If you run a home service or contracting business, your phone rings when you are least able to answer it: on a ladder, under a sink, in a crawl space, or driving between jobs. A homeowner with a problem often calls the next name on the list if nobody picks up. Here is how to find out how many calls you are missing, and simple ways to catch more of them without hiring a full-time office.
Step 1: Find out how many calls you miss
Most owners guess, and most guesses are low. Your phone carrier or business phone app usually keeps a call log. Look at the last four weeks and count:
- Calls that rang out with no answer.
- How many of those left a voicemail. Many callers do not.
- How long it took you to call back the ones you did return.
- What time of day the missed calls came in.
That last one often surprises people. Missed calls tend to bunch up at the same times: early morning, lunch, and late afternoon when you are finishing a job.
Step 2: Put a number on it
Take the missed calls that were likely new customers, not suppliers or spam. Multiply by how many of your new callers usually become jobs, and by your average job size. The answer is a rough monthly figure for what unanswered calls may be costing you. Use your own numbers, not industry averages. Your numbers are the ones that matter.
Step 3: Catch more calls
You do not need to do all of these. Pick the one that fits how you work:
- Text back missed callers automatically. Many phone systems can send a short text when a call is missed, such as “Sorry we missed you, we are on a job. What can we help with?” It keeps the conversation going until you can call.
- Make your voicemail useful. Say when you will call back, and offer a way to book or request a quote online.
- Set callback windows. Block fifteen minutes at lunch and at the end of the day to return every call. The sooner you call back, the more likely the caller has not hired someone else.
- Share the load. A family member, a part-time helper, or an answering service can cover your busiest hours.
- Let callers book or request a quote on their own. An online form or booking link on your website and Google listing catches people who would rather not leave a voicemail.
Step 4: Check that it worked
After a month, pull the same call log and compare. Fewer missed calls, faster callbacks and more booked jobs from the phone are the signs it is working. If one fix did not move the numbers, try the next one.
Where we come in
Answering, texting back, booking and following up on calls is one of the areas we build and support for Houston businesses, set up around how you already work. If you would like help finding the right fit, we are happy to talk it through, in person across northwest Houston or by video call anywhere else.