We answer calls with our 1 human admin during the day. Occasionally we miss one, voicemail kicks in and we return the call as soon as we can - usually minutes after ending the previous call. We rarely miss a booking and we gain more customers as they are happy that its a human on the other end.
Out of hours calls, are monitored by a Director who will answer if available or it is left for voicemail and then called back if it is an emergency job (ie tree fallen on house/blocking road/etc) Otherwise they are left for admin when they arrive for work. And these calls are a priority.
The most usual response we get is 'its nice to talk to a human and not have to leave a message and then wait." Think this says a lot.
