Stop losing enquiries while you are on a job
Most trades firms do not lose work because nobody asks. They lose it because the enquiry arrives while they are up a ladder, and the customer rings the next firm first. Here is where enquiries usually slip through, and what to do about each one.
By Oscar Ayton, Pillion Web. Published 31 October 2026.
1. Missed calls
For most trades, the phone is still the main way new customers get in touch, and calls come in while your hands are full.
- Check your voicemail message. Say your business name, that you are on a job, and when you will call back. A full or default voicemail box loses people.
- Reply to missed calls quickly. Even a short text such as “Sorry I missed you, I am on a job and will call you back this afternoon” keeps the customer from trying someone else.
- Keep a note of who you owe a call. Missed-call lists on a phone get buried. A simple list you clear each evening stops people falling through the gaps.
2. Your website
- Test your own contact form. Fill it in on your phone and see whether, and where, it arrives. Forms often send to an old email address or straight to spam.
- Ask for the details you need to quote. Name, phone number, postcode and a sentence about the job save a round of back and forth.
- Make the phone number tappable. On a phone, the number should ring when tapped, and it should be near the top of the page.
- Get enquiries somewhere you will see them. If you only check email at night, have the form send a text as well.
3. Google and directories
- Check the number Google shows. Search your business name and look at the phone number on your Google listing. If it is old or wrong, customers ring a dead line.
- Check the other places you are listed, such as Yell, Bing, Apple Maps and Facebook. Different numbers or addresses confuse customers and search engines. See how to check your business details on Google.
4. After the enquiry
- Reply the same day where you can. A quick “thanks, I will come and look on Thursday” often wins the job over a cheaper firm that replies later.
- Chase quotes you have sent. A short follow-up a few days later is not pushy. Many customers simply forget to reply.
- Keep every enquiry in one place, even a notebook or a spreadsheet, so you can see which ones turned into work.
A five-minute test you can do today
- Ring your own business number from another phone and let it go to voicemail.
- Fill in your website form on your phone.
- Search your business name on Google and check the phone number.
If any of those surprised you, that is where enquiries are leaking.
How I can help
I set up quote forms that save every enquiry and send it to your phone by text and email (£345), fix your business details on Google and the main directories (£225), and build new websites for trades (£1,095). See the prices.
Want a second pair of eyes?
Send me your business name and website and I will tell you what I would fix, with a fixed price for each. Free, no obligation. Ask for a quote or email oscar@pillionweb.co.uk.