Answered in English and Spanish
AssistBPO's bilingual answering service gives your Spanish-speaking and English-speaking callers the same named receptionist, the same greeting and the same booking in your system. Spanish and English staffing is available on request and confirmed during the 72-hour match, not assumed; French for Canadian callers is handled the same way, with a trained backup on every line.
- Front desk & phones
- Employed, screened, managed
What is a bilingual answering service?
A bilingual answering service is live phone coverage by receptionists who speak two languages, most often English and Spanish, so callers are greeted, helped and booked in the language they prefer without a transfer or a translation line. Messages go to the business in English with the caller's language noted. AssistBPO offers it on request, with staffing confirmed first.
Β· Reviewed by Issabela Masters
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Bilingual answering: what we do and how it runs
A bilingual answering service is live phone coverage by receptionists who speak two languages, most often English and Spanish, so callers are greeted, helped and booked in the language they prefer without a transfer or a translation line. Messages go to the business in English with the caller's language noted. AssistBPO offers it on request, with staffing confirmed first.
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What it is
A bilingual answering service is live phone coverage by receptionists who speak two languages, most often English and Spanish, so callers are greeted, helped and booked in the language they prefer without a transfer or a translation line. Messages go to the business in English with the caller's language noted. AssistBPO offers it on request, with staffing confirmed first.
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What you get
English and Spanish callers answered by one receptionist, in your company name
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How it runs
Bilingual staffing confirmed at the match stage, not promised on a pricing page
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Match
The discovery call covers the share of your calls in Spanish or French, the hours they arrive and what those callers usually need. We then confirm bilingual staffing for your hours before proposing anyone; if we can confirm it, a named bilingual receptionist and backup are proposed within 72 hours, and if we cannot, we say so plainly.
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A named assistant, a backup and a team lead
In your hours, inside your tools, with a reply from a person within 1 business day. Call +1-657-777-0006 or ask for a staffing plan.
Get a staffing plan 06 / 06
Who is the bilingual answering desk for?
- Trades and construction companies
- Crews, suppliers and customers who call in Spanish get answered in Spanish, with the job, address and access notes recorded in English for your team.
- Clinics, dental and home-care practices
- Spanish-speaking patients book, reschedule and ask about paperwork with a HIPAA-trained receptionist under a BAA, in their own language.
- Property managers and landlords
- Tenant calls about repairs, rent and notices handled in Spanish or English and logged in Buildium or AppFolio the same way.
- Law firms and insurance agencies
- Intake and claims calls in Spanish captured with the same script and fields as English calls, and flagged for a bilingual lawyer or agent if needed.
What does the bilingual answering service include?
These 12 tasks are what AssistBPO's bilingual answering desk handles as standard for a business that lives on its phones.
- Live answering in English and Spanish under one greeting
- Language preference noted on the caller's record for next time
- Your scripts, FAQs and booking rules translated and approved by you
- Appointments and jobs booked in your system in either language
- Messages delivered to you in English with the caller's language flagged
- Warm transfer to a bilingual member of your team where one exists
- Callbacks and confirmations in the caller's language, with lawful consent
- Voicemail cleared in both languages each morning
- French answering for Canadian callers, available on request
- Admin between calls: translating short customer notices or forms
- End-of-day report showing calls by language and outcome
- Monthly QA scorecard on accuracy in both languages
Deliverables and KPIs
AssistBPO reports 6 measures on the bilingual answering desk: what lands on your desk, what we count, and how often you see the number.
| Deliverable | KPI we report | Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Calls answered in the caller's language | Share of Spanish-language calls handled without transfer | Daily |
| Bookings in either language | Bookings made, fields complete in English | Daily |
| Messages delivered | Accuracy of translated messages on audit | Per call |
| Language mix report | Calls by language, hour and reason | Weekly review |
| Translated scripts kept current | Script changes mirrored in both languages within the week | Weekly |
| QA scorecard | Greeting, accuracy, tone in both languages | Monthly |
KPIs are what we measure and report, agreed per engagement in the weekly review. Service-level commitments are set in your agreement, not on this page.
How does the bilingual answering desk work?
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Match
The discovery call covers the share of your calls in Spanish or French, the hours they arrive and what those callers usually need. We then confirm bilingual staffing for your hours before proposing anyone; if we can confirm it, a named bilingual receptionist and backup are proposed within 72 hours, and if we cannot, we say so plainly.
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Onboard
Your greeting, FAQ sheet, booking rules and message templates are translated by the receptionist and approved by you or a bilingual member of your team. The softphone connects to your existing line, and test calls run in both languages so you hear exactly what a Spanish-speaking caller will hear.
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Daily rhythm
The receptionist answers in English, switches on hearing Spanish, books and takes messages in the caller's language and records them in English in your system with the language flagged. The end-of-day report shows calls by language and what was done.
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Weekly review
Twenty minutes with the team lead on the language mix by hour, phrases or questions the translated script did not cover, and coverage for next week. Each month the team lead scores recorded calls in both languages on the QA scorecard, with a bilingual reviewer checking translation accuracy.
Hours, coverage and models
AssistBPO staffs the bilingual answering desk on 4 models. US Eastern to Pacific hours from the group's two offices. Spanish and English, and French for Canada, are available on request and confirmed at the match stage.
- Dedicated bilingual receptionist, 80 or 160 hours a month, subject to staffing confirmation
- Bilingual overflow desk for calls your English-speaking team cannot serve
- Spanish-language callbacks and confirmations as a scheduled block
- After-hours bilingual coverage on request
See what is staffed in your zone on the coverage clock.
What are the terms on the bilingual answering desk?
The card, the contract terms and the bilingual answering desk's own numbers, 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 |
| Evening, weekend or overnight cover | Tier rate plus 20 percent |
| Desk | Front desk & phones |
| Standard schedule | Dedicated bilingual receptionist, 80 or 160 hours a month, subject to staffing confirmation |
| Coverage | US Eastern to Pacific hours from the group's two offices. |
| Tools | 10 platforms, including RingCentral, Dialpad, Aircall |
| KPIs reported | 6 measures: daily, weekly, monthly |
| 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 carries the other currencies, the add-ons and the six things that move a plan off it.
How much does bilingual answering cost?
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
- Hours a week and whether the desk is dedicated or shared
- Phones: live answering needs a receptionist profile and a backup
- Coverage zone: business hours, after-hours, weekends or 24/7
- Tools and access to set up
- 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 | Per-minute answering plans from about $235 a month for 50 minutes to $1,095 for 500 minutes, with $2.95 to $4.70 a minute overage; per-call plans from about $292 for 30 calls | OnceHub, AIRA and NextPhone pricing roundups, September 2026 |
| United States | In-house receptionist median pay $38,010 a year before benefits; managed remote staff $640 to $2,400 a month full time | BLS Occupational Outlook, May 2025 data; Wishup and Cherry Assistant, 2026 |
| United States | Nearshore Latin American assistants published at $8 to $30 an hour against $7 to $15 typical for offshore managed staff | Wishup, Cherry Assistant and VantaStaff, 2026 |
| Canada | Canada-based assistants C$25 to C$60 an hour; managed offshore plans US$699 to US$899 a month | Virtual Gurus and VantaStaff published pricing, 2026 |
Security and compliance
- Employed, background-checked bilingual receptionists under NDA; no freelance interpreters on your line
- Translated scripts and message templates stored in your shared drive, not on personal devices
- HIPAA-trained staff and a BAA for practices, in both languages
- Managed softphones with MFA; card numbers never taken in any language
- Recording notices delivered in the caller's language where the law requires them
Full control list on the security page and country rules for calls, texts and email on the compliance page. Certifications are listed only when held.
Country rules for this service
AssistBPO makes outbound calls, texts and emails only with lawful consent and do-not-call scrubbing. Assistants never take card numbers. Country rules.
- US: TCPA consent and do-not-call scrubbing for confirmations in any language; recording notices in the caller's language in two-party states
- Canada: CASL consent for French or English messages; Quebec Law 25 privacy notice in French
- US healthcare: HIPAA-trained bilingual staff under a BAA for patient calls
Frequently asked questions
How much does a bilingual answering service cost?
Plans depend on hours, desks and coverage. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day. For orientation, US answering plans are published per minute from about $235 a month for 50 minutes to $1,095 for 500, with $2.95 to $4.70 a minute overage (OnceHub and NextPhone, September 2026); bilingual plans from those providers usually sit at the higher tiers. AssistBPO prices a named receptionist for a block of hours, once bilingual staffing for your hours is confirmed.
Is bilingual answering always available?
No, and we would rather say that than promise it. Spanish and English receptionists, and French for Canadian callers, are available on request. During the discovery call we check the hours you need and confirm whether a bilingual receptionist and a backup can be staffed for them before we propose anyone. If we cannot cover your hours in both languages, we say so and offer an English-only desk with a translation line as a fallback.
How good is the Spanish?
Bilingual receptionists are native or fluent Spanish speakers who also pass the same English and phone assessment as every receptionist. You hear recorded test calls in both languages before go-live, and a bilingual member of your team, or a reviewer we assign, checks the translated scripts. The monthly QA scorecard includes a Spanish-language sample. If your callers use a particular regional vocabulary, tell us in onboarding and it goes on the script.
How do we receive messages from Spanish-language calls?
In English, with the caller's language flagged, unless you ask for both. The receptionist records the caller's name, number, reason and any booking in English in your CRM or by SMS and email, and notes that the caller prefers Spanish so the right person calls back. Where a message includes exact wording that matters, such as a complaint or a legal detail, the original Spanish is included alongside the English.
Can you book appointments and jobs for Spanish-speaking callers?
Yes. The receptionist works inside your calendar or job system, Calendly, ServiceTitan, GoHighLevel, HubSpot or another, and the booking looks identical to one made in English, with the language noted. Confirmations and reminders go out in the caller's language with lawful consent and do-not-call scrubbing, so the customer gets a message they can read and your no-show rate is not inflated by a language gap.
What if a Spanish-speaking caller needs one of our staff who only speaks English?
The receptionist stays on the line and interprets for a short conversation if you allow it, or takes a full message in English so the caller does not have to repeat themselves. If you have a bilingual team member, warm transfers go to them first. The escalation rule is set in onboarding by call type, so intake calls, complaints and billing questions can each be handled differently.
Do you offer French for Canadian callers?
On request, and with the same honesty: we confirm French-speaking staffing for your hours before proposing a receptionist. French coverage follows the same model, with scripts translated and approved, messages delivered in English or French as you choose, and CASL rules applied to any outbound confirmations. Quebec clients should note that Law 25 privacy notices are included in the French script.
Can bilingual coverage run only during certain hours?
Yes. Many clients need Spanish coverage in the morning when crews and suppliers call, or in the evening when families call, rather than all day. A bilingual receptionist can cover those hours while an English-only receptionist covers the rest, or bilingual overflow can take Spanish calls your team cannot serve. The language mix report from the first weeks shows where the demand actually sits.
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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.
Or call +1-657-777-0006 during US, UK or Australian business hours, or hear our demo receptionist.
- A named assistant proposed within 72 hours
- Employed, screened and managed staff, never freelancers
- Your hours, your tools, your data