Across the country, regional economies are shifting the focus from natural resources and heavy industry to the service sectors, according to the Bank of Canada (Banque du Canada).

As demand for skilled tradespeople climbs, so does the pressure to never miss a call.

Enter the remote receptionist / réceptionniste à distance: a dedicated, bilingual (EN/FR) professional who ensures your phones are answered, jobs are booked, and dispatch keeps flowing, no matter where your crews are or when trouble strikes.

When your technicians are in the field, the last thing you want is a ringing phone going unanswered.

Missed calls mean missed opportunities for your business.

Remote reception / réception à distance keeps your operation moving, from handling bookings and sending quotes to confirming when parts are arriving and fielding vendor calls. Unlike in-house staff, there’s no sick day or vacation gap, meaning every call is picked up and every request logged.

Imagine a customer with a burst pipe after hours. If their call goes unanswered, they’ll likely move on to the next number. With a remote receptionist in place, their call is answered and service teams are dispatched on time, protecting both your revenue and reputation.

Bilingual bookings / Réservations bilingues

According to Statistics Canada (Statistique Canada), English and French are still the most commonly spoken languages in the country. In fact, 9 in 10 Canadians regularly speak at least one of the two official languages.

Customers want to book in their preferred language and receive confirmations they can clearly understand. A remote receptionist ensures that every booking, reminder, and follow-up is delivered seamlessly in English and French.

Playbook

Aside from answering calls, a trained remote receptionist follows a playbook—complete with mini scripts, checklists, and call flows that guide them. For example, they use an escalation ladder or matrix to address challenging customer issues. They can also send out reminders to prevent potentially costly no-shows and reach out to clients proactively to fill empty schedules.

Picture a technician delayed on a service call. Instead of a lost appointment, the receptionist updates the next customer, reschedules if needed, and moves a waiting job forward. That’s efficiency you can measure.

Tools & integrations

Modern field service runs on apps and calendars. A remote receptionist integrates directly with the tools you’re using, such as CRM, scheduling software, or dispatch platform. Bookings land in the right place, ensuring there are no double entries or missed details.

Whether it’s syncing with Outlook calendars, updating a property management portal, or logging job notes into a CRM, the receptionist acts as an extension of your own team.

KPIs

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Remote reception services track KPIs that drive your business forward:

• Show rate / Taux de présence. Fewer cancellations and missed appointments mean more growth opportunities for your business.
• Time-to-schedule / Délai de planification. Faster response means jobs are booked before competitors, giving you a competitive advantage.
• Revenue per call / Revenu par appel. More jobs are converted from inquiries.

These metrics are proof points demonstrating service efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

FAQs

Do you provide branded greetings? / Offrez-vous des messages d’accueil personnalisés?

Yes. Every call opens with a message tailored to fit your brand identity to create a consistent experience for callers.

Can we share an inbox? / Pouvons-nous partager une boîte de réception?

Yes. Our agents leverage the tools you already use to centralize communication.

What about after-hours? / Et pour les appels en dehors des heures normales?

Calls never stop. After-hours handoffs ensure urgent requests, such as emergency HVAC, plumbing, or electrical, reach the right on-call technician.

Businesses thrive when phones are answered and schedules stay full. A remote receptionist delivers all of that with bilingual coverage and seamless integration into your daily workflow. It’s also about protecting your revenue and giving customers the confidence that someone is always available to help.

Ready to keep your crews moving and your phones covered? Discover how On Call Centre supports industries across Canada with reliable telephone answering services.