Guide

Answering calls when you are on the tools

You cannot answer the phone with your hands in a boiler, and the person ringing will not leave a message. They will ring the next result instead. Every trade has this problem and there are only a few honest ways around it.

Set aside call back times

Two fixed slots a day, say lunchtime and half four, and you clear every missed call. It is not instant but it is consistent, and consistency beats good intentions.

Put those times in your voicemail message so people know when to expect you.

Make the voicemail useful

A default network greeting gets hung up on. A short recorded message with your name, the fact that you are on site and when you will ring back keeps people waiting.

Mention that they can text or message instead. Plenty will.

Offer a way that is not a phone call

A WhatsApp button and a short form on the site catch the people who would never leave a voicemail, and they can send a photo while they are at it.

Those enquiries land quietly and you deal with them in the van rather than on a ladder.

An automatic reply buys you time

A text back saying you are on a job and will ring within a couple of hours stops most people ringing the next number. It costs nothing and it works.

The same idea can answer the basic questions on your website while you are unavailable. We build that for clients who want it, and it is only worth doing if it hands over to a real person properly.

When to get help

Once missed calls are costing you real jobs every week, a call answering service or taking someone on to handle the phone usually pays for itself. Work out what one lost job is worth before you dismiss it.

Common questions

Do most people leave a voicemail?

Very few. Most ring the next business on the list, which is why a quick text back matters so much.

Is a chatbot worth it for a small trade?

Only if it answers real questions and passes people to you cleanly. A bad one costs you enquiries rather than saving them.

Where to go next

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