Tips for improving phone calls between home-service contractors, staff and customers

Good communication is the foundation of any business, and this is especially true for anyone running a home-service company. It’s hard to schedule work, order materials, keep customers updated and do marketing for new work if you can’t effectively communicate. So while there may be a lot of tips for home improvement contractors, there is none better than being an effective communicator.

The phone call is still one of the most essential tools for service providers, like general contractors, landscapers, painters, cleaning professionals, plumbers and lawn care workers. Being able to field calls efficiently and successfully will undoubtedly be a big help to your business.

In this blog, we’ll go over what makes for an effective phone call and how you can take your calls to the next level. Ready to start?

What is an effective phone call in the contracting world?

The answer boils down to effective, clear communication at every step of your projects, and the best way to do that is with a phone call. Any call that clearly outlines what’s happening and leaves the customer satisfied is a successful phone call.

Effective phone calls mean your customer has the information to make the best decision for their situation. A satisfied customer is a happy customer, and a happy customer is willing to spread the word among their friends. This is an ideal (and easy) way to gain new business.

How can you make contracting calls more effective?

Clear, friendly communication is the key. You have to relay information in a way your client will understand, and you need to be calm and caring as they process what you are telling them. If you’re negotiating price, give them all relevant information in a concise way and use terms the average person will understand. Remember that this job is probably routine for you, but it could be something your client has no experience with, so be patient.

It’s perfectly OK for them to get cold feet or feel anxious at different steps along the way. Using empathy and clearly outlining what every step and possible decision means will go a long way. If you sense they’re concerned about prices, be prepared to suggest alternative solutions to keep costs aligned with their budget.

Be respectful of your customers’ time, as well as your own, by keeping conversations focused on business matters. No need to chitchat about the weather, unless of course it threatens to blow your work schedule off track.

And, if a customer asks questions that you can’t answer, don’t wing it. Be clear that you don’t know, but that you’ll do your best to find the answers and get back to them as soon as you can. Make a note to follow up in a day or two, even if it’s just to say you need a little more time to research.

Make great phone calls part of your work culture

Great phone calls and great communication are a pillar of any successful business.

Whether you’re part of a larger home-service company or are on your own, make sure excellent phone skills are part of every interaction. Prepare some quick talking points or introductory scripts, so you and your team are prepared when new clients call. Share exactly what services you provide and be willing to point callers to testimonials from satisfied customers. This consistent storytelling can help you stand out for new clients.

When you’re dealing with current or regular clients, you simply need to be able to practice proper communication on the phone. Avoid sounding like you’re too busy during your phone calls with clients. Keep paper rustling and other noises to a minimum. Contractors tend to be out of the office a lot—working in a home, picking up materials, or meeting with potential customers—so maintaining a professional presence on the go is essential. Make every caller feel like they’re valued.

If you’re expanding staff, create training documents so that everyone who speaks with customers knows how important it is to present a unified front. When your communication is consistent, it helps your business appear professional.

How to take phone calls to the next level

Clearly communicating over the phone is a great first step, but there are additional tools you can use to improve how you handle phone calls. This can make your clients feel better cared for.

Specifically, you can take advantage of technology to up your game. A VoIP phone system offers many advanced business features to not only train your staff, but also foster effective phone calls with clients. Here are some of the many tools available in Ooma Office:

Integrate your phone system with Jobber

When placing or receiving calls using the Jobber integration on the Ooma Office desktop app, you’ll see a Call Pop—a window on your screen with details about the caller. Think of it as a super-charged caller ID. In addition to name and phone number, the Call Pop pulls information from your Jobber database, including quotes, requests, past jobs and balances. There’s even a form where you can enter call notes. This integration helps your team stay on top of jobs and capture important details for billing purposes.

Record calls for training

Use Call Recording to better train your staff. You can record calls to review later, allowing you to hear how your staff communicates with clients, take notes and circle back with tips from real situations so they can diffuse difficult situations, calm nerves, educate and offer support. Call recordings can also be a good way to keep track of exactly what services are ordered by customers.

Don’t leave callers hanging

If you’re busy and you don’t want your customers left hanging, Virtual Receptionist has your back. You can set it up to answer basic questions, like hours of operations. You can even create a call tree to quickly route your clients to the right staff member.

Stay connected on the go

Taking a vacation? No worries. With Ooma Office, you can stay connected to your customers no matter where you are. Turn your computer into a powerful phone with the Ooma Office desktop app, and stay connected to your business on the go with the Ooma Office mobile app.

Reduce call waiting time

Want your customers to have their phone calls answered quicker? With Multi-Ring, you can have phone calls ring on multiple phones and devices at the same time, allowing the first available person to answer and provide help.

Send important documents with eFax

Faxing is still a common method of communication for many businesses. With VoIP technology, you no longer have to own a physical fax machine to send and receive a Virtual Fax, aka eFax. It’s possible to fax with just a couple taps. A Virtual Fax is stored in the cloud, so you can access it wherever you have an internet connection. Pretty handy when you’re at the hardware store wondering if you have everything you need to complete that punch list a client faxed over last week.

Help clients reach you on busy days

Prepare for those times when you expect business to pick up, like the days following a big storm, or spring when clients want to get their homes ready for selling. Call Queuing lets you create a simple call center that automatically places callers in a virtual waiting room that can be enhanced with recorded announcements until a staff member is available to answer their questions.

Add some video to your communication toolbox

You don’t need to limit your communication to one-on-one phone calls. With audio conference calls and videoconferencing, you can assemble your entire staff together to discuss projects—no matter where they are. You can even make quick video calls with your clients if one of you is out of town.

You’re ready to improve your phone calls

Now that you’ve got the basics down, you’re ready to begin making more effective phone calls between you, your staff and customers. Start an action plan and implement some of the ideas and strategies we’ve talked about here. If you need an advanced, affordable business phone system to take you to the next level, Ooma Office can help.