For skilled trades offering emergency repair services, rushed late-night calls come with the territory. Plumbers, for example, get that stopping leaks, and fixing fixtures cannot wait until 9-to-5. Nevertheless, smaller operations struggle to manage after-hour calls without stretching staff too thin. That’s why more independent contractors are embracing 24/7 plumbing answering services like Apello. With round-the-clock call management in place, smaller operations can deliver responsive after-hour assistance on par with major corporations.
The Trouble with DIY After-Hours Coverage
Before partnering with an answering service, many contractors attempt handling off-hour calls in-house. Typically, this involves:
- Forwarding calls to an owner’s mobile phone.
- Arranging an on-call rotation between staffers.
- Posting an after-hour cell number on websites/invoices.
Unfortunately, these tactics frequently fail. Calls still slip through the cracks. Technicians endure interrupted sleep to personally field overnight calls. And if no one can take a call, there’s zero recourse until the next business day. This leads to damaging consequences, such as:
- Missed Emergency Calls: Leaving distressed callers stranded overnight destroys goodwill and repeat business. These clients will immediately call competitors instead.
- Technician Burnout: Constant middle-of-the-night calls contribute to quick fatigue, and overtired techs do sloppy repairs or quit entirely.
- Negative Reviews Spread: Angry onetime-customers share their frustrations across review sites. Just a few bad reviews mean losing community trust.
Implementing an Answering Service
To prevent after-hour troubles, smart contractors integrate answering services. These specialized call centers offer trained agents, tailored features and reliable overnight coverage. Popular perks include:
- 24/7 Live Support: Humans always answer. Calls never reach voicemail or go unreturned.
- Rapid Response: Many services boast sub-five-ring answer times. This prevents callers from hanging up and speed dials a competitor.
- Local Agents: Regional call centers recruit local reps. Familiar accents establish trust and credibility out the gate.
When correctly implemented, answering services transform after-hour headaches into opportunities through:
- Boosting Billable Hours: More captured calls means technicians log more overnight repairs. After-hour premiums translate into 20-30% revenue lifts.
- Winning Community Goodwill: Quick assistance, even late on Sundays, shows communities small businesses also offer big-company reliability.
- Increasing First-Time Closings: Answered emergency calls often convert to first-time customers. Nearly 40% of late-night callers hire contractors for larger projects down the road.
- Cultivating 5-Star Reviews: Flawless overnight experiences leave customers eager to praise contractors across Google, Facebook and more.
Best Practices for Implementation
Following key strategies helps contractors maximize answering service success:
- Provide Detailed Information: Supply agents with specific repair capabilities, pricing, certifications and bios. This allows proper lead qualification and quotes.
- Define Service Limitations: Be explicit regarding what answering reps should and should not handle. For example, certain complex diagnostics or replacements may be off the table.
- Establish Clear Procedures: Map out exact protocols for taking different service requests, documenting details or dispatching technicians after-midnight.
- Set Distinct Call Flows: Customize call handling instructions for each offered service. Make each unique regarding hold music, greetings and intake questions.
- Listen to Calls: Periodically evaluating recordings ensures representatives follow outlined processes. This also identifies areas for improvement.
- Offer Regular Training: As service menus grow or change, train reps on the latest details. Yearly refreshers also sharpen expertise.
- Respond ASAP: When an inquiry comes in, technicians must call back immediately, even at 2 a.m. This prevents losing callers to 24-hour competitors.
Conclusion
In the skilled trades world, roadblocking middle-of-the-night repairs risks hordes of negative reviews and fleeing customers. With a trusted plumbing answering service as an ally, small contractors seamlessly deliver 24/7 assistance on par with national chains. They never miss another call, give outstanding first impressions and skyrocket overnight profits. Ultimately, the round-the-clock availability these services facilitate is what keeps community trust earned.
