Is an Answering Service Right for Your Plumbing Company?

Plumbing is a surprisingly people-oriented business, especially for smaller companies. You likely rely on developing close relationships with your customers to build trust to ensure repeat calls. Of course, it's hard to maintain that personal touch all by yourself when growing and expanding your business. Hiring a dedicated receptionist may also be a challenge if you use your home and your truck as your offices.

Fortunately, an answering service can fill in some of these gaps and allow you to focus on the core aspects of your business. A good phone service company can be an excellent fit for businesses of any size, and this solution can work well even if you want to maintain your image as a small, local tradesperson. Keep reading to learn four ways an answering service might be right for you.

1. Improved Professionalism

There's often a fine line between providing a personal touch and appearing unprofessional. You may have developed a rapport with your regular clients, but new customers may not know what to expect. Even if you're confident in your phone skills, missed calls can be just as damaging to first impressions as an unprofessional attitude.

Answering services can solve both problems for your company. Professional operators will greet new customers, take their information, and provide answers to basic questions, even if you're unavailable. Since there's always someone to answer the phone, you won't need to worry about missing out on potential business while you're on another job or enjoying time with your family.

2. Emergency Call Screening

Emergency calls are potentially lucrative, but they can also be frustrating. Unfortunately, customers can't always judge the severity of a plumbing problem on their own. Answering a call at 2 AM for a clogged sink is never any fun, especially when you're only telling the customer that their problem can wait until morning.

With an answering service, you don't need to worry about emergency calls coming in at strange hours. Your operators can use screening questions to rule out minor issues and schedule those customers for an appointment during regular business hours. As a result, you can get more sleep while still making yourself available for genuine emergencies at all times.

3. Reduced Administrative Needs

One of the many benefits of running a small contracting company is that you can often operate out of your home. This approach isn't just convenient, but it also means you can save on the expense of renting office space. Since you'll typically meet with clients in their own homes, maintaining a dedicated business front is rarely necessary.

Hiring additional administrative staff, such as a receptionist, can significantly change this situation and force you to upgrade to an office. Working with a remote answering service means there's no need to provide extra physical space for administrative needs. By taking this approach, you'll save money to invest in more essential aspects of your business.

4. Better Information and Improved Workflow

You're the expert, but that doesn't mean you don't make mistakes. You probably have a set of questions you ask any new customer about their problem, but it's easy to miss a handful of these when you're busy, in a rush, or just tired. Operators at an answering service can provide more consistency by taking down whatever information you need from potential clients.

Access to consistent information about each job can also improve your workflow. You'll have everything you need before you arrive, so you can immediately get to work solving your customer's problems. Less time spent collecting information means you can fit more jobs into your day, potentially improving your revenue.

If you're ready to grow your plumbing business, AnSer can provide professional and high-quality phone service to meet your needs. Give us a call today to select a service that will be a perfect match for your business.