Calls and messages: you, an employee or a system? What each one costs

Option 1: you do it yourself

The cheapest on paper. You pay nobody, you pick up when you can, and in the evening you answer messages from Instagram and WhatsApp.

The real cost is somewhere else. Every time you step away from the car, the work stops, and when you're applying film or polishing you can't always stop. Answering messages in the evening eats into time that was meant to be free. And whatever comes in while you're asleep or on holiday waits until morning - or slips away.

This works when you get a few inquiries a week. When you get a few a day, it starts costing more than you can see.

Option 2: someone in the office

Someone who answers the phone, replies to messages, keeps the calendar and hands cars back to clients. A good person in the office is a huge help: they know the clients, can calm a difficult conversation down and will suggest something extra when a client collects their car.

Cost: check what a full-time hire costs where you are - the wage plus employer contributions, holidays and sick leave. Even at minimum wage it's a multiple of the system, and someone with experience costs more. On top of that, one person works eight hours a day, five days a week.

Limits: evenings, weekends and public holidays are left uncovered. One person talks to one client at a time. When they're on holiday, you're back to option 1.

Option 3: a system that replies and sends reminders

We connect to your number, your website and your Instagram. After a missed call, the client gets an SMS 30 seconds later. The system answers messages within a minute, in Polish and from your price list, and books slots in your calendar. It sends reminders about quotes, appointments and services. After the car is collected, it asks for a Google review.

Cost: the system is (+ VAT), plus a one-time (+ VAT) to connect it. We give you the price of the the system packages on the 15-minute call, because it depends on the number of inquiries, the size of your client list and what we need to connect.

Limits: the system won't hand back a car, won't show the client the finish on the paint and won't replace a conversation about a difficult complaint. It only answers within what we teach it: your price list, your scope of services and your slots. When a conversation needs you, it passes it to you with the full history.

All three side by side

• ●Evenings and weekends: you - if you have the energy; an employee - no; the system - yes.
• ●Several conversations at once: you - no; an employee - one at a time; the system - yes.
• ●Handing back cars and difficult cases: you - yes; an employee - yes; the system - no, it passes them to you.
• ●Reminders about quotes, appointments and services: you and an employee - if you remember; the system - every time.
• ●Monthly cost: you - your time; an employee - a wage plus employer costs, a multiple of the system even at minimum wage; the system - (+ VAT) on the system.

You don't have to pick just one

It's not an “either-or” choice. If you have someone in the office, the system catches whatever comes in when they're away or talking to another client. If you work alone, the system keeps an eye on the phone and messages, and you call back clients who have already written what it's about.

How to work out what pays off for you

Start with the leak: how many inquiries slip away each month and what a job is worth. If it comes to several thousand euros a month, it's worth considering an office hire as well as the system. If it's much less - start with the cheaper option and check the result.

And if you want to test the system on your own inquiries before you decide anything: the pilot lasts 14 days. If we don't recover inquiries for you, you don't pay.