What is a answering service agreement?
An answering service is the voice of a client's business, often at the moments that matter most: a burst pipe at 2 am, a new patient calling at lunchtime. An answering service agreement records exactly which calls are covered and when, how agents answer and what they may say, how messages and urgent calls reach the client, and how call minutes are counted and billed.
This template covers all calls, overflow calls or after-hours calls, the hours and greeting, what agents do on each call and the written call script, script changes, message delivery by email, text or portal, urgent-call instructions and the emergency-number rule, answer-time aims and monthly reports, expected volumes, a monthly plan with included minutes and a per-minute overage rate, how call time is measured and rounded, set-up and other charges, call recording, the client's ownership of caller data, sensitive calls and card numbers, month-to-month or fixed initial terms, cancellation and a liability cap.
- Best for
- Answering services, virtual receptionists and small call centres
- Signed by
- The answering service and the client business, both with job titles
- Pricing
- Monthly plan with included minutes, then a per-minute rate
- Length
- About 3 pages, initialled on every page
When to use a answering service agreement
- After-hours answering for a plumbing or heating company
- A virtual receptionist booking appointments for a dental practice
- Overflow answering when a busy office misses calls
- Lunchtime and holiday cover for a small law firm
- 24/7 answering for a property management company's tenants
What you fill in
23 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: answering service, client.
1 The parties
- Answering service*
- Provider address
- Client business*
- Client address
- Service starts*
2 Coverage
- Calls answered* all calls during the hours below · overflow calls the Client does not answer within the agreed number of rings, during the hours below · calls outside the Client's own office hours
- Hours*
- Greeting*
3 Call handling
- What the agent does on each call*
- Messages delivered by* email as soon as the call ends · email and text message as soon as the call ends · an online message portal, with a daily email summary
- Urgent calls
4 Volume and pricing
- Expected calls per month
- Currency*
- Monthly plan fee*
- Minutes included each month*
- Each extra minute*
- Call time is measured* from when the agent answers until the call and any message are finished, rounded up to the next 30 seconds · from when the agent answers until the call ends, rounded up to the next full minute
- Set-up fee
- Other charges
5 Data
- Call recording* Calls are recorded for quality and training, and kept for 90 days · Calls are not recorded
6 Term
- Term* month to month · an initial 6 months, then month to month · an initial 12 months, then month to month
- Notice to cancel (days)*
- Governing law*
7 Who signs
- Answering service signature and date, job title, initials on every page · The answering service or virtual receptionist company.
- Client signature and date, job title, initials on every page · The business whose calls are answered.
What the answering service agreement covers
- Coverage
- Call handling and scripts
- Messages and urgent calls
- Service levels and volumes
- Fees
- Recording and data
- Set-up, testing and holidays
- Term and ending
- Liability and general
Using the answering service agreement, step by step
1 Set the coverage
Choose all calls, overflow calls or after-hours calls, enter the hours and time zone, and the exact greeting agents use.
2 Describe each call
Edit what the agent does on each call, choose how messages are delivered, and write the urgent-call instructions — who to patch through to and what to do if they don't answer.
3 Price the plan
Enter the monthly fee, included minutes and the rate for each extra minute, choose how call time is rounded, and add a set-up fee or holiday surcharge if you charge them.
4 Recording, term and send
Choose whether calls are recorded, pick month to month or a fixed first period, set the cancellation notice and send it to the client.
Tips before you send it
- Get the urgent-call instructions in writing and test them before go-live. They're the part a client remembers if it goes wrong.
- Spell out the rounding rule — 30-second and full-minute rounding make a real difference on short calls.
- Call recording notices and consent rules differ by country and state. Make sure your greeting or announcement meets them.
- Never take full card numbers by phone unless you've agreed a compliant process with the client first.
Sign it online in minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.
Answering service agreement: frequently asked questions
How are answering service minutes counted?
You choose: from answer until the call and its message are finished, rounded up to 30 seconds, or from answer until the call ends, rounded to the next minute. Included minutes don't carry over, and extra minutes are billed monthly in arrears.
Who owns the callers' details and messages?
The client. The provider uses them only to provide the service, keeps them confidential and secure, doesn't use them for its own marketing, and hands them back and deletes them when the service ends.
What happens with an emergency call?
The provider follows the client's written urgent-call instructions. If a caller describes a life-threatening emergency, the agent tells them to hang up and call the emergency number — an answering service isn't an emergency service.
Is an answering service contract signed online valid?
In most countries, including the US (ESIGN Act and UETA), the UK, the EU (eIDAS) and Canada, an electronic signature is generally valid for an ordinary commercial contract like this one. FileIt keeps an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion with the signed PDF as evidence of who signed and when.
Can I change the wording?
You fill in the blanks and choose the options on the setup page; optional clauses appear only when you fill them in. If you need different clauses, draft your own document and upload it to FileIt eSignature instead — you can still place the signature boxes in the editor.
Is this template free?
Yes. The template is free to use with the eSignature app in FileIt. Your client doesn't need a FileIt account to sign.