The problem
Not answering is often the right call for an electrician. You have live conductors in front of you, or you're up a ladder, or you're halfway through diagnosing an intermittent fault. Stopping is unsafe or expensive.
Three things follow from that:
- It rings out most on your busiest days. The more work you have on, the more enquiries you never hear about.
- The jobs behind those calls are not small. A consumer unit replacement, an EV charger install, a landlord's EICR, a commercial inspection.
- Callers have four numbers and no loyalty. Similar reviews, similar certifications. The one who answers gets to ask about the supply, the property, the timeline.
Voicemail doesn't rescue it, and for safety calls it's worse than useless. Someone with a burning smell from a socket isn't leaving a message. They need a person, now.
The calls you miss
Inside a consumer unit. You're mid-rewire with live conductors in front of you. Your phone rings from your pocket and you can't safely stop. By the time you're clear, the caller has moved on.
Up a ladder running cables. Two hands on the work, phone in a high-vis pocket. You feel the vibration. There's nothing you can do. First-fix jobs carry good margins, and you won't know how many you've lost to unanswered calls.
On a fault diagnosis that needs your full attention. An intermittent RCD trip isn't the moment to break off. A potential new customer waits a few rings, hangs up, and calls another NICEIC-registered electrician.
Sunday evening. Homeowners and property managers call when they've had a chance to think. They're ready to book. There's no one there.
Trade businesses lose an estimated £1,200–£4,800 a month to unanswered calls. For electricians, a single consumer unit replacement, EV charger installation, or commercial inspection can cover months of the service on its own. That estimate is based on typical UK trade job values and a 20–30% call conversion rate. Work out your own number.
How Telphi answers for an electrician
A call comes in. Telphi picks up in a clear, natural voice with your greeting and works through the right questions for your trade.
Caller: "Hi, I'm looking for a quote for an EV charger installation at my house."
Telphi: "Happy to help with that. Is it a new installation or are you replacing an existing charger?"
Caller: "New – I've just got a new car and we've got no charger at all."
Telphi: "Got it. Is it a domestic property, and do you know if you have a standard single-phase supply or a three-phase supply?"
Caller: "It's a house – single phase, I think. It's a fairly new build."
Telphi: "That's helpful. And roughly where is the property – can I take the full postcode?"
Caller: "Yeah, it's LS6 3AT, Leeds."
Telphi: "Perfect. I'll send you a booking link so you can choose a time for the survey. We'll confirm everything before we come out."
You get a summary in the app: job type, property type, supply type, location, availability. The caller books directly into your calendar via the link. You call back knowing the job details before you've said hello.
What you get after every call
- Call summary – job type, property details, location, and what the caller told Telphi
- Full transcript – every word of the conversation, stored in the app
- Recording – listen back if you need to
- Urgent transfer – configure Telphi to pass through calls involving no power, potential sparks, or other safety situations
- Spam filtered – lead generation calls and time-wasters don't clutter your lead list
Booking
After gathering the job details, Telphi texts the caller a booking link. They pick a slot from your live availability and book directly into your calendar. No back-and-forth required.
