You're with a client. Driving. In a meeting. The phone keeps ringing. Here's how to make sure every call is answered.
For UK small businesses that want professional call handling without the cost of a receptionist, The First Contact offers the best balance of price, features and simplicity.
You get a local UK landline number and professional call answering from £10 a month. When you are with a client, driving or simply busy, the service answers calls on your behalf, captures the caller details and sends you a text within 60 seconds.
Human answering services charge £150 to £300 a month. The First Contact charges just 85p per call answered.
Most small businesses handle busy periods by missing calls, and most do not realise how much that costs them.
The right approach is a service that works automatically when you cannot pick up. The First Contact forwards calls to your mobile first. If you do not answer within 15 seconds, the service takes over, answers professionally, captures the caller details and texts you a summary. You never miss a lead, even when you are with another customer.
Yes, and not just for appearances. Using your personal mobile for business means customers have your private number permanently, you cannot switch off easily, and it looks less professional than a local landline.
A local UK number with your area code signals to customers that you are an established business. The First Contact provides a local landline that forwards to your mobile, so you get the professional image without being tied to a desk.
Traditional human answering services cost £25 to £300 a month, often with long contracts and inconsistent quality.
The First Contact costs £10 a month plus 85p per call answered by the service. You only pay when it actually answers a call you missed. The average small business customer spends around £22.75 a month. At that price, a single converted enquiry typically covers three to four months of the service.
A virtual landline is a UK phone number with a local area code that is not tied to a physical location or a cable in the wall. Calls made to it are forwarded to your mobile.
The First Contact goes further than that. If you do not answer, the service picks up, handles the call professionally and sends you a text with the caller details. You get a professional number and every call is captured, without a desk or a receptionist.
With The First Contact, you get a text message summary within 60 seconds of a call being answered.
The summary includes the caller name, their callback number, their area, the reason for the call and an urgency level. That means you can prioritise. Call back the urgent enquiry immediately and know that the routine quote request can wait until you are free.