We wrote a few months back about the specific tasks that tradies can outsource to a VA. And while the list we came up with was far from exhaustive, it included the jobs that the Released team is most often assigned to do for our customers in trades.

Some of the tasks we do sound simple, but take an enormous load off the shoulders of a small trade business owner or sole trader. In this post, we’re highlighting something that falls in that category: answering phones.

Picking up a phone is not difficult or time-consuming, you might say. And you’d be right—but there’s more to it. What makes it tricky is the fact that there’s a person on the other end. A living, breathing customer or potential customer who comes with a request, an enquiry, a complaint, or some other kind of question that needs an answer. The way you communicate with them and attend to their needs will make a difference to your reputation.

So here are some of the specific things a VA can do under the broad umbrella of “answering phones” and how they will benefit a trade business.

Answering the phone consistently

While some clients and customers will happily leave a message on an answering machine, others will just hang up if they can’t get through to a person. The advantage of a VA is that they are not on the tools, never crawling under floors or climbing on roofs, and they are much more available than a tradie to actually pick up calls.

Actually being able to answer the phone, then, is one of the most significant and valuable ways a VA can help you with answering the phones. Having someone available to greet callers and help them with what they need is very valuable, and can see you procuring more new clients and keeping your current ones happier.

Providing top-notch customer service

The Released virtual assistants are experienced in providing friendly, professional service. Many tradies—and business owners in general—find that this is not necessarily their strong point.

All of the data shows that good customer service is key to getting new customers or clients and retaining the current ones. This global study from 2020 found that 91% of customers agreed that a positive customer service experience would make them more likely to make another purchase.

So if a tradie is better on the tools than on the phone, it makes sense to outsource that task to someone who will excel at it and grow the business and revenue. Released VA Laura reports that she often contacts customers when a tradie has been delayed—and we all know that things like that can happen frequently and unintentionally. A friendly voice to handle the situation is enormously valuable.

Booking jobs

Many calls received are enquiries from potential or past customers looking to book in a new job. A tradie who uses scheduling or job management software (like ServiceM8) will find it simple to give their VA access to their schedule. And once the pair are comfortable with each other and the system, and the VA is familiar with what different types of jobs entail, the task of scheduling can be handed over almost entirely.

Released VA Bronwyn has clients who are happy for her to book jobs—and this comes from trust and experience built over time. She also has those who prefer that she take all the details from a customer and pass the message along so they can schedule it themselves. Often, she will get back to the customer with the information, making the task as simple as possible for the tradie.

Bronwyn has also gained enough knowledge of her clients to develop a triage system for taking the calls of current or potential customers. She can determine whether a call is urgent enough to interrupt her tradie client or whether it can wait for them to respond to a message. She also requests pictures from some customers to aid the process of triage, quoting, and scheduling, and will provide callers with pricing information when relevant.

Outgoing calls

As well as answering phones, a virtual assistant can take care of outgoing calls and follow-up. This ensures a consistent and comprehensive customer service experience. It’s a task that often gets pushed aside for more urgent matters. Having a VA stay on top of it for you can greatly improve the reputation of your business.

Released VA Laura reports that a lot of her phone-related tasks involve following up with customers; calling them to inform them of quotes, confirm bookings, and check in after a job. Customers are appreciative of the friendly and professional communication.

Having a VA to answer calls and handle phone communication takes a significant task off a tradie’s plate. It’s often a dreaded chore, but good communication with customers is crucial to a successful business.