How can a pest control business stop losing jobs to missed calls?
Send an automatic text to every missed call that says you’re on a job, asks what the pest is and the postcode, and gives a time you’ll ring back. In wasp season and when rats move indoors, callers ring down the list until someone answers, so a fast reply keeps the job.
By Sammy Morgan, who runs M1 Studio in Chichester. Updated .
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- Industry
- Pest control businesses
- Problem
- Missed calls
- The fix
- Missed-Call Rescue, £800
- Do it yourself?
- Yes, the first steps below
Why it happens to pest control businesses.
- Seasonal peaks swamp the phone
- Wasp nests in summer and rodents moving indoors as it gets colder bring bursts of calls. You can only answer one while you’re up a ladder or in a loft.
- Callers want someone today
- A nest by the back door or droppings in the kitchen feels urgent. People often book whoever gets back to them first.
- You’re often in a loft or on a roof
- Treating a nest or checking bait points isn’t a moment to take a call, and signal in lofts and basements is often poor.
- Commercial calls get lost too
- A restaurant or letting agent asking about a contract can call in the same week as a run of wasp jobs. Without a list, the bigger enquiry can slip.
What to do, in order.
Check your voicemail
Ring your number while you’re busy. Make sure the greeting gives your name and when you ring back.
Ask for the details by text
What’s the pest, where is it, and the postcode. A photo of the nest or droppings helps you price and plan your route.
Ring back in order
A nest by a doorway or a food business with a problem comes before a general enquiry. The replies tell you which is which.
Answer the common questions online
Your prices or how you price, the pests you treat, areas you cover and whether you offer unmarked visits, so callers can check while they wait.
Automate it
Missed-Call Rescue (£800) texts every missed caller on its own, keeps domestic and commercial enquiries in one list and reminds you to call back. Text and app fees are paid at cost or directly by you, and listed before you agree.
Where M1 can do it for you.
Fixed prices, or a fixed quote before any work starts. No VAT is charged. Any running costs are listed before you agree.
- Missed-Call Rescue £800
It replies to every missed call in peak weeks, and keeps commercial enquiries from getting lost among the wasp jobs.
Missed calls get a text back, automatically.
- Website Chat Assistant £1,800
It answers evening questions about prices, pests and discreet visits on your website, then passes people to you on WhatsApp.
Questions answered day and night, then passed to you on WhatsApp.
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Before you decide.
Something else? Ask Sammy on WhatsApp.
What should my missed-call text ask?
The pest, where it is (loft, wall, garden, kitchen), the postcode and a photo if they can. That’s often enough to give a price and plan your day. The guide to what to text when you miss a call has more examples.
Can the text mention discreet visits?
Yes, if you offer them. A line saying you can come in an unmarked vehicle reassures people who don’t want the neighbours to know.
What do missed calls cost me in wasp season?
Use the missed-call cost calculator with your peak-week numbers.
Keep reading.
Know what to fix. Then decide.
Sammy writes down what’s holding your business back and what to fix first. The Foundation Blueprint is yours within 5 working days of your answers.
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