Outline
Introduction – How To Answer Every Call
Running a residential service business means you want the phone to never stop ringing—but that doesn’t mean you have to be glued to it 24/7. An after-hours answering system ensures that every call gets a friendly, professional response, even when you or your staff are off the clock. Whether you’re a solo operator or managing a growing team, having trained remote workers handle those after-hours calls can protect your revenue, improve customer satisfaction, and give you the downtime you deserve.
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Beware After-Hours Answering On Your Mobile
I’ve been (unjustly) accused of being a bit OCD in my Home Services business!🙄 And yes, too often I was guilty as charged when it came to me personally falling into the trap of after-hours answering incoming calls on my business line at home. Gulp!
Steve’s Embarrassing Confession: Even after we were grossing almost $2,000,000.00+ yearly I STILL was answering my business lines… even at home 24-7! In fact, (GULP!😲) I STILL kept on doing this AFTER I sold our company. That’s when my dear wife Sioux blew up! (Hopefully she won’t get mad again reading this- 30 years later!)😡
Sure, you should focus on your business phone. After all, every missed/mishandled call can literally cost you many 1,000’s of dollars in downstream income. But eventually I realized that not every call needed to be answered by me (or any business owner) personally! Instead…
All Important After-Hours Answering Protocol
Create phone systems to close every incoming call by a trained individual. (NOT by you!)
This concept is especially important for you Lone Wolf solo operators. Be honest here- you can NOT focus on closing a big residential job while bouncing down I-70 in heavy traffic.😲 And don’t even think of taking other calls while working in your current client’s home! (Homeowners hate this!)😡 Plus you (and your family) deserve some down time too!💖
NOTE: Do you own a larger company with a dedicated phone staff? CONGRATULATIONS!👍 But even so you likely need after-hours resources to book incoming calls and/or dispatch emergency on-call crews. So keep reading…
Follow these steps to build a robust backup salesforce for incoming calls that can’t be answered by regular staff (or by you personally):
1. Recruit remote workers for your backup phone staff.
Focus on a) availability, b) reliability and c) a cheerful personality as your main hiring criteria. Re: “availability” consider stay-at-home parents, retired folks, home-bound disabled people, etc. As long as they also display traits “b” and “c” they may be perfect. Even better, these candidates will often lust after the remote-work position you’re offering!
HINT: During your over-the phone or Zoom pre-application interview be sure to find out the days and times each remote worker candidate can routinely be available.
2. Pay these folks a small, weekly base compensation.
They agree to be available during certain days and hours. However, even when “on duty” (if the phone doesn’t ring) they continue enjoying their normal at-home activities.😉 HINT: Bonus your backup phone staff for each job they book plus an extra spiff for any Additional Service Options they close.
3. Structure your remote workers’ responses by giving them varied Phone Formats.
Honestly? I’m not a fan of the phrase “phone script”.👎 After all, none of us enjoy being robots spitting out canned phrases! However…
All your workers need (and will super appreciate)😊 “Service Engineered” outlines to structure and “format” their conversation with homeowners. (Including how to give callers the “Illusion of Control”.)
RESOURCE: You’ll receive these pre-done “Phone Formats” in our 3 hour, online Winning over your caller! seminar. Click HERE for 100’s of ‘Lead Conversion’ ideas and systems to easily book prospects who use text, email, Facebook, website chat or even… the phone!
4. Train your off-site staff how to schedule jobs online.
They also need to know how to communicate with you, their supervisors and/or how to pass on job details to your in-home workers. HINT: For scheduling use industry-specific Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems or free cloud-based options like Google Calendar.
Now, don’t you have some remote workers to recruit for your back-up phone duties? And/or sign them up for an online “Winning over your caller!” seminar?)
Summary – All-Hours Answering For The Win
Investing in after-hours answering support is one of the smartest moves you can make to grow your home service business without burning out. By building a team of reliable remote call handlers, you’ll never miss another opportunity—day or night. Your customers get the quick response they expect, and you get peace of mind (and a life outside the phone!). It’s a win-win for your business, your clients, and your sanity.