How a Virtual Receptionist Makes it Easier to Run Your Home Services Business
If you manage or own a company in the skilled trades, you know how hard it can be to keep up with everything that goes into completing jobs and running the business. Things are even harder when you’re trying to juggle answering the phone. You know those phone calls can’t go unanswered, either — they’re an important source of new leads.
Luckily, there’s there’s an affordable and flexible receptionist solution that contractors and tradespeople can use to make sure they never lose new business to a competitor: virtual receptionists. These professionals make running a home services business so much easier, and here’s how.
An affordable phone answering solution for builders, plumbers, HVAC techs, and other home services companies
Hiring a dedicated receptionist is expensive, and many small businesses don’t necessarily need their own receptionist. Whether you hire a full-time or part-time employee, you’re still responsible for hiring, training, benefits, and so much more.
Finding qualified tradespeople is hard enough in today’s competitive economy. With a virtual assistant, you don’t have to worry about finding the perfect fit or covering the overhead of another employee. The virtual office company that you partner with employs a team of receptionists who are already well-versed in phone etiquette, and they’ll get to know your business.
There are more perks than just ease of onboarding and low overhead, too. Here are some additional benefits to using a virtual receptionist in the trades:
Filter out calls
Every contractor knows how frustrating it can be to field unnecessary calls. Let a virtual receptionist handle responding to wrong numbers, refer out jobs that you immediately know aren’t a good fit, and other time wasters.
And while a virtual receptionist is a great tool for making sure you don’t lose new business, they’re also helpful for busy periods. If you’re an HVAC company who has a receptionist, send rollover calls to a virtual receptionist without missing an opportunity.
Screen and triage calls
Using a live receptionist, and not an automated machine, means that it’s easy to triage calls. For example, a plumber needs to know when an emergency call comes in, but not all calls are urgent. When an on-demand receptionist takes over the phones, they can seamlessly transfer emergency calls to the plumber or schedule appointments that sync with any tradesman's online calendar.
Don’t worry about sick leave, vacations, or other gaps in availability
A virtual receptionist answers every call that comes in. They’ll do sophisticated intake forms, asking the same questions a skilled tradesperson would, and send that info in the manner your business requests.
Impress potential leads
Everyone loves getting a real person on the line when they call about a service, and your target clients are no exception. Your virtual receptionist will field the caller's basic questions, get information about the job, and even provide a quote. They will get that appointment scheduled on the first contact.
Learn more about phone answering services for the trades
If you’re looking for help with phone answering, email, or chat monitoring for your home services business, get in touch with Intelligent Office today. We have a nationwide network of trained, professional virtual receptionists who can make running your business easier. Learn more here.
