Call handling is the way your business manages incoming and outgoing calls, from first greeting right through to resolution. A professional call handling service manages those calls on your behalf so every caller feels heard, helped and looked after.
Whether you’re a solo founder or a large organisation, the way you answer the phone shapes how customers see your brand. Great call handling turns enquiries into loyal clients, protects your team from constant interruptions and ensures you never miss an important opportunity.
At its simplest, call handling is the management of telephone calls for you or your business. Depending on the support you need, this can include inbound calls, outbound calls or a mix of both, handled either by your own team or by a specialist outsourced provider like Moneypenny.
The most common form of outbound call handling is an outbound call centre or specialist team that makes calls on behalf of a business, charity or individual client.
Companies typically use outbound call handling services for tasks such as:
Outbound teams work to agreed scripts and goals, so you can scale activity up or down as campaigns change without constantly hiring and training short term staff.
Inbound call handling covers the different ways you answer and manage calls coming into the business. This is often where first impressions are made or lost.
The main inbound call handling models include:
Message taking service or call centre A team of operators answers calls, takes short messages and passes details on to you. Your caller will speak to whomever is available next, which can work for very simple enquiries but is less personal and cannot usually handle detailed questions.
Telephone answering service A more personalised option, where a dedicated receptionist or small team answers calls in your business name, gets to know you and your processes, captures detailed information, routes calls to the right people, filters out unwanted sales calls and creates the impression of a larger, more professional business. This is what Moneypenny is best known for.
Outsourced switchboard A specialist team manages high volumes of calls and routes them efficiently across complex organisations. This is ideal for multi site companies, professional services firms or businesses with a lot of departments and extensions.
Most companies use inbound call handling services for similar reasons:
Handled well, call handling becomes an extension of your brand and a powerful way to protect revenue, reputation and relationships.
Many businesses reach a tipping point where managing calls in house starts to hurt productivity and customer experience. Outsourced call handling gives you expert people and clever technology without the overhead of hiring, training and managing a full team yourself.
Crucially, outsourcing does not mean losing control. With Moneypenny, for example, you choose how calls are answered, which calls are transferred and how messages are delivered, so the service always fits your internal processes.
Not every call is the same. A quick message from a delivery driver is very different from a new client enquiry, an emergency support call or a sensitive complaint. The best call handling strategy starts by mapping the types of enquiries you receive and how each should be handled.
These are the calls you receive most often. They might include questions about opening hours, pricing, availability or simple account information. A well briefed call handler or virtual receptionist can resolve many of these on the spot or route callers to the right place without friction.
First impressions matter most when someone is ready to buy. Here, call handling needs to be warm, confident and focused on capturing key details so your sales team can follow up quickly. This might include qualifying questions, booking appointments or transferring hot leads straight through to the right person.
These calls often come from existing customers who need help or reassurance. They might relate to technical issues, service failures or urgent requests. Effective enquiry handling will triage these based on urgency, log the issue, manage expectations and pass the enquiry to the correct team with clear notes.
Larger organisations often receive calls that need to be routed quickly across multiple locations or departments. An outsourced switchboard service can manage this efficiently, so callers never feel passed from pillar to post.
For some sectors, calls outside normal office hours are just as important as those you receive at 10am on a Tuesday. In this case you may need a specific out of hours process, escalation routes and clear guidelines for what should be handled live and what can wait until the next working day.
If you would like a deeper dive into the different enquiry handling options and how they work in practice, have a look at The complete guide to a telephone answering service which explores the pros and cons of each approach in more detail.
Customer expectations have shifted. Many people now expect businesses to be available in the evenings, at weekends and even overnight. At the same time, budgets are under pressure and recruitment can be challenging. That is where modern call handling, powered by both people and technology, comes into its own.
To stay competitive, more organisations are extending their availability beyond the traditional 9 to 5. Rather than asking your in house team to cover unsocial hours, you can use 24/7 call handling or overflow support to answer calls whenever they come in.
This is particularly valuable in sectors such as property, trade services, healthcare, legal and financial services, where clients may call at the moment a problem occurs, not just during the working day.
Alongside live receptionists, we are now seeing the growth of intelligent AI powered call handling. An AI voice agent can answer routine calls, follow clear workflows and capture detailed information, all in natural sounding conversation.
When you use an AI voice agent alongside live call handlers, you can:
For many organisations, the sweet spot is a blended model where AI voice agents handle straightforward requests and your live Moneypenny receptionists look after more nuanced, sensitive or high stakes calls. Callers get fast, always available support, and you benefit from a cost effective, scalable setup.
Hiring the right people to answer your phones can be surprisingly hard. The role demands warmth, patience, resilience and the ability to stay calm under pressure. It also requires strong product knowledge and a real feel for your brand voice.
Frontline roles are demanding, and it can be tough to find people who genuinely enjoy them. High staff turnover means constant recruitment and training. That is expensive, time consuming and risks inconsistency in the service your callers receive.
You also need to invest in workplace culture, coaching, technology and support so call handlers can do their best work. For many businesses, that is a lot to take on in house, especially if call handling is not your core focus.
By working with a specialist, you gain access to a team of hand picked receptionists who live and breathe great service, backed by robust training, quality control and state of the art tech. You do not have to recruit, train or retain those people yourself, but you still get the benefit of a consistent, friendly voice on every call.
For organisations with high call volumes or complex call routing, an outsourced switchboard can also relieve pressure on in house teams, ensure calls reach the right person first time and protect your brand reputation at scale.
Moneypenny provides a world leading Telephone Answering Service trusted by thousands of businesses. You will have your own dedicated Moneypenny PA, supported by a small team, who works exactly as if based in your office.
When someone calls your business and you are busy, away from your desk or simply prefer not to be interrupted, the call is diverted seamlessly to Moneypenny. Your PA answers in your business name, follows your preferred greeting and either transfers the call or takes a detailed message and sends it straight to you.
The result is a polished, reliable phone presence that makes even the smallest business feel established and professional, while freeing your internal teams to focus on what they do best.
Whether you want to protect every new enquiry, extend your hours or explore how AI can support your customer experience, Moneypenny can design a call handling solution that feels like a natural extension of your team.
Speak to us about live call handling, outsourced switchboard and AI voice agents that protect every opportunity and give your customers the first impression they deserve. Try Moneypenny with a free 7 day trial and see the difference for yourself.
Prefer to talk it through right now Call us on 0333 202 1005 and we will help you choose the right mix of services for your business.
From simple message taking to fully outsourced call handling with AI voice agents, Moneypenny is here to help you build a phone experience that works hard for your business and feels effortless for your customers.
Your own PA to look after calls, qualify leads, book appointments, and lots more.
Discover >Our team of PAs capturing every new enquiry and qualifying them during the call.
Discover >
