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Term explained

What is a virtual assistant?

"Virtual assistant" (or phone assistant) is a broad term used to mean many different things. We go through the options that exist specifically for answering calls, and which one fits which situation.

Clarification

What is a phone assistant?

A phone assistant can mean a human or an AI that answers a business's calls. An AI-based phone assistant, like Puhebotti, picks up the call, holds a conversation with the caller, and collects the details you need.

AI assistant for calls

An AI assistant can handle different tasks automatically. An AI assistant specialized in calls answers customer calls, holds a conversation with the caller, and collects the details needed for follow-up. Puhebotti's smart answering is this kind of AI assistant, specialized in calls.

The term isn't clear-cut

What can a virtual assistant mean?

In practice, the term refers to four different things depending on context:

Remote worker

A person who works remotely and handles administrative tasks, like calendar management or emails.

Outsourced secretarial service

A service company that takes calls or handles customer service on your business's behalf, using human staff.

Chatbot

A text-based program on a website or messaging app. Doesn't answer the phone, but holds the conversation in writing.

AI phone answering service

An AI that answers your business's calls out loud, holds the conversation, and sends a summary. On this site we also call this smart answering or AI answering.

Which fits which situation?

Human or AI for calls?

  • Lots of routine calls (contact details, booking requests, quote requests) → an AI answering service handles it fast and cheaply
  • Calls skew toward evenings, weekends, or busy periods → an AI answering service is always reachable
  • You need a quick setup without hiring → an AI answering service is live within a few days

More complex advice and decision-making are still best handled by you or your staff. The AI handles the first contact and collects the details for you in advance.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Not always. "Virtual assistant" is a broad term that can mean a remote worker, a chatbot, or an AI that answers calls. When it specifically comes to calls, the right term is AI answering, i.e. smart phone answering.
Yes. The term is also often used for a remotely-working personal assistant or an outsourced secretarial service. On this page, though, we cover automated solutions that answer calls.
A chatbot works via text on a website or messaging app. A call-answering virtual assistant, like Puhebotti, holds the conversation out loud on the phone. The customer doesn't need to open any app.
It depends on the need. If you get a lot of routine calls (collecting details, booking requests, quote requests), an AI answering service is faster and cheaper to set up. More complex advice is still best handled by you or your staff.
In practice, yes, when it comes to answering calls. "Phone assistant" is a general term for either a human or an AI that handles a business's calls. The AI-based option is known on this site as smart answering.

Try an AI answering service for your calls

If you're specifically looking for a solution that answers calls, check out Smart Answering and try it free for 7 days.

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