Anyone have family or a spouse answer phones, do office stuff?

[jcooper]

So, about a month ago my wife offered to start answering phone and doing small office stuff for us. Wish she would have started doing this a LONG time ago, it's soooo great with some help!

Basically, I just leave my phone and take hers. We are now able to answer every call, it's been a huge help. Everyone has told me she's doing a great job. It's been such a relief to not worry about calls missed or getting home and having to call a bunch of people.

My question, I'd like to set something up for her to make some money by helping. What's a good way to go about this? Let her keep scotchgard upsells, % of job bill, 5$ for job booked, etc?

Lets be honest, the dough goes to her anyways(shes the wife)... But if it(bonus or whatever) keeps her interested enough to keep helping, I'm all in. Any advice?

 

[Ken Snow]

Talk to ur accountant about best strategy- it may be bemeficial to put her on payroll or it could cost u more.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[GCCLee]

C R U I S E S H I P B R O T H A

 

[Bruce Humphrey]

Jerry are you in a partnership with someone ? you said "doing small office stuff for us"

 

[Jim Martin]

So, about a month ago my wife offered to start answering phone and doing small office stuff for us. Wish she would have started doing this a LONG time ago, it's soooo great with some help!

Basically, I just leave my phone and take hers. We are now able to answer every call, it's been a huge help. Everyone has told me she's doing a great job. It's been such a relief to not worry about calls missed or getting home and having to call a bunch of people.

My question, I'd like to set something up for her to make some money by helping. What's a good way to go about this? Let her keep scotchgard upsells, % of job bill, 5$ for job booked, etc?

Lets be honest, the dough goes to her anyways(shes the wife)... But if it(bonus or whatever) keeps her interested enough to keep helping, I'm all in. Any advice?

My wife does all the office work and phone answering since day one.....you name it.she takes care of it........I never ever answer my phone...( unless it is Mike because if he is broke down it will just keep ringing)......

If you would like...... you can have your wife call mine and she can give her all the ins and outs...for everything you need..........

 

[BLewis]

I learned within a couple of weeks that I could not even begin to answer calls and do wanding as well. When we moved we changed all our marketing to a land line and I never list my number on anything. I still follow up couple times a month on delinquent Balances,etc. I certainly couldn't do it (at least not grow) without her help. There is alot I wish she would do and that is the biggest drawback is getting them to "live it" like we do, but I am extremely grateful for what she helps me with.

 

[jcooper]

Jerry are you in a partnership with someone ? you said "doing small office stuff for us"

Bruce, by US I meant the/our biz. Just the wife and I.

Jim & Billy, you are both very lucky!

I think she is starting to understand that 10-20(or more) missed calls a month can add up to a LOT over a year and she(like most ladies) LOVES to shop.

 

[Doug Cox]

I've been working with my wife since 1988. I couldn't ask for a better partner. She does my scheduling and we go out working together on a semi-regular basis.

 

[jcooper]

we go out working together on a semi-regular basis.

Heck, Doug wins...

Doug, I googled Delavan, WI your only about an hour NW of us. You ever need anything, let me know.

 

[spotman123]

My wife does all the office work and phone answering since day one.....you name it.she takes care of it........I never ever answer my phone...( unless it is Mike because if he is broke down it will just keep ringing)......

If you would like...... you can have your wife call mine and she can give her all the ins and outs...for everything you need..........

With your wife doing all the phone answering, she must have a good grasp on how long it takes to do a particular job? Scheduling the right amt of time for the job, travel time to the next too.. What about add-ons? That screws up the schedule? The fact you have your wife involved is an asset to your biz..

 

[Doug Cox]

Heck, Doug wins...

Doug, I googled Delavan, WI your only about an hour NW of us. You ever need anything, let me know.

Will do.

 

[Jim Martin]

With your wife doing all the phone answering, she must have a good grasp on how long it takes to do a particular job? Scheduling the right amt of time for the job, travel time to the next too.. What about add-ons? That screws up the schedule? The fact you have your wife involved is an asset to your biz..

after just over 9 years she has it down to a science.......when she takes a call she knows all the right questions to ask.....and how long it will take me to do a job....add on's are easy because there is always time to get anything done and still be at the next job on time.....If by chance ( and it does happen a few times a year )....I don't have time then it just rescheduled what they want done.....after I have completed a job I call her and she lets the next one know I am on my way.......

The whole key to making this work is to work separate......but.......work together......she has her side of the business that she takes care of and I have mine....I don't question her...and she don't question anything I do...I stay away from her desk and she stays away from my steering wheel....and the whole thing just falls into place like it should........

 

[KevinL]

You're very lucky Jim. My wife was ready to divorce me over just doing quikbooks. Now shes teaching me how to do it and I'm ready to pull my last hair out. I HATE paperwork. And I'm back to answering the phone myself because it seems to be to complicated for some women. Not my wife, she never answered the phone. She has a job.

 

[Jim Martin]

There were divorce lawyers on the phone for the first year until we figured out the best way to go about it.....

but it was a agreement from the start that it would be ran this way and once all the wrinkles got ironed out it has worked perfect for us..it allowed her to concentrate on what she needs to do...and allows me to do the same.....it just makes things much easier then one person trying to juggle the whole thing.......

 

[idreadnought]

So, about a month ago my wife offered to start answering phone and doing small office stuff for us. Wish she would have started doing this a LONG time ago, it's soooo great with some help!

Basically, I just leave my phone and take hers. We are now able to answer every call, it's been a huge help. Everyone has told me she's doing a great job. It's been such a relief to not worry about calls missed or getting home and having to call a bunch of people.

My question, I'd like to set something up for her to make some money by helping. What's a good way to go about this? Let her keep scotchgard upsells, % of job bill, 5$ for job booked, etc?

Lets be honest, the dough goes to her anyways(shes the wife)... But if it(bonus or whatever) keeps her interested enough to keep helping, I'm all in. Any advice?

Just a thought, but if she has extra time you could contract out to answer phones for another cleaner in a different market. Several owner operators would love to have someone great to answer the phones for them. She then could keep all that money for herself.

 

[Jim Martin]

I get a pay check every 2 weeks for what I do..( I never ever see the thing...Tia has a stamp that we made with my signature and just stamps it and deposits it ).......and she gets her own pay check for what she does....both written out of the company account........by her and deposited by her........

 

[Desk Jockey]

You're very lucky Jim. My wife was ready to divorce me over just doing quikbooks. Now shes teaching me how to do it and I'm ready to pull my last hair out. I HATE paperwork. And I'm back to answering the phone myself because it seems to be to complicated for some women. Not my wife, she never answered the phone. She has a job.

Kevin your wife is so nice she would be an excellent choice for the phone.


When we were kids the business phone was answered at our home.

My mother was on the phone one time while Dan and I were fighting. My mother was getting pissed making angry faces at us, yet using a pleasant voice to the caller. We stopped fighting and started laughing at her. Eventually she got so pissed she slipped a shoe off and threw it at us. LOL

That was too much, we were rolling on the floor laughing! She eventually threw the second shoe at us. LOL!!!!

Once she hung up the phone........we received THE WORST BEATING we ever got in our lives. I'm not sure but I think my back still has few belt marks on it.

Where was SRS when you needed them?

 

[Doug Cox]

Just worked together Friday on 2 jobs for 2 grand. Couldn't have done them alone. 6k sq.ft.

 

[glenboy]

i LOVE ANSWERING THE PHONE,AFTER 20 YEARS OF THIS I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO SAY AND HOW TO RESPOND TO A CUSTY ON THE PHONE AND THE PRIDE COMES IN LANDING THE JOB EVEN AFTER THEY CALL OTHER COMPANIES AND CALL ME, THE MOST INFORMATIVE BACK TO SCHEDULE.I BELIEVE I CAN LAND 9 OUT OF 10 JOBS.

 

[Vivers]

I have had my wife answer the phones once I became to busy to do it all. She has been handling the phones and all office work for 16 years or so now. She is amazing at it and books every job we want and none we don't, if you know what I mean?

 

[Chris A]

My wife works with me now and has for the past 3-4 years. It's a blessing but also can be a huge burden on your relationship. There's times we get into it about work stuff then it's always hard to shake it off and go back to real life...

 

[steve_64]

when i was married i didnt let the ex do anything.

now shes unemployed and child support is over so im giving her more and more to do. im still giving her money anyway i may as well get something for it. but she will never answer the phone. to negative in her tone. a great worker just kinda bitchy.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

I hired a person to handle all the business calls, she also deals with mailing out postcards, paperwork and so on. Probably the biggest stress reliever I have ever done with my business. I have more of a chance to work on my business instead of working in it.

 

[Chris A]

I hired a person to handle all the business calls, she also deals with mailing out postcards, paperwork and so on. Probably the biggest stress reliever I have ever done with my business. I have more of a chance to work on my business instead of working in it.

My wife does pretty much the same thing, pays bills, deposits, quickbooks, etc., it allows me to be out producing more $$$ instead of being held back, which I've come to realize is my place in the business for the forseeable future. Plus when I get an idea about something I can just say "Hey, I thought of this, figure out how to make it work, I gotta go bye!" Works every time...