Every Call Counts: 7 Tips for Better Call Handling in Home Services

20 seconds. That's how long, on average, it takes for someone calling a home service company to hang up if they aren't quickly connected to an operator or given clear guidance on wait times. Every missed call means potential revenue left on the table.

At Goodzer, we've generated almost one million call leads for home service companies, giving us unique visibility into how various businesses handle incoming calls. Here are some important points to consider:

• Make sure you're tracking your dropped call rate. Without measuring it, deliberate improvements are impossible. Always A/B test changes before implementing them widely.
• Assume callers might already be frustrated from previous calls to other companies with cumbersome phone systems. Don't add to their irritation.
• A complex IVR system may make sense to you but can be confusing or annoying to potential customers. "Please listen carefully as our options have changed" — yeah, they always do.
• AI answering systems have gotten much better with LLMs, but many people end calls as soon as they realize they are not talking to a real person. It will take time for this technology to become widely acceptable. In the meantime, if you are using AI, make sure you've done your cost/benefit analysis taking dropped calls into account.
• Overflow and after-hours call centers can be a great asset, but the calls need to be forwarded quickly, and the operators must be able to handle calls well enough given their limited knowledge of your company and limited authority.
• Many home service requests are urgent; even if you call back on missed calls quickly, chances are the caller is already setting up an appointment with your competitor.
• If you run a small operation and receive calls on your call phone, make sure your cellular provider doesn't mark legitimate calls as spam. Some providers' filtering has a high rate of false positives.

Before you can optimize how you handle calls, you first need your phone to ring — and that's where Goodzer can help.