Volusia Computers

Matthew Hamel, Owner
Talkroute User since January 2015
www.volusiacomputers.com

Matt’s small business found itself in a position where it was growing and thriving but beginning to encounter some issues with its phone system. The current system was barely capable of handling their increasing call volume, and the need for an automated menu to serve callers also became apparent. Although he could have remedied this problem early on, he found that the high cost for an updated system from traditional providers wasn’t quite worthwhile at the time. Matt found Talkroute seemingly just in time, which he describes here in his inspiring story.

Why did we sign up for Talkroute? Okay, you asked for it.

We have a retail computer store near Daytona Beach, Florida. Our business is mostly focused on in-store and on-site computer repair services. For a small shop, we are very busy. Last week, our first week using Talkroute, according to our call history, we received about 240 (not test-related) calls. That’s nearly 50 a day, not counting any outbound calls. Our basic 2-line “phone system” would get the job done, but not well enough.

We have been talking about getting a phone system for years. Call queuing with hold music was at the top of our list; however, there were always a few obstacles.

1. Cordless phones. We are always moving around. Our business will not work with wires. Caller ID issues make cellular phones less than ideal. Once someone has your cellular number, they will use it. It’s easy to forget to enter *67 when you have a lot going on.

2. Busy signal when our lines are exhausted.

3. Cost to overcome numbers 1 and 2. When I checked last, there did not seem to be any good options for systems with cordless phones near our price point. We could use regular cordless phones with a phone system, but then we wouldn’t get some of the benefits of that expensive system. I am referring to putting a call back on hold and transferring a call within the system. We don’t really need these, but we would want them if we were paying for them.

To handle the busy signal issue during peak times would involve more phone lines. The expense would be too great for the one or two times a day we would need it.

Someone who I follow on Twitter asked if anyone had tried Talkroute. At the time, nobody replied. Being curious, I checked out your website. While my business partner was on a cruise, I signed up for the free trial and recorded our greetings. When he got back, our main line was being forwarded to Talkroute. I told him that it was only $20 a month and we could cancel “when” we get a phone system. We’ll see :).

Currently, our main number is being forwarded to Talkroute. Talkroute will then forward calls to our second line. If only one of us is available to take calls, we will make outgoing calls from our second line, to busy it out. Calls will then line up with hold music. If more than one of us is available, we would use our first line to make outgoing calls, freeing up the other line to receive them.

We get a lot of calls from clients checking on their repair. When they drop off a computer, we circle a day and time on their work order. Anytime after then, they should feel free to check on it. This gives us some needed time to actually do an evaluation or repair. Many (seriously, most of them) would call well before that estimated date. Now, we have a recording asking them to wait until that date. Since signing up, we have only had a couple people ask, anyway. When past that date, we have them leave a voicemail message. Then, we can check on the repair and return the call as time becomes available. It’s been great.

As an added bonus, we have not received any automated telemarketing calls, since signing up. This alone has helped boost our productivity.

Thanks for providing such a great service.

Matthew Hamel is the owner of Volusia Computers in Ormond Beach, FL. His award-winning shop specializes in the service, repair, and maintenance of all types & brands of PC or Mac computers. They provide free evaluations and will even service computers on-site. Find them at volusiacomputers.com, or on Twitter @vcomputers.