An AI receptionist for your business phone
Get a UK number for your business. When it rings, your mobile rings first. If nobody picks up, an AI assistant answers in your words, takes the details and leaves a summary, a transcript and the recording in your call list.
For UK businesses on the Professional plan or above. Raq.com reviews every request before calls are switched on.
Your mobile rings first 14:02:08
Kristin Dawson
+44 1632 960456, main line
- James Cooper's mobile
- Ringing
- Browser phone
- Ringing
25 seconds, no answer
The assistant picks up 14:02:33
Recording notice read, then your greeting.
Reception Good afternoon, Rowley & Richards Plumbing and Heating. How can I help?
Kristin Hi. Our boiler stopped this morning and we've got no hot water.
Reception I'm sorry to hear that. Can I take your name and the address?
Kristin Kristin Dawson, 14 Thistle Road, Lichfield.
A message for you 14:04:41
While you were out
In your call list with the transcript and recording.
What happens when a customer calls
You choose who answers each number: a person first with the assistant as back-up, or the assistant on every call.
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Your phone rings first
Their verified mobile and the browser phone in Raq.com ring together for 25 seconds. You hear which line the call came in on, then your recording notice plays to you both before recording starts, or you say it yourself if your account is set up that way.
- James Cooper's mobile
- Ringing
- Browser phone
- Ringing
- Rings for
- 25 seconds
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The assistant answers if you can't
Leave the ring-first step empty and the assistant answers every call. It reads your recording notice, then your greeting, then follows your instructions.
Reception
This call will be recorded, transcribed and processed by an AI assistant. Please tell me if you do not want to continue.
Good afternoon, Rowley & Richards Plumbing and Heating. How can I help?
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It takes the details or puts them through
Tell it what to collect, such as name, number, address and what the caller needs. When someone asks for a person, it can transfer them to a number you set.
- Name and a callback number
- The address
- What has gone wrong
- When they are in
Asks for a person? Transfers to +44 7700 900123.
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The write-up waits in your call list
Each answered call gets a short summary, a timed transcript and the recording. Add an outcome and a follow-up date, and the call joins your follow-ups list.
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14:02
Kristin Dawson
Answered by your assistant
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11:47
Tom Ashworth
Missed call
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09:15
+44 1632 960112
Answered by James Cooper
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Kristin Dawson
Today at 14:02, 2m 08s
Incoming call on your main line, answered by Reception
Summary
Kristin's boiler stopped this morning and she has no hot water. She is at 14 Thistle Road, Lichfield and is in all day Thursday. She asked for a call back before 5pm.
Transcript
- 0:04 Reception
- Good afternoon, Rowley & Richards Plumbing and Heating. How can I help?
- 0:09 Kristin Dawson
- Hi. Our boiler stopped this morning and we've got no hot water.
- 0:15 Reception
- I'm sorry to hear that. Can I take your name and the address?
Recording
- Outcome
- Call back requested
- Follow up on
- Thursday 12 November
- Your notes
- Bring a Worcester diverter valve.
Set a follow-up date and the call joins your follow-ups list. Mark a call private and only you can see it.
Tell it how your business works
Each assistant has a name, the first thing it says and a set of instructions written in plain English. Say what to ask for, what not to discuss and when to put someone through. Give different numbers different assistants if you need them.
It doesn't read your website or your diary, so put anything it should know in the instructions: opening times, the areas you cover, how quickly you call back.
- Name
- Reception
- First thing it says
- Good morning, Rowley & Richards Plumbing and Heating. How can I help?
- What it does on calls
- Answer as our receptionist. Take the caller's name, number, address and what has gone wrong, and ask if it's urgent. We cover Lichfield and 15 miles around it. Don't give prices. Say James will call back today.
- Language
- English (UK)
- Transfer to
- +44 7700 900123
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Your greeting, your instructions
Write the first thing it says and what it does on calls, in plain English.
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Missed calls and follow-ups
The call list keeps missed calls, calls with a follow-up date and pinned calls in their own views.
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Every call recorded
Every call starts with your recording notice. Recordings and timed transcripts sit with the call and are deleted after your retention period.
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Shared with your team
Calls show in the team call list, or mark one private so only you see it.
Limits agreed before the first call
Phone lines cost money by the minute, so every account has limits on how much it can call. You see them all on the Controls page.
- Calls and minutes a day
- Agreed when your request is approved, from the minutes you expect each month. New accounts start at 20 calls and 60 minutes a day.
- Calls at once and the longest call
- One call at a time and 10 minutes a call to begin with. You can set a shorter limit for each assistant.
- Recording notice
- The assistant plays it before recording starts. On calls your team takes, it plays to both of you, or you can choose to say it yourselves. Set both on the Controls page.
- Do-not-call list
- Numbers on it are never called from your account, such as someone who asked not to be contacted.
- Recordings kept for
- 90 days unless a different period is agreed at review. Older recordings are deleted every day.
- Emergency pause
- One button stops all new calls if you suspect misuse or a compromised account.
Who can use it and what it costs
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1
A business or team Raq.com account on the Professional plan or above.
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2
The account owner turns on two-factor sign-in and asks for access: your website, how you'll use the number and the minutes you expect each month.
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3
Raq.com reviews the request and emails you once it is switched on. Then add a number, set up an assistant and choose who answers.
Professional plan
$61 per user a month
- Usage allowance
- The plan comes with a usage allowance shared by every Raq.com tool. Spent on calls alone, it covers about 800 minutes a month.
- A call the assistant answers
- About $0.07 a minute, including the line, the recording and the transcript. Writing the summary afterwards adds a small AI charge.
- Phone numbers
- Each number has a monthly charge, shown before you add it and taken from the same allowance until you release it.
Questions
Is the caller talking to a person?
No. If your phone isn't answered, an AI assistant picks up. Before your greeting it reads a recording notice, which by default says: "This call will be recorded, transcribed and processed by an AI assistant. Please tell me if you do not want to continue." If the caller asks for a person and you have set a transfer number, it puts them through.
Can I keep my existing phone number?
The assistant answers UK numbers you add to your account, where you can search by area code. Moving (porting) an existing number in isn't available. Most phone providers let you divert a line to another number, so you can forward your current number to the new one.
Can it book appointments?
It can't see your diary. Ask it to take the caller's details and the times that suit them, and confirm the booking when you call back.
How do I know a call came in?
Each call appears in your call list in Raq.com when it ends, with missed calls and your follow-ups in their own lists. You can add the call list to your phone's home screen. There is no email or text alert for each call.
Is there a free trial?
No. You need a business or team account on the Professional plan or above, and Raq.com reviews each request before the first number is added. Accounts still on the free trial can't use it.
Can it make outgoing calls?
Outgoing calls are off unless Raq.com turns them on when it approves the account. Each AI call then needs a stated purpose and your confirmation that the person can lawfully be called.
Can it take emergency calls?
No. It must not be used for emergency calls or anything where safety depends on the call being answered. You confirm this when you ask for access.
What happens on a busy day?
Calls beyond your account's daily limits aren't answered, so ask for limits that fit the calls you expect. Raq.com can raise them after approval.
Guides
- Virtual receptionist How an AI assistant compares with voicemail and a staffed answering service, and what it won't do.
- Plumbers, electricians and builders Example instructions for a trades business, including what to say when a caller smells gas.
- Dental practices and clinics Which calls the assistant can take for a practice, which to keep for your team, and example instructions.
- Estate and letting agents What to collect for viewings, valuations and repair reports, with example instructions for an agency.
- Solicitors and law firms What to take on a new enquiry, what the assistant should never discuss, and example instructions for a firm.
Stop missing calls while you work
Create a Raq.com business account, then ask for access. Raq.com reviews the request before your first number.
Sign-up and billing are handled by Raq.com.