# Phone answering – Virtuelle Sekretärin

> Being reachable without a front desk: models, prices, choosing a provider.

- [Virtual Receptionist Cost: Pricing Models Compared](https://virtuelle-sekretaerin.de/en/phone-answering/virtual-receptionist-cost/): A live virtual receptionist costs roughly $3.45 to $5.00 per minute on US minute bundles, while German services charge €0.54 to €1.39 per minute or about €1.40 to €1.70 per call. AI receptionists run at about $0.08 to $0.13 per minute in usage fees. Your call length and volume decide which model is cheapest.
- [Answering Service for Contractors: Setup and Costs](https://virtuelle-sekretaerin.de/en/phone-answering/answering-service-contractors/): An answering service for contractors picks up when your crew can't, records the job address, the problem and how urgent it is, and texts or emails you the details straight away. True emergencies get patched through to whoever is on call. Expect a few hundred dollars a month for live agents, or far less for an AI agent.
- [Legal Answering Service: Confidentiality and Intake Rules](https://virtuelle-sekretaerin.de/en/phone-answering/legal-answering-service/): Law firms can use an outside answering service, but the lawyer stays responsible for confidentiality. In the US, ABA Model Rules 1.6(c) and 5.3 require reasonable safeguards and supervision of non-lawyer providers; in England and Wales the SRA Code requires client affairs to be kept confidential. That means a written confidentiality agreement, minimal intake and clear escalation rules.
- [Forward Calls to an Answering Service: Codes and Setup](https://virtuelle-sekretaerin.de/en/phone-answering/forward-calls-answering-service/): Most mobile networks accept standard codes: dial **61*number**20# to forward unanswered calls after 20 seconds, **67*number# when busy and **62*number# when your phone is off. **21*number# forwards everything, ##002# cancels all. Verizon uses its own codes, and desk phone systems have a call forwarding menu.

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