After-hours calls to an electrician are a mixed bag. Some are real hazards, like a burning smell from a panel or sparking at an outlet. Some are the utility's problem, like a neighborhood outage. And some are ordinary service work that just happens to come in at night: a tripped breaker that won't reset, a garage that lost power.
When you're not taking calls, the caller doesn't know which of those it is, and neither do you.
Set expectations before any callback
Decide what a night call means for your shop before you write anything. Some owners take urgent work at night. Others return every call in the morning. Either is fine, as long as the text tells the caller which one to expect.
Being clear about that doesn't mean turning the job away. It means the caller knows what happens next instead of wondering whether anyone got the message.
Utility outage or house problem?
Many night calls during storms are outages that only the utility can fix. A short question in the after-hours text, asking whether the neighbors have power, helps the caller figure that out. If the whole street is dark, they know to check with the utility. If it's just their house, that's a job for you, and their reply tells you so.
Write the after-hours text to match your policy
Before you write anything, decide what you actually do at night:
- Take emergencies yourself. Then the text should say how to reach you for urgent work.
- Return calls in the morning. Then the text should say when.
- Decide case by case. Then ask the caller for a reply describing the problem, and check replies when you can.
With a text-back, you set your business hours, and the after-hours message goes out only outside them. During the day, callers get your normal message instead.
Storm nights
After a summer thunderstorm, calls about damaged service masts, flickering lights and dead circuits can come in faster than any small shop can handle. A text-back won't restore anyone's power. It does make sure every caller hears from you right away, and you wake up to a list of replies describing each problem instead of a string of missed numbers with no context.
That list lets you sort the work: the house with a damaged mast first, a single dead outlet later in the week.
Limits worth knowing
The text-back sends your message and passes along the replies. It doesn't assess danger, dispatch anyone or promise a time. Those decisions stay with you. See how Missed-Call Text-Back works for the details of hours and after-hours messages.
Related reading
Missed-Call Text-Back is a text-back tool: it replies to the calls you can't pick up, and it doesn't answer calls for you. It's $89/mo list, or $49/mo at the founding rate while founding spots last, billed monthly with no contract. If it sounds like a fit, see how Missed-Call Text-Back works.