A plumbing answering service may not be the first thing you think of when someone mentions live answering services. And yet, plumbers benefit from the service as much as any other type of business owner. Perhaps even more so, given the nature of residential and commercial plumbing.
Are you a plumbing contractor? And if so, do you already utilize an answering service? We ask simply because working with a plumbing answering service can be good or bad. It is good when the service meets your needs. It’s better when the service goes above and beyond. Answering services that do not meet your needs are an obvious no-go.
Let us cut to the chase and get to the main question. Does your answering service do these key things:
1. Gather Information Efficiently
Information is key for any type of answering service. The information receptionists gather determines how the call is managed. The information also determines how a plumber responds. So if information isn’t gathered efficiently, problems could arise. The same goes when information is inaccurate or incomplete.
In order to respond correctly, a plumber needs to know the nature of each and every call. Calls for service should generate a plethora of information, including the specific nature of the job, whether the job constitutes an emergency, and the caller’s name, address, and contact information.
2. Handle Emergency Calls
Your typical plumber gets their fair share of emergency calls. A caller could have a problem with a leak. A call could involve burst pipes, a clogged sink, or even a broken toilet. It is an operator’s job to assess the urgency of each request and then prioritize calls accordingly. If your answering service isn’t capable of such a fundamental form of call management, perhaps it is time to look for a new service provider.
3. Offer Preliminary Advice
A good plumbing answering service is staffed by trained professionals capable of offering preliminary advice. In the event of what seems to be an emergency, the right advice can help mitigate immediate issues. For example, a receptionist should be able to walk a customer through the basic process of turning off the main water supply in the event of a leak.
Not being able to offer preliminary advice relegates an answering service to little more than taking down messages and forwarding them. In the midst of a plumbing emergency, that’s not good enough for callers.
4. Reassure Anxious Callers
As a plumber, you know that your customers are sometimes anxious. It is understandable. We all get anxious when dealing with things we know very little about. But again, it really helps if your receptionists are skilled in reassuring anxious callers. Operators that can provide a bit of empathy along with sound advice can calm callers down, thereby allowing themselves the opportunity to do a better job assessing the nature of a call and then responding accordingly.
5. Communicate Quickly
Finally, does your answering service communicate with you quickly enough for your liking? This is a big one when you consider that most of the calls coming into a plumber’s office are related to service work customers want done yesterday. Many of those calls are emergency calls requiring the answering service to get in touch with the plumber as quickly as possible.
Apello offers live answering services to plumbers. In fact, we provide service to all sorts of home repair contractors. Whether you are a plumber, an electrician, an HVAC specialist, or any other type of trades person, we have customizable services that can truly make a difference in the way you handle incoming calls.
