Welcome to the MYCO Works Blog

Running a business on your own means your attention is often pulled in different directions. Between serving customers, managing admin and finding new business, answering the phone is another demand on your time.

But letting calls go unanswered isn’t always an option either. It could be a new customer, an existing client or an enquiry that needs a quick response. Having a simple system in place can help you stay contactable without letting the phone take over your working day.

Set aside time to return calls

You don’t have to respond to every non-urgent call the moment it comes in.

Setting aside one or two points in the day for callbacks can help you stay on top of enquiries without repeatedly breaking your concentration. For example, you might return calls before lunch and check again towards the end of the afternoon.

Keep business and personal calls separate

Using the same number for work and personal calls can make it difficult to switch off or know which calls need your attention.

A dedicated business number makes work calls easier to identify and helps create a clearer boundary between your business and personal life. Setting business hours can also let customers know when they can expect to reach you, rather than leaving you feeling available at all hours.

Make your voicemail useful

There will inevitably be times when you can’t answer, so make sure your voicemail gives callers clear instructions about what to do next.

Keep your greeting brief and ask them to leave the information you’ll need, such as their name and reason for calling. This gives you useful context before you respond and can make returning calls quicker and easier.

Remember to check your messages regularly too. Someone looking for a quote, appointment or service may contact another business if they don’t hear back within a reasonable amount of time.

Keep track of every enquiry

When you’re answering calls while running the rest of your business, it’s surprisingly easy for a promised callback or customer enquiry to get forgotten.

Have one place where you record anything that needs further action, whether that’s a CRM, diary or simple list. Note who contacted you, what they needed and what you agreed to do next rather than relying on memory between other tasks.

If the number of calls you’re receiving is making this difficult to maintain, it may be a sign that your current approach needs some additional support.

Plan ahead when you know you’ll be unavailable

There are probably certain parts of your working week when you already know answering the phone will be difficult.

Perhaps you spend mornings with clients, regularly attend meetings or are frequently on the road. Planning around these periods means you can decide in advance how calls will be handled.

Depending on how long you’ll be away from the phone, you could redirect calls or arrange for someone else to answer during that time.

Consider getting help with your calls

Working alone doesn’t mean you have to handle every incoming call yourself.

A telephone answering service can provide support without the need to employ an in-house receptionist. Calls can be answered in your company name, caller details and messages collected, and selected calls transferred to you when necessary.

It can also help reduce unnecessary interruptions by filtering out cold callers and spam calls before they reach you. This means you can spend less time dealing with unwanted calls while genuine customers and enquiries still have someone available to speak to.

Final thoughts

When you work alone, you can’t be available to customers and focused on your work at every moment. The key is finding a way to manage calls that works around how you actually spend your day.

With the right approach, you can remain easy to contact without allowing the phone to dictate your schedule.

Need help managing your business calls?

MYCO Connect provides 24/7 UK-based telephone answering services for businesses that can’t always get to the phone.

Our UK-based receptionists can answer in your company name, take messages, filter unwanted calls and provide additional support when you’re unavailable.

Explore our telephone answering services to find the right level of support for your business.