. 10:00 Reminder calls for tomorrow's appointments, two confirmed, one moved to Thursday
4. 11:30 New lead captured with full contact details and reason for call, logged in HubSpot, owner notified
5. 13:00 Lunch-hour cover: 9 calls answered, 3 messages delivered by SMS within 5 minutes
6. 15:00 Quiet spell used for admin: inbox triaged, 12 records updated in the CRM
7. 16:30 Late cancellation filled from the waitlist; caller who was upset about a wait calmed and rebooked
8. 17:30 End-of-day report: 47 calls, 11 bookings, 6 messages, 2 items waiting on you

Times are illustrative. Your shift is fixed to your opening hours during onboarding.

## Hours and models

Models

- Dedicated receptionist, 160 or 80 hours a month, in your hours
- Shared front desk for lower call volumes, priced per call
- After-hours and weekend desk as an add-on

Coverage

US Eastern through Pacific, UK and Canadian business hours from the group's two offices. Overflow and after-hours coverage layer on top. AEST shifts and bilingual Spanish or French answering on request.

## What are the terms for a remote receptionist?

The card, the contract terms and this role's own schedule and screening, in one place.

| Specification | What you get |
| --- | --- |
| Focus, 20 hours a week | $800 a month, 80 hours |
| Dedicated, 40 hours a week | $1,600 a month, 160 hours |
| Standard schedule | Dedicated receptionist, 160 or 80 hours a month, in your hours |
| Coverage | US Eastern through Pacific, UK and Canadian business hours from the group's two offices. |
| Screening | 5 gates, named candidate within 72 hours |
| Setup fee | None |
| Minimum term | Month to month, no lock-in |
| Notice | 30 days, to stop or to change hours |
| If the fit is wrong | Trained backup covers the desk the same day, re-match at no charge |
| Continuity | One named assistant, one named backup, one team lead |
| Who does the work | Employed by SS Support Network LLC, never freelancers or contractors |

These are rate-card starting points. What you pay depends on the hours, the desk and the coverage window, which is what the staffing plan sets. Rates improve as you add assistants. Your staffing plan states the rate for the number of seats you need. [The rate card](https://assistbpo.com/pricing/) carries the other currencies, the add-ons and the six things that move a plan off it.

## How much does it cost to hire a remote receptionist?

Plans start at $400 a month for 40 hours, at $10 an hour, and rates improve as you add assistants. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day.

### What moves the plan

1. Hours a week and whether the role is dedicated or shared
2. Seniority and the tools involved
3. Coverage zone: business hours, after-hours or 24/7
4. One person or a pod with a lead

### What the market publishes

Other providers' published ranges, by market, so you have something to hold this against. These are not AssistBPO prices.

| Market | Published range | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | In-house receptionist median pay $38,010 a year before benefits; human answering services publish from about $235 a month for 50 minutes to $1,095 for 500 minutes, with per-minute overage of $2.95 to $4.70 | BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2025 data; OnceHub, NextPhone and AIRA pricing roundups, September 2026 |
| United Kingdom | Telephone answering services charge per call or per month plus per-call fees, and dedicated receptionist teams are sold with onboarding fees of about £1,000; employed virtual assistants average £15.33 an hour | Moneypenny published pricing and PayScale UK, 2026 |
| Australia | Onshore virtual receptionists A$39.90 to A$65 an hour; offshore managed reception staff A$8 to A$35 an hour | DotVA, Smart Staffing and Australian VA pricing roundups, 2026 |

[Hire a remote receptionist](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=front-desk-phones) [How we build a plan](https://assistbpo.com/pricing/)

## How are remote receptionists vetted?

5 gates, in order. A candidate who fails one does not reach the next.

1. English and phone assessment
2. Typing and tool tests
3. Background check
4. NDA and security onboarding
5. Shadowing and QA scorecard

Candidates who clear all 5 gates are proposed to you by name within 72 hours.

1. Receptionist candidates take a recorded role-play of eight calls: a new customer, a wrong number, an angry caller, a caller who will not say why they are calling, a medical emergency that must be redirected. We score clarity, warmth, accent neutrality for the target market and how accurately each message was captured.
2. Typing at 45 words a minute while listening to audio, then a softphone practical in RingCentral or Dialpad: answer, place on hold, warm-transfer with an introduction, park, retrieve, leave a voicemail. A booking test follows in Calendly and a practice-management sandbox, scored on double-bookings and missed fields.
3. Identity, employment history and criminal record where lawful are verified by a third-party provider. Receptionists for clinics and law firms get an additional reference call about handling of confidential caller information.
4. Group NDA and your confidentiality terms, then security onboarding: softphone on a managed device with MFA, no local call recordings, card numbers never taken over the phone, recording notices per state and country, and a script for callers who ask for information they are not entitled to.
5. A week listening in on a live front desk, then a week taking calls with a senior receptionist listening. Once live on your line, the team lead scores a monthly sample of recordings for greeting, accuracy, tone, resolution and booking correctness, and you see the QA scorecard in the weekly review.

The full pipeline is on the [how we hire and manage assistants](https://assistbpo.com/how-we-hire/) page. Assistants are employees of the group, never freelancers, and you never co-employ them.

## Services this role delivers

- [Virtual receptionist services](https://assistbpo.com/services/virtual-receptionist/)
- [Phone answering service for small business](https://assistbpo.com/services/phone-answering/)
- [Appointment scheduling service](https://assistbpo.com/services/appointment-scheduling/)
- [After hours answering service](https://assistbpo.com/services/after-hours-answering/)

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does it cost to hire a remote receptionist?

Plans depend on hours, desks and coverage. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day. For a benchmark, the US median for an in-house receptionist is $38,010 a year before benefits (BLS, May 2025 data), and per-minute answering services publish from about $235 a month for 50 minutes up to $1,095 for 500 minutes, with $2.95 to $4.70 a minute overage (OnceHub and NextPhone roundups, September 2026). A dedicated AssistBPO receptionist is priced per person for a block of hours, not per minute, so a busy week does not produce a surprise bill.

### Is it the same person answering every call?

Yes. One named receptionist answers your line during your hours and learns your regulars, your staff and your rules. A backup receptionist trained on the same greeting and scripts covers breaks, sick days and leave, and a team lead listens to a sample of calls every month. Callers hear a consistent voice, which is the whole point of a receptionist rather than a call center.

### What hours will the receptionist cover?

Your opening hours, on a fixed shift in your time zone. A 160-hour plan covers a full 8-hour front desk five days a week; an 80-hour plan suits a half-day desk or lunch and peak cover. Evenings, weekends and holidays are handled by the after-hours desk as an add-on, with an escalation tree for anything urgent. US, UK and Canadian hours are standard, and AEST shifts are available on request.

### How are receptionists vetted?

Every receptionist passes a recorded eight-call role-play, a typing-while-listening test and a softphone and booking practical, a third-party background check, an NDA with phone-specific security onboarding, and two weeks of shadowing on a live desk before taking your calls alone. After go-live the team lead scores recordings on a monthly QA scorecard, and any receptionist who slips below standard is coached or replaced from within the team.

### Is the receptionist an employee or a contractor?

An employee of the group. Receptionists are on our payroll, trained in our offices, managed by our team leads and covered by our HR and security policies. You direct the scripts and hours; you never co-employ, contract or run payroll. This also means the same person is on your line next month, because they have a job, a backup and a manager rather than a gig that ends when something better appears.

### Will callers know the receptionist is remote?

Callers hear your company name, your greeting, your hold music if you have it and a person who knows your hours, services and staff by name. We match accent and pace to your caller base during the 72-hour match. Transfers are warm, with a short introduction, so the caller never has to repeat themselves. Most clients report callers assume the receptionist sits in the office.

### Can we keep our phone number and phone system?

Yes. We connect a softphone to your existing number through your provider, whether that is RingCentral, Dialpad, Aircall, Zoom Phone or a traditional line forwarded to a number we provision. Nothing changes on your website or business cards. Call flows, ring groups and voicemail rules are set up with you during onboarding and tested with real calls before the first live day.

### What does the receptionist do when the phone is quiet?

Admin you assign. Between calls the receptionist clears the inbox you nominate, updates CRM records, sends follow-up emails, processes forms and prepares tomorrow's confirmation list. Calls always take priority, and the softphone rings through whatever else is open. The end-of-day report lists both the calls handled and the admin completed, so the quiet hours are visible and useful rather than billed and wasted.

## Related roles

Front desk & phones
### Intake specialist

Dedicated intake specialist - Warm, structured phone manner that puts anxious callers at ease
- Script discipline with judgment on when to slow down or escalate
- Accurate capture of names, dates, facts and the caller's own words

Works in Hire a remote intake specialist

[Intake specialist](https://assistbpo.com/roles/intake-specialist/)

Front desk & phones
### Medical scheduler

Dedicated medical scheduler - Practice management system fluency and clean scheduling habits
- Knowledge of visit types, durations and provider preferences
- Warm, patient phone manner with anxious or elderly callers

Works in Hire a remote medical scheduler

[Medical scheduler](https://assistbpo.com/roles/medical-scheduler/)

Customer support
### Customer service representative

Dedicated customer service representative - Patient, clear phone manner with de-escalation habits
- Plain written English for email and ticket replies
- Fast navigation of order, billing and account systems

Works in Hire a remote customer service representative

[Customer service representative](https://assistbpo.com/roles/customer-service-representative/)

Front desk & phones
### Dispatcher

Dedicated dispatcher - Fast, calm decision-making under a live board
- Geographic sense and routing logic for your service area
- Clear radio-style communication with field staff and courteous calls with customers

Works in Hire a remote dispatcher

[Dispatcher](https://assistbpo.com/roles/dispatcher/)

Hire this role

Tell us the hours and tools. A named receptionist is proposed within 72 hours.

[Hire a remote receptionist](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=front-desk-phones)[Book a 20-minute call](https://assistbpo.com/book-a-call/) Read before you hire

- [Virtual assistant vs answering service vs AI receptionist: which one fits your phones?](https://assistbpo.com/resources/virtual-assistant-vs-answering-service-vs-ai-receptionist-which-one-fits-your-ph/)
- [How to write a phone script your receptionist can actually use (10 industry templates)](https://assistbpo.com/resources/how-to-write-a-phone-script-your-receptionist-can-actually-use-10-industry-templ/)
- [All guides](https://assistbpo.com/resources/)

Not a job listing

This page describes the role we deliver to clients. Looking to work with us? See [careers](https://assistbpo.com/careers/).

Next step

## Your desk, staffed. Wherever you are.

Tell us what is overloaded. A named person replies within 1 business day with a staffing plan, and we propose your assistant within 72 hours.

[Hire a remote receptionist](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=front-desk-phones) [Book a 20-minute call](https://assistbpo.com/book-a-call/) Or call [+1-657-777-0006](tel:+16577770006) during US, UK or Australian business hours, or [hear our demo receptionist](https://assistbpo.com/demo-line/).

- A named assistant proposed within 72 hours
- Employed, screened and managed staff, never freelancers
- Your hours, your tools, your data

---

Source: https://assistbpo.com/roles/receptionist/ · Contact: https://assistbpo.com/contact/ · Full site map for agents: https://assistbpo.com/llms.txt