Not an owner, but I build call handling for service businesses, so here’s what holds up once winter hits.
SCREEN FIRST: Your greeting asks one thing: Press 1 if you have no heat, a burst pipe, or you’re locked out. Press 2 for anything else. Press 1 rings the on-call tech. Press 2 gets an automatic text and a callback in the morning. This cuts most of the 2am calls that could wait.
VOICEMAIL THAT SETS A TIME: Thanks for calling. If this is an emergency, press 1 and our on-call tech will answer. If it can wait, leave your name and address and we’ll call you back before 9am.Callers who know when to expect you don’t dial the next company.
FAIR ROTATION: Weekly shifts, one person on call, one backup. If the on-call tech doesn’t pick up within 3 rings, it rolls to the backup. Pay a flat on-call fee per night plus the job, because unpaid on-call makes people quit. Nobody goes on call two weeks in a row.
TEXT EVERY MISSED CALL: Sorry we missed you. Is this an emergency? Reply with your address and what’s happening. Their reply tells you in 10 seconds whether to get up or sleep.
PRICE EMERGENCIES AS EMERGENCIES: After-hours calls are the jobs that actually pay, so charge a separate after-hours rate and say it up front.
What costs you more right now: emergencies you miss, or being woken for things that could wait? SamAshborn
