How Answer Center allows you to make money while you sleep
Posted by
Paula Ford on Thu, Oct 27, 2011 @ 12:29 PM
A plumber is sleeping. The phone rings at 11:30 PM. It's a homeowner with a broken pipe. "My bathroom is flooding and I need someone over here RIGHT NOW! Oh... and how much will it cost?" The plumber sleepily explains, "My nighttime rate is $125 an hour, the daytime rate after 7:00 AM is $75 per hour. Now what is your address?" The customer responds, "Can you tell me how to shut off the water at the curb and come out after 7:00?" The plumber complies, groggily takes the caller's name and phone number, and falls back to sleep.
The phone rings twice more that night from customers with other emergencies, but all three decide to wait for the lower rates.
At 7:00 AM the plumber calls each of the homeowners to get directions and schedule the work. One has found another plumber, the second has left for work leaving the phone unanswered, but the third wants the work done, and is upset that the plumber needs another half hour of drive time.
THIS IS THE PLUMBER - with ANSWER CENTER
Late night calls come in, and are answered by an alert wide awake secretary who explains the pricing options and offers practical advice on how to shut off the water at the affected site, or for the whole house. The secretary gets the home address, owner's home, cell and work numbers, and the approximate age of the plumbing, even asking if it's copper or PEX. She then schedules the plumber to go to the job, only waking him up IF the caller has agreed to pay the higher night rate.
Most mornings the plumber has gotten an uninterrupted sleep of seven to eight hours and is alert, focused and ready to work quickly and without making mistakes. He's only had to wake up and GO when he's being paid a premium rate.
Most importantly, the operator at Answer Center has scheduled all three appointments!
