A Customer-Side Check: Ringing Three Rivals to See Why Callers Move On

When you're up a ladder with the phone buzzing in your pocket, a missed call feels minor. You'll ring back at lunch. A homeowner with a leak or a dead socket sees it differently, and the quickest way to understand that is to stand in their shoes for twenty minutes.

This is a simple exercise: ring three firms in your trade and write down what happens. You're not spying. You're collecting the experience a customer has before they ever meet anyone.

Set it up fairly

Pick firms you wouldn't be directly competing with for the same job, such as ones a few towns away or in a neighbouring trade, so you're not wasting a rival's time. Keep a pen and paper by you. Search the way a customer would, on your phone, and open the first few listings. Ring them in the order they appear.

Be honest if someone asks. A short call asking about availability or how they work is enough. Don't invent a fake job or take up a quote visit.

What to note on each call

Write down the same things every time so you can compare:

• Did it ring out, go to voicemail or get answered? Note how long you waited before giving up.
• What did the greeting tell you? Name, trade, what to do next, or just a default robot voice?
• Did you feel like leaving a message? Be honest. If you'd have hung up, so would a stressed homeowner.
• Did anyone reply afterwards? A text, a call back, nothing at all? Note the gap.
• Was the listing accurate? Right number, right area, sensible opening hours.
• How did the reply sound? Organised and clear, or vague and rushed?

What you'll probably notice

Once you've made the calls, you'll likely find that the firm you'd choose isn't necessarily the best at the work. It's the one that made you feel looked after first. You can't judge workmanship over the phone, so you judge what's visible: speed, clarity and tone.

That's why customers ring round. They have a problem and a list of numbers, and they move down the list until someone responds. If you want the fuller picture of the caller's side, this piece on what a homeowner does when your phone goes unanswered walks through how a missed call looks from the other end of the line.

Now ring yourself

Turn the exercise on your own business. Ask a friend or family member to find you the way a stranger would and call while you're busy. Then check:

1. Does your number appear correctly on your Google profile and website?
2. What does your voicemail say, and does it sound like a firm that will call back?
3. How long before they hear anything from you?
4. Does your service area make it clear whether you cover them?

Don't defend yourself during this. Just write down what a caller would have experienced.

Fixes that cost nothing

You don't need a new system to close the gap. Start with these:

Rewrite your greeting. Say who you are, what you do and what happens next. Ask for a name, postcode and a brief description of the problem. Only promise a callback time you'll genuinely keep.

Text straight after a missed call. A short "Sorry I missed you, what do you need a hand with?" often gets a reply while you're still on site, and it gives you the details in writing.

Fix a callback habit. Choose fixed moments, such as your brew break or the end of a job, and clear missed calls then. Ring the newest first.

Tidy your listings. A wrong number or vague coverage area wastes the call before it starts.

Repeat it now and then

Run the check again after you've made changes, and occasionally after that. Listings drift, numbers change and habits slip when work gets busy. Twenty minutes of being the customer is a cheap way to spot the gaps that quietly send enquiries to the next name on the list.