Snow removal: stop losing contracts to missed calls

In Quebec, many snow removal contracts are signed in the fall, before the first snow. The rest of the winter, calls can come during a storm, at any hour, including at night, when you and your crew are out on the routes. Both moments have the same weak spot: a call nobody answers. A homeowner who reaches voicemail in October can call the next company on the list and sign there. A client who cannot reach you at two in the morning during a storm may remember it when the contract comes up for renewal. Here is how to keep those calls, with the phone you already have.

The fall: the season is signed on the phone

In the fall, a call is often a contract for the whole winter, not a single job. A homeowner shopping for a contract can call several companies in the same afternoon, and the one that answers and gives a clear next step can get the contract. Three habits help in the signing season:

• Answer, or call back the same day. A message left in October is still a contract you can sign, if you call back before the homeowner signs somewhere else.
• Say what happens next. A visit for the quote, a price by text, or a call back at a time you name. A caller who knows what comes next has a reason to wait for it.
• Keep a list of every address that called. Keep the ones you could not take this year too. Next fall, they are the first calls to make.

What the phone should ask

Whoever answers, you, someone in the family or a machine, the same few questions turn a call into a quote you can price without driving out first:

1. The address. It tells you whether the place is on one of your routes.
2. The size of the driveway. How many cars park there, side by side or one behind the other.
3. Roof or not. Clearing a roof is another job, with other equipment, and not every company does it.
4. Residential or commercial. A parking lot or a storefront is not priced like a driveway, and the client may expect it clear before opening time.
5. The whole season, or one visit. A one-time clearing after a storm is not the same call as a contract.
6. A number to call back, and the best time.

Write the answers in the same place every time, a notebook or a spreadsheet, so you can prepare the quotes from the list at the end of the day.

During a storm

When the snow falls, the calls change. Contract clients want to know when the plow is coming. People with no contract ask for a one-time clearing. A business asks whether its lot will be clear before it opens. You cannot answer everyone from the cab of a truck, and you should not try while you drive. Decide before the first storm what each call gets:

• A contract client asking when you will come: a general answer (“we’re on the routes, and your street is on the list”), never a time you cannot keep.
• A one-time clearing: the address and a number, then a clear yes or no as soon as you know whether you can fit it in.
• Someone who has to get out and is stuck: the address and the number, passed straight to whoever is on call.

After the storm, call back the one-time requests you could not take, even to say no. A clear no today is a caller who may try you first next time.

Forward the calls you miss

Many phone lines can forward a call when you do not answer or when the line is busy, so your phone still rings first. During a storm, send those calls to someone who can pick up: someone at home, a person at the office, or an answering service. Our call forwarding guide has the steps for Canadian phone companies. Turn forwarding on before the storm, not during it: the codes are easier to get right at the kitchen table than in the truck.

A greeting for storm nights

If nobody can pick up, a recorded greeting can still do part of the work. Say who they reached, that you are out clearing, and what to leave:

You’ve reached [Business name]. We’re out clearing snow right now. Leave your address and your phone number, and tell us whether you have a contract with us. For a new contract, also tell us how many cars park in your driveway. We’ll call you back as soon as we can.

In Quebec, record it in French first, and add the English after it:

Bonjour, vous êtes bien chez [Nom de l’entreprise]. Nous sommes sur la route pour déneiger. Laissez votre adresse et votre numéro de téléphone, et dites-nous si vous avez un contrat avec nous. Pour un nouveau contrat, dites-nous aussi combien d’autos se stationnent dans votre entrée. Nous vous rappellerons dès que possible.

More examples, for open hours, evenings and holidays: business phone greeting examples.

Who answers when you are on the truck

Voicemail only takes a message. A person, or an AI receptionist, can take the details while the caller is still on the line. Cedri, Canada's Bilingual AI Receptionist, answers in English and French, 24 hours a day. On a snow removal line it asks for the address, whether it is a driveway, a walkway or a lot, how many cars park there, and whether the caller wants the whole season or one visit. Then it books the seasonal contract quote or the clearing in your agenda, and you get a text with the details after the call. It costs $18.99 CAD a month, with 30 answered calls included. What it says on that kind of line: AI receptionist for snow removal companies.