Answering service vs missed-call text back: which is better for tradies?

The quick answer

If you need a person to book jobs into a calendar and handle complex questions, an answering service can be worth it. If you mainly need new callers to stop ringing the next tradie, missed-call text back does that faster and for a fraction of the price.

How each one works

• Answering service or virtual receptionist: your missed calls forward to a call centre. Someone answers with your business name, takes a message, and emails or texts it to you.
• Missed-call text back: your missed calls forward to a number that instantly texts the caller from your business. They reply with the job details, and you call back when you're free.

Cost

Answering services in Australia usually charge a monthly fee plus a per-call or per-minute rate. For a busy tradie that commonly lands between $150 and $400 or more a month, and it goes up in your busiest weeks.

Missed-call text back is usually a flat monthly fee. LeadBack is $79 a month, with texts included for normal use, so a storm week doesn't blow out the bill.

Speed

An answering service picks up the call, but you still see the message later and call back later. The customer is waiting on you either way.

Text back replies within seconds, and the customer can tell you what they need straight away. When you call back, you already know the job, the suburb and how urgent it is.

What customers prefer

Some callers want to talk to a person. Plenty of others, especially younger homeowners and property managers, would rather text. A receptionist who can't answer questions about your prices or availability can also frustrate a caller who wanted a real answer.

A text from the tradie's own business feels personal. It's your words, and the reply goes straight to you.

Side by side

• Replies to the caller: answering service in 10 to 30 seconds by voice; text back in about 5 seconds by text.
• You get the job details: answering service via a message later; text back in the customer's own words, in one thread.
• Monthly cost: answering service roughly $150 to $400+; LeadBack $79 flat.
• Works after hours: answering service depends on the plan; text back always.
• Busy periods: answering service costs rise with call volume; text back stays the same price.

Which should you pick?

• Pick an answering service if you need calls booked into a calendar by a person and you have the margin for it.
• Pick missed-call text back if you want to keep new callers from ringing around, for the lowest cost, with no one else speaking for your business.
• Some tradies use both: text back for everyday missed calls, and an answering service only for after-hours emergencies.

You can try LeadBack free for 14 days, and setting it up takes about two minutes. If it doesn't win you a job in that time, you've lost nothing.