Anyone who works in the home improvement industry knows that one of the worst things a customer can do is try to resolve the problem by themselves. This can often lead to more serious damage being caused. But what do we expect our clients to do if they can't get hold of us? Sue Radcliffe from alldayPA offers her advice.

Sue Radcliffe from alldayPA offers her advice on tackling the large volume of calls recieved out of working hours in the home improvement industry.

Anyone who works in the home improvement industry knows that one of the worst things a customer can do is try to resolve the problem by themselves. This can often lead to more serious damage being caused. But what do we expect our clients to do if they can’t get hold of us?

A recent infographic by alldayPA, a telephone answering service, showed that weekend calls are on the rise especially for those working in the home improvement industry.The volume of calls made on a Sunday has increased the most in the past 2 years.

Home improvement experienced the greatest increase of out-of-hours calls (outside the 9-6 working day), as volumes rose by 650%. Customers now expect workers to be on call 24/7, even when their problem isn’t an emergency.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents found that DIY mishaps cause 220,000 accidents per year. 87,000 of them are caused by people using equipment that they are not trained to operate, such as nail guns and drills. 41,000 DIY-related accidents are caused by falls from ladders. It is a dangerous trade and people don’t realise just how dangerous it can be.

Those working in the home improvement sector are under a huge amount of pressure. It’s important for your health that you detach yourself from your work life and relax. Your weekend may feel like the only time you have to yourself, but you have a job to do and you need to keep your customers happy. So how do you reserve time for yourself whilst still being accessible to your clients?

Outsourcing can be a great way of screening calls on the weekend that aren’t actually emergencies. Instead of handling your own calls and having to assess each situation yourself, call centre staff can take a detailed account from each customer and make sure you’re only heading out to jobs that need resolving on the day.

Choosing to handle only emergency calls will give you the chance to enjoy your free time. It could also improve the quality of your work as you are no longer bogged down by 10 minute callouts that could easily be resolved over the phone or at a later date.

The infographic and more information on AlldayPA's research can be found online here

Sue Radcliffe is the head of client services at alldayPA, a telephone answering service specialising in bespoke packages to suit any size business.