[Mike Halliday]

I'm thinking of returning to the old fashioned answermachine at home, anyone still use one?

Some days I get sick of answering my phone especially now I do a lot of exterior work, i’m Often on a roof or up a ladder and  I have to climb down go to the van get my diary, then I get started again and it rings again.

I know I shouldn’t moan about people calling me with work but I think I could just let everything go to an  answer phone and call them when I get home. I might loose the odd job who calls someone else when I don’t answer but I don’t book work over the phone,  so if they booked someone else they were not my type of job anyhow.

Also I often don’t hear my phone ring so it goes to the mobile  ansaphone anyhow.

[scott johns]

hi mike
I have returned to answere phone 4 years ago as I use to reverse my calls and like yourself
was having to stop every 30 mins to take the call and half of them where someone trying to sell you
something. I lose the odd jobs as they don't leave a message but we all know these are prob time wasters anyway I much prefer coming home and replying so I am focused on there cleaning needs and not on the job im working on.
best of luck

[Glynn]

Buisness men are you ?.

[Cleanevangelist]

Mike

option one use a service. many carpet cleaning franchises use these services. I have in the past and as long as they deal with other carpet cleaners you will be fine. they do all the booking and its really professional.

option two, use a email capture on your site. big advantage here is that people really dont want the sales pitch so like using this way of getting quotes. the advantage to you is email marketing. you know you get those advert that follow you around the web, it works just like that. you have to have a offer with exp date, does not have to money off.

just think if you have every prospect and customers email how you can keep in contact on a regular basis, not in a spam way just regular.

email is under rated and under used. second best to phone numbers. also keep all customers email and numbers in google contacts, which you can edit online and syncs with android phones.

The reason is that google and facebook (if you have the app on your phone) can then see you are connected with these people and you have a much higher chance of them presenting your stuff to them when they start to talk or search for services you provide.

The reason i say this is because as you know you are not wasting your time on the phone and selling to old customers is just easier.

Hope That Helps

Ian Harper

[Robin Ray]

Trying to answer the phone while a machine is running and you have disposable gloves on is a nightmare. Trying to look at the diary on the same phone while you walk out to turn the machine off, while the customer whose home you are at asks you if you would like a cup of tea because you have turned the machine off, while the customer on the phone tries to describe what they want to have cleaned, is also a nightmare, and quite possibly unprofessional. I think that for the discerning businessman the answer machine has its place.

[dan paton]

You thought about a call answering service  Mike ? My missus works for one and they have quite a number of cleaning companies so it cant be that dear. I dont use them but it might suit you.

[Mike Halliday]

Dan I did use a company once when I went on holiday but wasn’t that Impressed.

I’ve been using the answer machine for a week and it’s worked well, i’m Not constantly stopping during the day and can concentrate on my work. The machine picks up every number so no one gets away, those that don’t leave a message still get called back and I  just say I missed their call and do they still require my services.

I either call them back at lunchtime if I go home or when I get home at the end of the day