Unexpected incidents happen, from power outages and equipment failure to accidents due to human error and natural disasters. Businesses plan and account for these risks to prevent costly disruptions.

A 2024 research by Siemens shows that unplanned downtime costs from $36,000/hour among fast-moving consumer goods firms to $2.3 million/hour in the automotive industry. Meanwhile, residential service interruptions may affect public health, safety, and appliances.

As an engineering and home maintenance provider, you can’t afford to lose customers, 70% of whom don’t call back after nobody answers on their first try. A 24/7 call answering service hastens operational recovery and reduces financial and psychological risks.

Being consistently available is critical, especially when disruptions happen. Partnering with a 24/7 call answering service provider supports you and your clients in the following ways:

Operational efficiency

Your team can experience a spike in calls when an outage or other mishap disrupts services across a physical location. You can tap an external partner to provide round-the-clock customer support for your in-house staff. Outsourced agents can handle overflow calls so your business won’t have to miss any calls. At the same time, your workforce won’t need to render overtime or get burned out.

Business continuity

With 24/7 accessibility, customers can reach you anytime—even outside your official business hours. Business operations can resume quickly, minimizing possible financial risks and ensuring your commercial customers’ satisfaction. Meanwhile, homeowners can have peace of mind, knowing someone can address their issue soon.

Customer satisfaction and retention

In a Hiver study, 52% of customers said they prefer human agents to AI, explaining that the latter can’t match the empathy of human interaction. You build long-term trust when users can reach you in their hour of need.

Scalability

Recruiting and training staff to provide bilingual customer service can take time and increase costs. In contrast, a 24/7 call answering service partner provides trained professionals with round-the-clock coverage without the overhead of hiring full-time personnel. Also, flexible plans give cost-effective scalability because you only pay for the service you use. Your outsourced team can scale up or down, depending on call volumes.

Sharpen your competitive advantage with bilingual support

Beyond availability, bilingual support enhances your brand image and improves your bottom line because of these factors:

Wider market reach

The latest government statistics show that 22% of Canada’s population speaks French. You can broaden your customer base faster when your team can engage Francophone customers in their language.

Improved customer experience

Customer support agents don’t just provide answers or solutions. They aim to give callers an awesome experience through speed and empathy.

Alignment with regulatory requirements

Laws require federal entities and companies that serve on behalf of the national government to offer bilingual customer service. Complying with this legal requirement positions your company ahead of the others who can only engage clients in English.

Choosing a call centre for inbound calls or call overflow handling requires careful selection. Your criteria for selection should include:

• Industry experience, particularly proven ability in emergency escalation and high call volumes
• Bilingual support to assist English and French-speaking customers
• Customization for script and workflow development to fit your processes
• Technology for seamless integration with your systems and strong data security policies

On Call Centre has been helping small and large service contractors across Canada for over 50 years. Residential apartment owner Osgoode Properties has relied on our team since 1993 for its after-hours emergency needs and entrusted us to manage concerns involving elevators and pool repairs. Osgoode receives a notification from us once we get an emergency call and dispatch the designated site staff. Then, they follow up with the concerned resident and on-call staff to ensure the problem has been solved.

Stay accessible 24/7 with professional call answering. Contact us to discuss your needs today.