Evening and weekend inquiries. How to reply when the studio is closed
Your clients work during the week. They often think about a new car, film or air conditioning in the evening and at the weekend - and that's when they write. Meanwhile you're having dinner with your family or finally getting some sleep. This article is about how not to lose those inquiries without spending every evening with your phone in your hand.
Sławomir Kwaśny
Cold to Close
Why “I'll reply in the morning” is too late
A message sent on Friday evening and read on Monday morning has waited two and a half days. In that time the client could have written to other studios and got a price and a date from one of them. On Monday you're replying to someone who may already have made up their mind.
Option 1: you reply yourself, from your phone
It works and costs nothing - apart from your time. The trouble is, it never stops: every message at 10 pm means a few minutes of replying, and then another question. Your family sees you on your phone, and you still won't answer everything, because at some point you have to sleep.
If you go this way, set a limit. For example: you reply until 9 pm, and on Sundays only once, in the evening.
Option 2: a ready-made reply
A message like “Thank you, we'll reply during business hours” only tells the client they have to wait. It gives no price and no date, so the client keeps asking around. A better ready-made reply gives something concrete: price ranges for your most common services and exactly when you'll reply.
“Hi, the studio is closed for today, we'll reply tomorrow by 10 am. As a guide: ceramic coating from EUR [amount], PPF on the front from EUR [amount] - the exact price depends on the car. Reply with the model and year, and we'll prepare a quote.”
Option 3: a system that replies for you
In the evening and at the weekend, an inquiry gets a reply within 60 seconds - in Polish, from your price list and with free slots from your calendar. The system asks about the car and the job, and the client can book a slot straight away. In the morning you find bookings with descriptions in your calendar, not a list of messages to answer.
When a client asks something the system doesn't know, it doesn't guess. It notes the question, passes it on to you and tells the client when they'll get an answer.
And the phone after hours?
After a missed call the client gets an SMS 30 seconds later - in the evening too, with wording that fits the time: that the studio is closed and when you'll call back. If you get a lot of evening calls, you can also have a phone that answers itself: AI picks up in Polish, gives price ranges and books the slot.
What after-hours inquiries cost you
Count them: for two weeks, write down how many inquiries come in after the studio closes and at weekends. Multiply that by your average job value and by the percentage that don't end in a job. The calculator does it for you.
Frequently asked questions
Does the system reply on public holidays too?
Yes, at any time of day. You decide which slots it can offer and when the studio is closed.
What if a client asks about something unusual?
The system only answers within what we teach it. It notes an unusual question, passes it on to you and tells the client when they'll get an answer.
Does the client know they're talking to a system?
Yes. The system introduces itself as your studio's assistant and never pretends to be a person.
How much is it?
We work out the price on the 15-minute call, for your city and services, before you sign anything.
Let's see how much you're leaking
15 minutes on the phone. We'll work out how much is leaking at your place, and at the end you'll see on your own phone what a client gets when nobody picks up.
Book 15 minutes