You are up a ladder. A call comes in, then a quote form. You cannot answer either. The customer hears nothing.
A 2011 Harvard Business Review study looked at 2,241 US companies. SmartCompany reported it. It found 23% never replied to a web enquiry at all. It is old, US, and not about tradies.
This post gives you seven things to set up once. After that, a message can go out by itself while you work. You need your phone. For some you also need a job app.
What it is: A reply that goes back by itself when a quote form comes in.
Why it pays: People like to know their form went through. A UK government design standard says to tell people what happens next and when. That is a design rule, not a test. It does not replace your call.
What to do: Try: "Hi, it's (your name) from (your business). Got your quote form. I'll call you". Ask whoever runs your site to turn it on. Do not promise a time you may not keep.
What it is: A check that your phone lets new customers ring.
Why it pays: You may have turned on a setting to stop scam calls. It can also send every number you have not saved to voicemail, with no ring. A new customer is a number you have not saved. A phone maker's own help page lists three choices: ring, ask the caller why, or voicemail. That is a phone fact, not a test.
What to do: Look in your phone settings for how it treats unknown callers. Let new numbers ring. Ask a friend to ring from a number you have not saved. More scam calls can ring.
What it is: A text that goes out by itself when you miss a call.
Why it pays: Google Australia's 2017 guide has a line on this. "Consumers become frustrated if they have to wait for callbacks or responses". It is old. It was written to sell ads. It does not test a missed-call text. A firm that sells business texting surveyed 1,004 people in the US and Australia in 2021. People said they were more likely to answer texts from real people than automatic ones.
What to do: Try: "Hi, it's (your name) from (your business). I missed your call. I'll call you back". You do not need to name a time. Your phone may not do this by itself. A business phone service or a call app can, so ask your phone provider what they offer. Keep it free of offers and links.
What it is: A text the day before a booked job.
Why it pays: A Cochrane review in 2013 found eight trials with 6,615 people. Text reminders raised attendance compared with no reminder. The authors rate it low to moderate, and it is about health visits. A 2013 survey of 1,730 people found 35 per cent said waiting for tradies to arrive was the worst part.
What to do: Try: "Hi, it's (your name) from (your business). See you tomorrow, between 8 and 10. Reply if you need to change it". A job app can text the customer about tomorrow's job, on some plans. Give a time window you can keep.
What it is: An automatic reply to your Facebook page inbox when you are off.
Why it pays: Some people message when they get home, not when you are free. An away message tells them you got it. It costs nothing. No study of away messages was found. This fix rests on the feature being free, not on proof that it wins work.
What to do: Pick the hours you are off. Try: "Hi, it's (your name) from (your business). Got your message. I'll reply soon". The menu names may differ on your page. The away message is not an answer. You still have to reply.
What it is: A check-in that goes out a few days after a quote.
Why it pays: A quote can get buried because people are busy. A check-in that goes by itself means none gets forgotten. No test of the best gap was found, and none on whether customers like an automatic check-in.
What to do: A job app can send quote reminders by text or email, on some plans. Check that yours stops when the customer replies or accepts. Try: "Hi, it's (your name) from (your business). Any questions about your quote?" One or two check-ins is plenty.
What it is: A text with your review link, sent once a job is done or paid.
Why it pays: Google suggests giving customers a link or a QR code to leave a review. That is Google's own advice, not a test. Two field tests covered over 300,000 online shoppers in South Korea. They found asking too soon was not the best plan. That is about online orders, not tradies.
What to do: A job app can send a review request by text or email once the job is done or paid, on some plans. Google gives you the review link to put in it. Offer nothing for a review, and do not tell them what to write.
You now know seven things your phone or a job app can do while you work, and what is known about each. Most of the evidence is old, small or from another field. It is advice, not a promise. Setting it up is the hard part. The free guide has all seven, with the exact words to try and a list to tick under each. The last page has all seven on one sheet. Set up one fix a day.
Sources: A Harvard Business Review study, as reported by SmartCompany. A UK government design standard. A phone maker's own help page. Google Australia. A 2021 texting survey, as reported by Small Business Trends. A Cochrane review on text reminders for health appointments. A 2013 survey of 1,730 people, as reported by Inside Retail. Google. A 2023 press release on two field tests in South Korea.
