24/7 VIRTUAL RECEPTIONISTS

Catering answering service with warm phone transfers

You have enough on your plate. Smith.ai's catering answering service will handle your calls, 24/7. All that new business is just icing on the cake.

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Incoming calls are unpredictable.

Calls come in, but you're not always available to answer them. We capture leads, book appointments, collect payment, and log details instantly in your systems.

Work catering events and deliver meals while we handle the calls.

There’s too much to do, and you can't delegate all of a caterer's or a food delivery specialist's work. Hand off "the rest" to our receptionists. We capture leads, set appointments, and follow-up to win business.

We provide 360-degree coverage to manage both your inbound and outbound customer engagement.

Powerful call intelligence gives your business the lead

Make better business decisions with real-time call data, visualized in every Smith.ai client dashboard. Every call summary is enriched with metadata including actions completed, caller disposition, priority, relevance, call recording and transcription, and more. See the big picture with historical tables and charts to predict business growth, costs, and ROI with superior accuracy.

Outreach calls and campaigns speed-up sales and support

Smith.ai receptionists make calls on your behalf, improving your speed-to-lead and unburdening staff who need to reach out to clients. We'll call-back online leads who complete web forms, contact donors for donation renewals, chase down payments on unpaid invoices, and more. We'll even send follow-up emails and texts after every call to ensure a connection is made. Learn more.

82%

of consumers expect an immediate response to a sales inquiry

50%

of lead generation budgets are wasted on leads who are never contacted

79%

of marketing leads never convert into sales

67%

of customers who receive excellent service spend up to 14% more

Capture and book appointments with 24/7 Live Chat.

Keeping a food delivery and catering business up and running can be time-consuming. Our 24/7 live agents respond instantly to chats and texts, so new online leads are converted while you stay focused on important work.

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Outreach Campaigns

Where we reach, engage & qualify leads to build your book of business.

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Web Chat

The best channel for sales, service & support by utilizing bots, humans, or both.

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Smith.ai is trusted by 3,000+ businesses

5.0 stars

4.9 stars

5.0 stars

4.7 stars

“The price is right and they are always polite and very professional. They handle my calls in a polite, fun, and professional manner.”

Pat Richardson

Idaho Beef

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TALK TO OUR TEAM of experts

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Improve customer experiences with 24/7 engagement. We offer features and pricing for organizations of all sizes.

North America-based agents
Best-in-class AI technology
Live-staffed website chat
Bilingual services
Sales development & outreach
Rich call intelligence

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END-TO-END INTEGRATIONS

We play well with your software

Calls, chats & appointments are automatically logged in your systems. Real-time syncing with over 5,000 integrations.

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end-to-end integrations

We play well with your legal software

All activities — from calls and chats to appointments and payments — logged in your firm's preferred software.

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Frequently asked questions

The best food delivery answering services do much more than pick up phone calls and take messages for caterers and food delivery specialists. At Smith.ai, we provide virtual receptionists capable of a wide range of services from calling handling, to scheduling, to lead intake, to website chat, and more. Whether you need a virtual receptionist for full-time call handling, overflow support only, after-hours, or triage, here are the answers to the most common questions we receive from caterers and food delivery specialists.

Food delivery and catering companies are known to be booked full, their schedules often overwhelmed with catering events and meal delivery projects. They don't have the time between deliveries and events to each and every call that comes in, but providing quality customer support through a reliable food delivery and catering answering service has been shown to assist businesses in the ways that matter most. Here are a number of the benefits caterers and food delivery specialists have experienced with us:

Expanded availability‍

With a phone call answering service that’s available 24/7, your clients will always have a real person to talk to, whether your food delivery and catering company is busy, closed, or on holiday. Your clients’ questions always receive a thoughtful response.

Increased lead captured

Missed calls means missed opportunities. Don’t lose out on leads just because you’re not always able to pick up the phone. Answering services provide nighttime, overflow, weekend, and after-hours availability so your company never misses another call.

Increased work productivity

Through outsourcing call handling to an answering service, you’ll have the spare time to spend where you need it most and focus on more important work to build your food delivery and catering business.

Enhanced client satisfaction and business reputation

Here at Smith.ai, we know great customer service and how to deliver it for a range of business types and industries. Our virtual receptionists are well trained in customer service and hospitality, so let us put our perfected practices to work for you and deliver an exceptional and professional response that represents your food delivery and catering business in the best way possible.

Save money and time

No need to allocate limited time and money towards hiring an in-house receptionist when you can get all of the services you need and then some with an answering service for a fraction of the price. Customers who use Smith.ai can save upwards of $30,000/year.

Stay up-to-date with leads and clients

Phone answering services can provide your food delivery and catering company with detailed call summaries after each call and even provide your customers with chat and text messaging so you can stay in contact with your most valued clients.

A live food delivery and catering answering service can provide your business with a much needed sense of relief, whether your business is on a budget, overwhelmed by overflow calls, or simply looking to enrich your company’s customer service. Your food delivery and catering company can reap even more benefits to help your team accomplish its goals, whatever they may be, with Smith.ai’s food delivery and catering answering service.

Smith.ai’s answering service can offer food delivery and catering businesses with…

24/7 availability

After-hours & overflow answering

Bilingual answering

Outbound call-backs

Spam blocking

Appointment scheduling

Sales development

Payment collection

CRM Integration

Lead development

And much more…‍

With a long list of accommodating features, Smith.ai’s answering service is guaranteed to improve food delivery and catering companies' productivity, revenue, and outreach. Smith.ai has offered quality service to food delivery and catering businesses for years and our clients trust Smith.ai to provide their business with premium support. Read our 5-star reviews to learn why food delivery and catering business owners prefer Smith.ai.

The cost of a receptionist is obviously one of the most important factors to consider when deciding on whether to hire an answering service or a traditional, in-house receptionist. To give you an idea, here are the average expenses that come with an in-house receptionist.

The average salary nation-wide for an in-house receptionist is about $37,000 and they usually come with unbelievably high fees, such as:

Medical, dental, and vision insurance, costing about $11,000/year
Life and disability insurance, costing about $2,000/year
401K’s, retirement and pension plans, costing about $2,000/year
Paid sick leave, holidays, and vacations, costing about $5,500/year
Commuting reimbursement, costing about $5,000/year
Child care subsidy and parental leave, costing about $3,000/year
Health and wellness programs, costing about $1,000/year
Bonus pay, costing about $2,000/year
Company retreats, team bonding events, and employee outings, costing about $4,000/year
Free lunch, snacks, and drinks, costing about $3,500/year

Total Cost in Addition to Salary: $77,000/year

If your food delivery and catering company is located in a highly populated area, the total cost may be even higher, especially when your in-house receptionist inevitably comes in late, calls in sick, requests time off, takes personal leaves of absence, goes on vacation, etc. Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can accomplish the same tasks as in-house receptionist and then some, barring coffee runs and supply restocks, of course, and are much less expensive because your company doesn't have to pay for any of our receptionists' benefits or salaries.

Smith.ai’s answering service costs as little as $285/month, with no hidden fees. Ever. By hiring an answering service instead of an in-house receptionist, your business could save over $33,000/year on salary alone, and possibly up to $40,000/year in benefits beyond salary payments. Not only will your business save money, but your business will also be able to optimize productivity and revenue like never before. Unlike in-house receptionists, virtual receptionists can answer calls outside of normal operating hours, which is far more important than you might recognize, as 27% of leads call after hours. Smith.ai’s agents can answer live chats and texts. SMS answering can be overlooked yet over 46% of customers prefer communicating with businesses through text.

Virtual receptionists can even provide sales assistance by making outbound calls to convert more leads, which has been proven to be helpful as over 67% of clients base their decision to hire a business on the initial responsiveness to their call or email. It’s crucial for businesses to respond promptly. Leaving leads waiting can encourage them to take their business elsewhere and you may not have the chance to explain why you’re the right food delivery and catering business for them, costing you much more than a single customer. With Smith.ai’s food delivery and catering answering service, your business can receive all the benefits of an in-house worker without the unnecessary cost. Read our article to learn more about the differences between an in-house vs. a virtual receptionist.

Owning and operating a food delivery and catering business can be easily overwhelming, from managing daily deliveries and events to overseeing overall company development and growth. Companies like these inevitably come face-to-face with issues that can easily impact their ability to succeed. The most common scenarios that food delivery and catering teams like yours need virtual receptionist services for are:

I desperately need “front desk” support, but can't afford it

“Front desk” support helps offset regular administrative pressures so workers can focus on what matters most: getting real work done. When food delivery and catering companies have a more realistic, yet smaller budget, however, they may not be able to afford the high expenses that come with an in-house receptionists, especially when they already have to make room for office rent, catering supplies, marketing, and advertising.

I'm distracted by constant interruptions from phone calls

Phone alls come in whether your food delivery and catering company is open and your team is available to answer them or not. When caterers and food delivery specialists have to answer phone calls in addition to their regular catering and delivering duties, they can quickly fall behind on work and lose focus on their projects. On average, it takes about 23 minutes to get back to a task after being interrupted by a phone call.

My catering and delivery team can't handle growing business demands

Businesses grow and while that growth is great for many reasons, it can be difficult for overworked employees to keep up. With calls that need to be answered, appointments that need to be scheduled, and invoices that need to be sent, it’s easy for food delivery and catering teams to get overwhelmed.

I can’t offer around-the-clock availability to answer calls

When the work day ends, caterers and food delivery specialists want to go home and enjoy their free time away from clients, but calls don’t stop coming in and when your team isn't available to answer the phone, leads can often be missed, as over 27% of leads call out of regular business hours. Sure, food delivery and catering businesses may want to offer accessible customer service around-the-clock, but it's often unrealistic and unmanageable for them to provide after-hours availability, especially with a limited in-house staff.

If your food delivery and catering company is enduring any one of these troubling scenarios, an answering service can help by allowing a trained professional to take these tasks on for you. A food delivery and catering answering service will help your team by sending some of the more time-consuming and frustrating responsibilities to virtual receptionist, who can address and alleviate many of the tedious issues your business faces. Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can be of great service to you, whether your food delivery and catering company is looking for some a little extra call handling, spam blocking, or lead qualifying support. By eliminating the need to allocate time to screening calls and answering clients’ questions, your business can get back to focusing on more important work without neglecting your client relationships.

Food delivery and catering companies, like any business, frequently find themselves in compromising situations that require outsourced assistance to resolve. Some of the most frequently reported problems are:

I can't answer all of the incoming calls and messages from clients

With a limited staff and a never-ending list of orders and events, food delivery and catering teams may struggle to answer phones and respond to messages from clients as quickly as they need to in order to capture leads while they can. Attempting to successfully keep a food delivery and catering business up and running while still providing high-quality customer service can lead to poor performance in both.

I can't be productive because I'm spending a large portion of my day on administrative tasks

With the cost of in-house receptionists being as high as it is, food delivery and catering teams are left to delegate administrative tasks themselves. Despite spending a large portion of their day getting these office duties done, caterers and food delivery specialists are unequipped to balance their important events and orders with their administrative tasks.

I’m losing out on new business leads because I can't answer their calls

Food delivery and catering businesses may try to attempt to respond to all of the calls they receive, however, they usually have higher priority events and orders that take precedent. Food delivery and catering teams can quickly fall behind on responding to new inquiries so potential leads will be missed.

I can’t respond to potential clients as quickly as my competition

It's no doubt a major obstacle for food delivery and catering companies to demonstrate their specialties and stand out amongst their competitors. Providing quality customer service through quick and thoughtful responses can place businesses well above the rest, but many catering and food delivery businesses lack the free time between deliveries and events to do so.

I can't seem to find and keep new clients

One of the most crucial, yet challenging aspects of building a successful business is finding and converting new clients. With so much time and effort being spent towards existing clients, food delivery and catering businesses may not have the time or energy to search for, find, and nurture new clients. Caterers and food delivery specialists who spread their workload too thin may not be able to deliver quality customer service. Slow response times may frustrate customers and severely impact client loyalty and retention, as well.

I'm unable to store and track of all of my clients’ data properly

Maintaining detailed phone records and call summaries isn't a simple task for food delivery and catering businesses who likely disperse client data across a multitude of software platforms. Knowing how, when, and why clients call is significant for any business hoping to successfully navigate client relationships, but unfortunately, is not always easy to accomplish.

If your food delivery and catering business is struggling to overcome one or any of these challenges, but struggling to do so, a virtual receptionist service may be useful for you. One of the many notable things about Smith.ai is that our services fit your business needs, not the other way around. Our virtual receptionists can allocate time where you need it most and address the specific issues your business face, whether your team needs additional support answering calls, book consultations, or sending invoices. Sign up risk-free with our 14-day money-back guarantee and see how Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can alleviate the problems your catering and food delivery company faces.

A good place to start is determining which services are most valuable and needed to your food delivery and catering business. To figure out which services might be best for your business to receive, ask yourself what problems or opportunities you face that a virtual receptionist service can help to address:

Does your business struggle to answer incoming calls from new and existing clients?
Does your business need some support with billing and payments?
Does your business have a hard time scheduling consultations and booking appointments to discuss catering events?

Whatever it may be, Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can adjust their service to better suit your business needs.

After that, think about what services would best fit your company’s activity level:

Does your business receive hundreds of calls a day or just a few?
Do you receive more online messages than calls?
Would your business benefit from 24/7 phone answering or would you prefer a particular time frame, such as 9-to-5, for answering calls?

Whether you get twenty calls a month or 2,000, Smith.ai can customize your virtual receptionist service to fit your business activity so you only pay for what you need.

All you have to do next is sign up. Getting started with Smith.ai’s virtual receptionist service is simple and fast. No annual contracts, no setup fees, and no need to supply scripts.

Follow three simple steps:

Customize your instructions – Just answer a few, quick questions about your firm and the preferences you have and we’ll get you started. We’ll use your answers to customize the way our virtual receptionists answer your calls and your clients’ questions.
Send your calls to us – We work with every phone system and can set up customized rules for when we answer your calls. Or we can answer every call, 24/7!
Try risk-free with our 14-day money-back guarantee – Fully experience our call answering, scheduling, payments, and other phone services completely risk free for 14 days. If we're not the right fit for you, get your money back up to $1000 within the first 14 days.

Whether your business is looking for a full-time virtual receptionist or an overflow or occasional phone answering service, Smith.ai can offer customized assistance to your team with quality customer service, lead screening, and sales development. When you sign up with Smith.ai, you won’t just be gaining a virtual receptionist service, you’ll be gaining a professional, reliable, and friendly team who are guaranteed to transform your business by capturing leads and delighting current clients.

‍Learn how to get started with Smith.ai’s virtual receptionist service.

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Take the faster path to growth.
Get Smith.ai today.

Affordable plans for every budget.

Get started

Learn more

24/7 VIRTUAL RECEPTIONISTS

Catering answering service with warm phone transfers

Incoming calls are unpredictable.

Work catering events and deliver meals while we handle the calls.

Powerful call intelligence gives your business the lead

Outreach calls and campaigns speed-up sales and support

Capture and book appointments with 24/7 Live Chat.

Get the most out of Smith.ai

Outreach Campaigns

Web Chat

Smith.ai is trusted by 3,000+ businesses

TALK TO OUR TEAM of experts

Book a consultation

END-TO-END INTEGRATIONS

We play well with your software

end-to-end integrations

We play well with your legal software

Frequently asked questions

What are the benefits of a food delivery and catering answering service?

How much money will I save by hiring an answering service for my food delivery and catering company compared to an in-house receptionist?

What common scenarios do food delivery and catering businesses use virtual receptionist services for?

What are some of the common problems that indicate my food delivery and catering company may need a virtual receptionist service?

What do I need to prepare to get started with a food delivery and catering virtual receptionist service?

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