UK's Highest Rated Telephone Answering Service Hero Image

The #1 Rated
Telephone Answering Service

Businesses have been trusting JAM with their calls for more than 46 years. With three times more 5-star reviews than any other UK answering service.

Answering service client - British Steel Logo
Answering service client - Angling Direct
Answering service client - Coca-Cola logo
Answering service client - Gocardless logo
Answering service client - Abbott
Answering service client - NHS logo
Answering service client - VISA logo

The original call answering service

Established in 1977, JAM is an award-winning telephone answering service, and the very first of its kind. We’ve built an unrivalled reputation for excellence built on one simple principle. Every call is priceless. We’ll always look after your calls with the highest level of skill, dedication and care. That’s why we are the UK’s highest independently rated call handling service.

Telephone Answering
Service

Get a dedicated team of specialist PAs to answer your calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Fully bespoke service. Call transfers, order taking, appointment booking & more.

Virtual Office


Enhance your business presence without the cost of a physical office. Mail forwarding, meeting rooms and registered addresses at extremely competitive prices.

Emergency Response & Callout Service

Whether your customers need out of hours support, or you need an emergency engineer callout, our staff are ready to ensure vital processes are managed.

The JAM difference

You’re not just “any” business, so don’t settle for second best. JAM is an award-winning telephone answering company with an enviable industry standing and an unrivalled reputation for excellence.

“Excellent service handling our calls for over 15 years! Our business depends on handling our incoming calls correctly and efficiently on a 24/7/365 basis and JAM have never let us down.”

Trustpilot answer service 5 star
call answering client - CW logo
Rob Hammond
Conquest Wildman

UK's Longest Established Telephone Answering Service

JAM opened its doors in 1977, making us the longest established call answering service in the UK. When it comes to customer experience and attention to detail, there is no subs

Highest rated Answering service

JAM is a telephone answering service with relationship building at its heart. We’re incredibly proud of the reviews and testimonials that we receive from clients. Together our group of call answering businesses have amassed over two thousand five-star reviews on Trustpilot and other independent rating sites. That’s three times more than our major call handling service competitors – combined!

“JAM are just brilliant. The custom service means we never have to worry about missing calls. The operators are all so friendly and helpful. Thank you JAM.”

TP call answering 5 stars
call answering client - Orderly logo
Emily Beckett
Orderly
“Jam solved all our problems with 24 Hour cover. Gave them a instructions on how to handle any calls, when to call an engineer and when to pass to the office. Very happy with Jam and happy to recommend them (and have done already!)”

telephone answering service TP score
call answering client - Precisely logo
Liam Hammond
Precisely

Complex call handling requirements? That’s our bread and butter.

We’re not your typical call answering service. We know that every business has its own unique requirements, so we fully adjust to them.

We do the simple things like taking messages and transferring calls well. For businesses that need bespoke scripts we really excel. Our proprietary call handling software is purpose built to handle complex call flows and engineer callout/dispatch.

PORTAL FEATURES

JAM Client Portal

Gold standard people & cutting-edge technology combine.

View Messages

View your messages on the go and on any device. With advanced search and filters, you’ll never miss and important communication again.

Update you and your team’s availability in real-time with bespoke instructions.

Our call handling system can recognise repeat callers, enabling our operators to offer a highly personalised service to your callers.

Verify contact details and add notes to critical calls to personalise your service.

View usage, call history and details about customer interactions.

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Answering Service FAQs

A call answering service can be a human or machine lead solution to answering business telephone calls.

Usually, when people talk about answering services, they are referring to an external receptionist operating as an extended member of your team.

Service levels, prices and quality differ from provider to provider but the core offering remains the same.

Not all call answering services are built equal!

Your business will have its own unique requirements, and its important you find a partner that’s able to understand and deliver.

Some useful questions to ask any prospective call handling service:

1) How many operators will answer my calls?

Lots may lead to an impersonal “call centre” approach. Too few and you risk long average answer times, missed calls and potentially lost business and upset clients.

2) How long have you been in business? 

longevity and stability, beats new and cheap every time!

3) Do you have experience in my industry? (or with a particular 3rd party system) 

Don’t be afraid to ask for testimonials, reviews or references.

4) What is the notice period? 

One of the major advantages of outsourcing your calls is the flexibility it gives your business. The industry norm is 3 month rolling contract. At JAM we do things differently. 30 day rolling agreements as standard.

5) Am I tied into a commitment or bundle?

Call volumes are notoriously volatile. It can be tempting to “play it safe” and take a monthly bundle of committed minutes (often at a rate discount) but be careful you aren’t paying for minutes that you don’t actually use. Especially relevant if your business experiences seasonality.

6) Try before you buy!

Most people wouldn’t buy a new car without first taking a test drive.

Outsourcing your business phone calls should be no different. At the very least perform a few mystery shopper style calls to the answering service itself.

If the hold times are long, or the experience on the call is questionable – then run a mile!

Costs vary depending on the quality of the provider. In the UK expect to pay between £0.90 – £2 per minute.

There are two typical charging methods:

Per minute billing: This is one of the most common methods of billing. Companies are billed based on the call duration (i.e., the number of minutes). Therefore, the longer the time spent with a customer on the phone, the higher the cost. Most live answering services have plans with standard minutes, and additional fees are charged when you go over the plan’s allotted minutes.

Per call billing: In this method, you will be charged on the basis of the total number of calls received and handled.

Beware of call handling companies that promise the earth on a per call basis. Often they overpromise and under deliver. The receptionists handling your calls may be incentivised to rush the call, and they are often targeted on number of calls handled. This can have serious implications on quality and customer experience.

A live call answering service will provide your business with a unique divert number (know as a DDI).

You will divert your existing business phone number or mobile to this DDI (divert instructions vary by provider)

The diverted call traffic is routed to a receptionist (or group of receptionists) the DDI is recognised by the call handling company (via call handling software) and the call is answered to the clients instructions.

Once the call is handled, a message is taken or a call is transferred to a relevant person or department. 

Scripting is one of the key differences between a phone answering service and a call centre.

Call centre services are operated in a heavily scripted environment. On the contrary, phone answering services create simple scripts ensuring natural-sounding conversation with the customers.

An answering machine is an old school “please leave a message after the tone” or voicemail service. For business use, voicemail can be a real deterrent for your customers, with up to 85% of people not leaving a voicemail, or calling back. A live call answering service, is a real person at the end of the line to answer a call in your business name, and to handle the call to your instructions.
At there most basic, virtual receptionist services can be simple message taking e.g. Name, number and message. Most answering services will offer call transfers (patching), and some (like JAM) can offer far more complex call handling including appointment booking, dispatch, FAQ handling and more.

Why do I need a phone answering service?

We get it. Running a business takes effort and dedication. Letting other people represent you is scary. That’s why we put heart into everything we do and hand-pick our people. The result is a dedicated partnership that truly reflects how you want to speak to your customers.

Around the clock availability

Never miss an opportunity when clients call. 24/7 365 availability at no extra cost.

Freedom from phones

Get on with what you do best, knowing your calls are taken care of.

Capture every opportunity

Your competitors are only a call away. Never miss another valuable lead or enquiry again.

Reduce costs

Cheaper than hiring an in-house Receptionist. Forget fixed costs and overheads, divert calls and use the service only when you need it.

No voicemail or bots

Show your customers that you care. Real people, not voicemail or bots.

Flexible & scalable

Upgrade, downgrade or pause your plan at any time.

Reduce costs

Cheaper than hiring an in-house Receptionist. Forget fixed costs and overheads, divert calls and use the service only when you need it.

Capture every opportunity

Your competitors are only a call away. Never miss another valuable lead or enquiry again.

Freedom from phones

Get on with what you do best, knowing your calls are taken care of.

No voicemail or bots

Show your customers that you care. Real people, not voicemail or bots.

Around the clock availability

Never miss an opportunity when clients call. 24/7 365 availability at no extra cost.

Flexible & scalable

Upgrade, downgrade or pause your plan at any time.


Core Services

Get a dedicated team of specialist PAs to answer your calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Industry-leading telephone answering for every business, fair pricing & no long contracts.

Rapid co-ordination and deployment of your mobile workforce with our 24 hour Telephone Answering Call-Out Service. Emergency response & helpdesk support.

Specialist Services

Complete call centre operation on demand. We answer calls for you, 24/7. Fully scalable and worry-free outsourcing.

Our team can work with almost any online diary to book you confirmed appointments directly on the call. No more missed opportunities.

Fully bespoke service. All the benefits and flexibility of our telephone answering service + call transfers, order taking, Appointment booking & more.

Enhance your business presence without the cost of a physical office. Mail forwarding, meeting rooms and registered addresses at extremely competitive prices.

Customer Services KPI’s

Delivering world class experiences. Metrics every SME should understand.

Resources

As the capabilities of AI improve, many businesses are exploring how it might augment human input in customer-facing roles. Here's what you need to know.

Discover the ultimate guide to fostering employee well-being through responsible screen time practices. Uncover the secrets to maintaining a healthy digital balance in the workplace, empowering your team to boost productivity, reduce burnout, and enhance overall happiness.

Delivering world class customer experience. Metrics every SME should understand.

Customer Services KPI’s

Delivering world class experiences. Metrics every SME should understand.