A phone answering service puts a real person on your calls, which is hard to beat for sensitive or complicated conversations. But many take a message for you to return later. Missed call text back follows up every missed call on WhatsApp, answers from your own details, and books the job there and then. If you mainly need jobs booked rather than messages taken, text back usually does more of the work.
How they compare
| Missed call text back | Answering service | |
|---|---|---|
| What the caller experiences | A WhatsApp chat with your business, seconds after the call | A person answers on your behalf |
| Speed of reply | Seconds after the call ends | Immediate, if an operator is free |
| After-hours cover | Yes | Depends on the plan you pay for |
| Can it quote? | Yes, from your price list | Usually not; operators take details |
| Can it book? | Yes, into your calendar | Some services can; many take a message |
| What you get afterwards | A booked job and the full chat | A message to call the customer back |
| Cost model | Monthly plan | Per call, or a monthly package of calls |
| Setup time | A few business days | Varies by provider |
General comparison of categories, not of named products. Features and pricing vary by provider.
When an answering service is the better choice
- Calls are sensitive or emotional, and a trained person on the line handles distress better than any message.
- Your callers expect a human voice, and some won't message at all.
- Many of your callers don't use WhatsApp. Conversiq needs it today, and an answering service doesn't.
When text back is the better choice
- You want jobs, not messages. Text back books the work instead of handing you a list of people to call.
- You want answers from your own business, with prices, services and areas from what you load in, not an operator's script.
- Your call volume goes up and down, so a monthly plan suits you better than paying for every call.
- You want every detail in writing, with the whole conversation there to check.
Questions
Is Conversiq a virtual receptionist?
It does a similar job for missed calls, but in writing on WhatsApp rather than by phone, and it books the work instead of taking a message.
Can a customer still talk to a person?
Yes. If they ask for a person, or the job is sensitive, Conversiq hands over to you straight away.
Could I use an answering service and Conversiq together?
Some businesses might, for example a service during office hours and Conversiq after hours. Talk it through with us on a demo.
