This depends on the needs of your business, your audience, and budget. For a small business, the costs of a live receptionist will greatly outweigh the benefits. If your business gets lots of calls that may be easily categorized, and have agents that can fill in on tasks like scheduling, then a virtual receptionist is the preferred option. A live receptionist, on the other hand, is an option for companies where you need the attendant to handle not just call routing but manual tasks like appointment scheduling, follow-up with partners and clients, etc. – much like a secretary would do.