- Years answering calls
- 30+
- Live agents, every call
- 24/7/365
- English & Spanish agents
- EN · ES
- Plans start at
- $33
Outsourced switchboard
An outsourced switchboard that answers your main line and puts callers through
Your main number is the front door to your organization. An outsourced switchboard puts trained, live operators on that line, so every caller is greeted in your company’s name, asked who they need, and connected to the right person or department. If that person can’t take the call, we take a complete message and deliver it right away.
Southern Voices has answered business lines since 1995. Our remote switchboard operators work from our office and remotely on US-hosted systems, in English and Spanish, and can cover your main line all day, only when your receptionist is busy, or 24/7.
You set the rules: how the line is answered, who takes which calls, when to transfer and when to take a message, and which callers should never wait. Operators follow them on every call, so a client asking for a partner, a vendor chasing an invoice and a job applicant all get a quick, polite answer and end up in the right place.
What’s included
Outsourced switchboard services, call by call
Everything an in-house switchboard does, without the desk, the headcount or the coverage gaps.
Main-line answering
Every call to your main number answered with your greeting.
Call direction
Callers routed to the right person or department using your company directory.
Live transfers
Warm transfers and live phone patches to staff at the office, at home or on the road.
Message taking
Complete messages delivered by secure text, email or the client portal when someone’s unavailable.
Company directory
Names, extensions, departments and who covers for whom, kept current with you.
Bilingual operators
Live English and Spanish from the first hello, not a “press 2” menu.
How switchboard calls are handled
What happens when someone calls your main line
The operator answers in your company’s name, finds out who the caller needs, and connects them or takes the message.
- Transfer Call put through Live transfer or phone patch to the right person or department
- Question Question answered Hours, directions and other common questions answered from your information
- Booking Appointment booked Booked or requested by your rules
- Urgent Your designated contact, reached now Phone patch or secure text, by your escalation tree
Remote switchboard
Why organizations move to a remote switchboard
An in-house switchboard is one person tied to one desk. When they’re at lunch, out sick, on another call or gone for the day, your main line goes to voicemail or rings out. A remote switchboard is staffed by a team, so the line is covered whatever the hour.
It also scales with you. Add a location, a department or a new phone number and we add it to your directory and script. Healthcare networks, multi-office firms, insurance agencies, property groups and growing companies use outsourced switchboard services to keep one professional voice on the front line while their own staff get on with the work.
- No coverage gaps for lunch, sick days or vacations
- Operators who follow your directory and transfer rules
- Callers handled the same way every time
- Easy to add locations, departments and numbers
- Every call documented
Coverage options
Full-time, overflow or after-hours switchboard
Use us as your whole switchboard or as backup for the receptionist you have.
Full-time switchboard
We answer every call to your main line, every business day or around the clock.
Overflow switchboard
Calls roll to us when your receptionist is busy or away from the desk.
After-hours switchboard
Your main line answered nights, weekends and holidays, with urgent calls escalated.
Want a single receptionist experience for a smaller office? See our virtual receptionist service. Need the same agents on your lines every day? See dedicated agents.
Who it’s for
Switchboard coverage across industries
Law firms
Callers put through to the right attorney or paralegal, and new matters captured.
Property management
Residents, owners and vendors routed to the right office or team.
Healthcare organizations
Departments and providers reached quickly by HIPAA-trained operators.
Contractors
Customers, suppliers and crews connected to the right project lead.
Insurance agencies
Policyholders put through to their agent, and claims calls routed fast.
Accounting firms
Clients put through to their CPA, with extra coverage in tax season.
Pricing
What an outsourced switchboard costs
An outsourced switchboard usually costs less than staffing a front desk all day, with no gaps for breaks or vacations. Plans start at $33, pricing follows your call volume and how much each call involves, and larger organizations get volume discounts: the more we handle for you, the lower your rate.
See answering service pricing for what goes into a quote, or ask us for one.
Plans start at
$33
Your plan is built around your call volume, and larger organizations get volume discounts.
Questions
Outsourced switchboard FAQs
Don’t see your question? Call and ask a live agent, any time.
What is an outsourced switchboard?
It’s a team of remote operators who answer your organization’s main phone line in your name, direct callers to the right person or department, transfer calls live and take messages when someone is unavailable.
Can you transfer calls to staff who work remotely?
Yes. Operators can transfer calls or connect them with a live phone patch to staff at the office, at home or on a mobile phone, following your directory.
How do you keep our company directory up to date?
We set up your directory with you at the start, and you send changes whenever staff, extensions or departments change. Operators work from the current version.
Can you cover only when our receptionist is busy?
Yes. Many clients use us as an overflow or lunch-hour switchboard, or for nights and weekends only. Others send us every call.
Will callers know you’re not in our office?
No. Operators answer with your greeting, use your directory and transfer calls the way your own receptionist would, so callers simply reach your company.
How much do outsourced switchboard services cost?
Plans start at $33 and scale with call volume and complexity, with volume discounts for larger organizations. See our pricing page.
Keep reading
Guides for your front line
24/7 doesn’t mean automated
Why live human receptionists still win customer trust.
Does your answering service sound like you?
Keeping your brand’s voice on every call.
Overflow: the hidden growth bottleneck
Why busy lines quietly cap a growing business.
More answering services: virtual receptionist, emergency line and all answering services.