Nowadays lots of smaller trades are learning that they don't need to pay a full time receptionist to answer their calls and are instead outsourcing lots or all of their inbound calls. One of the hardest aspects for many to understand is how the phone handling service actually fits into their daily running of the company. The answer is straightforwardly but the real barrier can just be getting set-up in the first place.

The bulk of trades using a telephone handling service choose to divert their calls to the service. Call handling services will usually provide each client a exclusive telephone number that they divert to, in this way the operators are able to identify which company is using the service and answer accordingly. By diverting phonecalls to this exclusive number instead of giving the number out directly means that the small company is permanently in command of the phonecalls coming in. The small business may choose to divert all calls, calls when their line is busy or simply divert when they wish- for instance during meetings.

The practice of diverting phonecalls in most cases is quite simple and more often than not only calls for the client to input a brief code into their phone followed by their exclusive virtual PA telephone number. In this way if a caller of the small company calls they still call the same number they always would have done, the phonecall is then diverted at the small companies end to the phone handling service, this is all done immediately and the customer should never know that the phonecall has been diverted.

Not all trades decide to divert their phonecalls, many actually give their exclusive virtual PA number out direct to clients. This way is especially widespread with lots of dot.com trades that may sometimes be nothing more than a solitary man or woman running their company from home in their spare-time, indeed lots could have another 9 to 5 job. In this circumstance the operators are normally instructed to advise callers that callbacks will not be until after normal working hours.

When the caller comes through to the inbound call handling service the Virtual PA is steered on screen on how to deal with the phonecall. She/he will respond to the customer as guided by the small company and forward a message by email, SMS or by fax. Alternatively many trades use their operator as if he or she were an in-office receptionist and if appropriate transfer phonecalls through to their direct dial line or mobilephone.

Whatever way the operator handles with the client be they take a message or transfer the phonecall through, the correct impression of a larger, better company is given to the customer calling.