Plumbers, electricians, security businesses, health care providers, IT support, towing, or roadside assistance. They all have something in common – to stay competitive, they must be contactable 24/7. It’s a great strategy – always be available so your customers know they can rely on you.
You can get clever with business call diversion services, answer phone services, and even voicemails, but the examples below explain why one or all these combined might still not answer a sole trader’s needs.
There was an electrician, and starting up a business on his own, he decided to get his van sign-written to get more visibility while he was out and about. It worked well for a while. Until he started noticing some trends. Because he was 24/7, he’d get a call in the middle of the night. Once he explained that there would be an after-hours call-out fee (standard for many trades), the customer would often change their mind and wait until daylight.
Great, he had a new customer. Sigh, another night of broken sleep.
A plumber decided to go out and start a business with a friend – and they had been going successfully for about a year – so they chose to celebrate with a holiday each and she was going to Fiji. It was an exciting goal to work towards, get stuff done now so she could relax later. But then it dawned on her, she’d have to either leave her phone behind so her business partner could answer her calls, or engage an answering service to forward them on, which would also mean missing out on any personal calls.
Great, an overseas holiday to enjoy. Sigh, no phone or must work whilst on holiday.
This time, a tow truck driver was looking to purchase a one-man-band business – a truck that came with an existing client base. However, he didn’t want to put his mobile number on the truck door; his phone was for personal use, but he did not want to carry two phones around.
Great, he’d found the business he wanted. Sigh, now two phones.
These are all scenarios that we come across regularly – and with Procall all sighs were eliminated. Yup – better sleep, real breaks, and keeping work and personal life separate!
We set up a message service for the electrician so that when someone called, they heard the following message. And this message would automatically turn on and off at specified times and on specified days. He never had to think about it again and we enabled him to sleep better which made his life better.
“Welcome to Smith Road Electrical. Unfortunately, you have called us after hours. We do offer an emergency call-out service. Our emergency call out charge is $425+gst which includes the first three hours of work. If your call is an emergency press 1. If you’d just like to leave a message press 2.”
For the plumber, when someone called their mobile number, we diverted it to someone else. She could continue using her phone on her holiday for personal use, and any business calls were looked after giving her the peace of mind to really enjoy her holiday.
And for the towie, we created an 0800 number that he could put on the side of his truck (easier for traffic to remember it too – 0800 TOW 4 YOU). When someone called that number, it would show up on an app on his phone – he could tell the difference between a work call and a personal one.
We don’t think it’s rocket science, but we keep finding these business owners and helping them to do business and life, better. And it won’t cost you the earth…
From as little as $10 plus GST per month, added onto whatever you currently pay for your mobile, you too can set up a message and diversion service.
And once an 0800 number is set up, you only pay for the calls that come in – between 5-19 cents per minute (depending on if it’s mobile or landline).Advertise with a landline or 0800 number rather than a mobile, but the calls still go to your mobile.
- Have a professional welcome message for your callers.
- Identify incoming calls on a mobile app as business vs personal.
- Keep your mobile number private on your outbound calls; use the business number instead.
- An after-hours message advises customers of emergency call-out fees. Callers are given the option to dial 1 to proceed or hold the line to leave a message.
- The after-hours message is automatically scheduled; you don’t have to turn it on and off.
- The messages automatically adjust for public holidays including regional anniversaries.
- Voicemail messages are emailed for easy access from his mobile.
There is no longer any requirement to navigate a complicated and frustrating voicemail menu system.
We are committed to helping reduce business costs by providing high-end communication solutions at the lowest possible cost. If you’d like to discuss how we can help your business, please phone 09 242 1234.