As Aussies swelter during an unexpected winter heatwave, air conditioning services companies in many parts of the country are experiencing a significant increase in enquiries.
With temperatures soaring 10C to 16C above the seasonal average – higher than 40C in some instances – homeowners and businesses are eager to improve comfort levels and ensure they’re prepared for the intense summer ahead. Especially given warnings that the heatwaves of spring and summer are only going to be hotter.
For the owners of tradie businesses specialising in air conditioning installation, maintenance and repairs, however, this early rush poses both opportunities and challenges.
In response to this unprecedented winter heatwave, air conditioning professionals are finding themselves inundated with calls earlier than usual. Instead of the usual springtime rush, the demand for air conditioning services is already peaking. That’s great for business … but only if leads are carefully handled.
Effectively managing the unseasonal spike in calls
If your phone line is busy when a prospective customer calls, your reception team is overwhelmed or no one is available to answer if someone phones out of hours, you’re unlikely maximising your lead potential. After all, every missed call can mean a lost lead – and a lost opportunity to grow your business.
And that’s the challenge: How do you effectively manage this surge in demand and capture as many leads as possible so your business can thrive?
You may be thinking about hiring more reception staff to cope with the influx, but there’s a far more cost-effective solution. And it’s more effective, too, because it allows calls to be answered – and leads captured – at any hour of the day, or night, including on weekends.
Why using a 24/7 call answering service makes sense
Whether you service residential, commercial or industrial clients, a reliable live call answering service can be invaluable in giving you the edge over your competitors. It allows you to manage fluctuating or high call volumes without the overheads of recruiting, training and paying extra staff.
Many tradie businesses, including air conditioning service providers, already rely on OfficeHQ’s team of virtual receptionists – real people who are remote-working, highly-trained professionals – to answer their calls around the clock, 365 days a year.
Others choose to use OfficeHQ temporarily, switching the service on only during periods of peak demand. Because our services are flexible, with no lock-in contact, it makes us the ideal solution for affordable short-term receptionist support.
Why continuing to answer calls yourself doesn’t make sense
Your phones are likely ringing off the hook during Australia’s sweltering summer months – and during heatwaves like we’ve been experiencing – with requests for emergency repairs and urgent installations of ventilation and air conditioning systems.
If you have only a small team, with no dedicated receptionist, you may be working on the tools yourself. If you’re trying to juggle jobs and answering phone calls to your business number, what happens when you’re halfway through a priority job – or up a ladder – when the phone rings?
At any time of year that’s likely hurting your business, especially as most Australians hate leaving voicemail and will likely instead hang up and straight away dial a competitor.
But if it’s happening a lot in the summertime – or during a heatwave – it’s very likely going to be very detrimental. Lots of lost revenue.
Even if you have a full-time receptionist to answer calls, what happens if there’s multiple calls to your number at the same time? Or if someone calls when your receptionist is at lunch, in the toilet, off sick, on holiday – or outside their rostered hours? More leads lost.
A dedicated tradie answering service can ensure more calls are answered, promptly and professionally, no matter how busy things get and regardless of the time of day. It’s a flexible, cost-effective alternative to hiring additional staff, avoiding the financial and logistical burden that comes with expanding your in-house team.
A seamless extension of your team
OfficeHQ offers a range of call answering solutions that can support tradie businesses in managing phone calls, helping to capture leads and convert enquiries into booked jobs.
Key features of OfficeHQ’s call answering solutions include:
- Swift answering: We pride ourselves on answering calls fast, with our average speed of answer less than 10 seconds – essentially meaning we typically pick up your calls within a few rings.
- Seamless call handling: Our remote-working receptionists answer each call in your business name, in a friendly manner and with your preferred greeting, ensuring your customers feel valued from the first point of contact.
- Helpful interactions: Have can answer common questions, such as about your service area or call-out fees.
- Job scheduling: We can qualify leads for installation, maintenance or repair jobs, then book them directly into your preferred online calendar.
- Prompt message delivery: Caller details and messages are recorded accurately, then delivered to you immediately at the end of each call.
- Overflow call management: If you want us to only answer the calls you can’t, you can have calls divert to our virtual receptionists after a certain number of rings – rather than having all calls come to us.
- 24/7 availability: We can help ensure your business is always open to opportunity – including emergency callouts – even when your office is closed or you’ve turned in for the night. This round-the-clock availability ensures you never miss a lead, no matter when the call comes in.
- Escalation of urgent calls: Depending on your requirements, we can route urgent calls – including after-hours emergency repair requests – to you or your on-call technicians.
The easy way to avoid feeling the heat in the AC industry
The unexpected winter heatwave in Australia may have led to an early surge in demand for air conditioning services and placed pressure on you or your staff – especially if you’re operating in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia or the Northern Territory – but there’s no need for you to get hot under the collar.
By partnering with OfficeHQ now, you can effectively manage the increased call volume during the current heatwave and the sweltering summer months ahead, capture more leads and ensure your business continues to thrive.
With our professional answering service, you can focus on delivering top-notch service to your customers, confident that your incoming enquiries are being handled with care.
Want to put us to the test before committing? No worries! We offer a 100% no-obligation, 7-day answering service free trial – and you don’t even need to provide your credit card when signing up.
