Home repairs and emergencies rarely arrive at a convenient time.
The air conditioner unit broke down in the middle of summer. A pipe burst during a bitter cold snap, and water is flooding the basement. The power is flaky and causing issues.
When an urgent need arises, a homeowner will call as many companies as it takes to get someone to answer.
The company that answers first is more likely to win the customer, along with future referrals and service calls.
Why missed calls can cost home service businesses real revenue
Home service businesses and local contractors know the value of answering the phone. Callers for home service contractors are often reaching out:
- After-hours
- On weekends and holidays
- During extreme temperatures
- Following weather events
Customers want to get in touch with you, but that is not always easy. According to Invoca’s research on home service lead conversion benchmarks, if a homeowner calls seven plumbing companies, about four of those calls may actually reach a person. Of those answered calls, about one or two may represent a real lead opportunity.
The business that answers the phone and delivers a positive customer experience has the best chance of booking the work. Answering more calls means turning those percentages in your favor.
From a home service company’s perspective, missing a call means missing revenue. To maintain our plumbing example, Angi estimates that professional plumbing services commonly cost $182 to $501, with most homeowners paying about $341. If your plumbing company misses three real job opportunities in a day, that could represent roughly $546 to $1,503 in work — that is before factoring in repeat business, referrals or future maintenance calls.
Practical reason home service businesses miss calls
Answering the phone can be a challenge for home service businesses, however, as many teams are hands-on in the field, taking care of other customers’ needs. It’s hard to answer a potential customer while working in someone’s crawl space or attic.
Beyond taking calls, many owner-operators also manage admin tasks and work on job sites. Limited staff, seasonal spikes, weather events and after-hours calls all add to that challenge.
How can home service companies manage to provide quality service and adequate phone coverage at the same time?
Create simple call coverage plan
A simple call coverage plan may look different for every business, but some universal principles will make it effective regardless of how it’s implemented.
- Define what classifies as “urgent.”
- Figure out the chain of command. Who needs to be notified when a potential customer calls?
- What is the base information that must be collected from every customer?
- Decide a time frame for how quickly calls should be returned. Even if you missed the initial call, a timely follow-up can still turn into a booked job.
- Create a game plan for what happens when calls come in after hours or when your team is in the field. You may use a virtual assistant, set up call-forwarding software, or hire a live call-answering team — but have a plan in place ahead of time.
- Define how messages are documented and followed up on, and train all call staff.
Make a plan, take the calls
Home service businesses work hard and often meet urgent needs. No matter how your home service business handles calls, planning for when no one can pick up the phone increases your business opportunities and elevates your business’s reputation in the community.
