Articles: Calls on the Job: What to Do With Just a Mobile

If you're a sole trader or run a small crew, your mobile is probably your only phone. It's your business number, your personal number and your camera for before-and-after photos. And it rings at the worst moments: when you're on a roof, under a sink or halfway through a switchboard. Handling calls on the job is one of the oldest problems in the trades, and there's a calm, simple way to deal with it.

The short version: when you can't talk, don't answer. Let the call go, and set your phone up so the people who ring still get a proper answer, and you only call back the ones that matter.

We're Call Assistant, an Australian AI receptionist and phone answering service. This article covers one habit that works well with it, and most of it applies to any setup where the calls you miss go somewhere useful.

Key takeaways

• Decline the calls you can't take properly, instead of answering with your hands full.
• Forward only when you're busy, don't answer or have no signal, so your phone still rings first.
• Test the forwarding from a second phone: decline, let it ring out, and switch the phone off.
• Read the email after each call, and call back the urgent ones first.
• Tell your receptionist what counts as urgent, so those calls can ring through during your hours.

Calls on the job: why answering is the wrong move

Most of us feel we should pick up. A ringing phone might be a job. But answering a call with a drill in one hand and a mouth full of dust usually goes badly for everyone:

• You miss the details. You can't write anything down, so the suburb or the job description gets lost.
• The caller can tell. Background noise and a rushed "can you call back?" doesn't make a good first impression on someone choosing between three tradies.
• You lose your rhythm. Every interruption on a delicate job is a chance to make a mistake.

Ignoring the call isn't much better if all they get is a voicemail beep. Plenty of people won't leave a message, and they'll ring the next name on the list. We looked at what that costs in what missed calls cost a trade business.

The simple habit: decline it and carry on

When your phone rings and you can't take it, decline the call on screen or let it ring out. You don't need to do anything else.

What happens next depends on how your phone is set up. That's the part worth fixing once, so the habit works every time.

Set your phone to forward when you're busy

Most phone providers let you forward calls in different ways: always, or only when you're busy, don't answer, or have no signal. For a tradie with one phone, the second kind is the one to use.

You forward to a number that answers for you. With Call Assistant, we give you a number to forward your own to, you set the forwarding on your phone with a short code, and then test it. The Help centre shows the codes for the common providers, and our guide to how to forward calls in Australia walks through the options.

Two things to know:

• Forward only when busy, not every call. If every call goes to the assistant, your phone never rings, which suits some people but not most tradies. Forwarding only the calls you don't take means your phone still rings first, and you stay in charge.
• Test it with another phone. Ring your number from a second phone and try each situation: decline the call, let it ring out, and turn your phone off. Make sure each one ends up with the assistant. Phones and providers differ a little, so it's worth five minutes to check yours.

What the caller hears

Instead of a voicemail beep, the caller gets a natural voice that answers for your business, asks for their name and what the job is, and takes down the details. They know someone's dealt with it, and they know roughly when you'll be in touch.

It can only work from what you've told it. You brief it on the work you do, the areas you cover and what to say in common situations. It doesn't guess at things you haven't covered, and it can't give a quote on your behalf, so it takes the details for you to follow up.

What you get on your side

Each call turns into a short email, sent as soon as the call ends, with the caller's name and number, what they want, and a summary. The full call is in your dashboard if you ever want to check exactly what was said.

That changes your day. Instead of a missed call you have to guess about, you get a short written note you can read at smoko or when you're back in the ute. You can then decide who to call back, and in what order.

Deciding what's urgent

The best part of this setup is that you only call back what actually matters. Some calls can wait until the end of the day. A few can't.

You tell your receptionist what counts as urgent. For example, a plumber might say that a burst pipe or no hot water in a house with young kids should be put through straight away. An electrician might do the same for a whole house with no power. Everything else, like quotes, follow-ups and general questions, goes in the email.

During the business hours you set, your receptionist can put an urgent call through to your phone. It rings once, you privately hear who's calling and why, and you choose to take it or let the receptionist take a message. Outside your hours, nobody's phone rings: the call is answered, the message is taken, and it's waiting for you in the morning. You can read more about this in how tradies can handle after-hours calls.

If you only have one phone and you want urgent calls to ring through to it, keep forwarding to when busy, no answer or no signal. If you forward every call, a call put through to that same phone would be sent straight back to the assistant.

One important point: a receptionist isn't an emergency service. If anyone is in danger, there's a gas smell, or there's a fire, callers need to call 000. Say that in your instructions where it makes sense.

A day on the job

Say you're replacing a tap on a Tuesday morning.

At 8:10 your phone rings while you've got the water off. You decline it. A few minutes later it rings again, and again you let it go. At smoko you check your email and find three notes: someone wanting a quote for a bathroom, a customer asking to move Thursday's visit, and a homeowner with a leaking tap who'd like someone out this week.

You call the homeowner first, quote the bathroom job from the suburb and details in the note, and reply to the customer about Thursday. Three calls dealt with in ten minutes, none of them taken with wet hands, and nobody left hanging.

Making it a habit

• Check your email at set times. For example, at smoko, lunch and when you finish.
• Start with the urgent ones. A note that says no hot water with young kids goes ahead of a deck quote.
• Call back even when you can't help. A quick "we're booked out for a fortnight" beats silence.
• Update your instructions as you learn. If callers keep asking something your receptionist didn't know, add it. You can also see what it's costing you to miss calls with our missed-call calculator.

Quick answers

Should I answer calls when I'm on the job?

If you can't talk properly, no. Decline the call and let your phone forward it. A short, clear message you can read later is better than a rushed conversation you can't act on.

Does declining a call send it to the assistant?

On most phones and providers, declining a call or letting it ring out triggers the forwarding you've set for when you're busy or don't answer. It does vary, so test yours with a second phone.

I only have one phone. Can urgent calls still reach me?

Yes. Forward only when you're busy, don't answer or have no signal, so your phone still rings. In your business hours, your receptionist can put urgent calls through to it.

Will I find out about every call?

Yes. After every call you get an email with the caller's name, number, what they wanted and a summary.