Reference
Glossary
- AI receptionist
- Software that answers business phone calls with a synthetic voice, answers questions, takes messages, books appointments or transfers calls.
- Live answering service / virtual receptionist
- Human receptionists working remotely who answer calls on your behalf. Some now use AI assistance behind the scenes.
- Hybrid (AI with live backup)
- AI answers first and can hand a call to a human agent employed by the vendor.
- Warm transfer
- The receptionist briefs the person receiving the transfer before connecting the caller. A blind transfer connects without a briefing.
- Overflow answering
- The service only answers when your own staff do not pick up within a set number of rings or when lines are busy.
- After-hours answering
- The service only answers outside your business hours.
- Included allowance
- The calls, minutes or unique callers a plan covers each month for its base price.
- Overage
- The price per extra call, minute or caller once the allowance is used up. Not every vendor publishes it.
- Receptionist minute
- A billing unit for live services. Some vendors count only talk time; others include time spent on tasks for your account.
- Unique caller
- One phone number counted once per month regardless of how many times it calls (used by Goodcall).
- Intake
- Structured questions asked of a new caller (for example, a prospective client) to qualify and route them.
- Conflict check
- In legal practice, checking a prospective client against existing clients and adverse parties before taking on a matter.
- BAA (Business Associate Agreement)
- A contract required under HIPAA when a vendor handles protected health information for a covered entity.
- Call forwarding vs porting
- Forwarding sends calls from your existing number to the service. Porting moves the number itself to the provider.
- Speed to lead
- How quickly a new inquiry gets a response; a common reason businesses add 24/7 answering.
Last updated Oct 21, 2026. Found an error? Tell us and we will correct it.