After-Hours Response: How to Capture Demand When Your Office Is Closed

Your office closes at 5:00 PM. Your customer's water heater explodes at 7:30 PM.

They search "emergency water heater repair." You show up #1. They call. Use the voicemail. They hang up. They call competitor #2. Competitor #2 answers. They get the $2,500 job.

You paid for the SEO to get that lead, and you handed it to your competitor because you wanted to watch Netflix undisturbed.

You need an After-Hours Protocol.

The 3 Levels of Coverage

Level 1: The "Digital Doorman" (Automated)

• Cost: Low ($97/mo software).
• How it works:
  1. Call routing changes at 5:01 PM.
  2. Caller hears: "Thanks for calling. If this is an emergency, press 1. For dispatch times, press 2."
  3. If they hang up, Missed Call Text Back triggers: "We are closed but monitoring texts. Is this an emergency?"
• Pros: Cheap, filters tire kickers.
• Cons: Some people hate robots.

Level 2: The Answering Service (Human Buffer)

• Cost: Bedium ($200-$500/mo).
• How it works:
  1. Calls divert to a call center (e.g., Ruby, Jill's Office).
  2. Agent follows a script: "I can take your info and have the on-call tech page you."
• Pros: Human touch.
• Cons: They cannot book jobs or give prices. They are just message takers.

Level 3: The "On-Call" Rotation (Revenue Capture)

• Cost: High (Overtime/Bonus pay).
• How it works:
  1. Calls forward directly to Tech A's cell phone on Tuesday night.
  2. Tech A answers, quotes the "Emergency Dispatch Fee" ($199), and books the job.
• Pros: High conversion. Captures the high-margin emergency fee.
• Cons: Employee burnout. You must pay them for being on standby.

The Triage Script

You don't want to wake up a tech for a "quote on a bathroom remodel" at 2 AM. You need Triage.

The Filter:

"Press 1 if you have uncontrolled water, no heat, or a safety issue." "Press 2 for all other inquiries."

• Press 1: Rout to On-Call Tech (Wake up!).
• Press 2: Route to Voicemail + SMS Automation ("We'll call you at 8 AM").

Verification Checklist

• Schedule Settings: Is your phone system programmed with accurate "Open" and "Closed" hours?
• Failover: If the Answering Service acts busy/doesn't pick up, does it go to voicemail?
• Tech Buy-In: Is the on-call schedule posted clearly? Does the tech know they get a $50 bonus for every after-hours run?

Common Mistakes

[!CAUTION] The "Personal Cell" Blunder Never advertise your personal cell phone number. Once it's on the internet, it's there forever. Use a tracking number that forwards to your cell. This lets you turn it off when you go on vacation.

• Inconsistent Hours: Your GBP says "Open 24 Hours" but you don't answer at night. This leads to bad reviews ("Lied about hours"). Only say 24 Hours if you actually answer.
• No Emergency Fee: You must charge a premium for after-hours work to cover the tech's overtime. Customers expect this.

FAQ

Q: Is an answering service worth it? A: For a 1-man show? No. Use automation. For a 3+ truck company? Yes. It pays for itself with one saved job.

Q: What if I miss the specific "Emergency" call? A: Use a "blast" ring. Have it ring the owner AND the lead tech simultaneously. First to pick up gets the glory.

Sources and References

1. ServiceTitan: Structuring On-Call Pay - Industry benchmarks.
2. Ruby Receptionists: Call Handling Best Practices - Scripts and flows.

Changelog

• 2024-05-03: Initial publication.

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Read Next in This Hub:

• Missed Call Text Back - The safety net.
• Emergency vs Non-Emergency Intake - Sorting the leads.

Related System:

• Response Protection - 24/7 coverage.