The Client

The Brighton Mortgage Company has been operated by Malcolm Latchman for over 10 years. Based in the South East, Malcolm has clients ringing him from all over the UK, and as a sole trader he needed help answering business calls during busy periods. He has been using Face for Business’ telephone answering service for a number of years now, and says the switch has been instrumental in the effectiveness of his working day.

The Challenge

Malcolm first approached Face For Business as he wanted to ensure that every call into his business was answered, whether it was a new enquiry or an existing client wanting to speak with him. As a sole trader who operates from home, he needed to be able to go out and hold meetings with his clients and not be interrupted by phone calls.

Our approach

We introduced Malcolm to his lead PA who worked with other businesses in the IFA sector and demonstrated how he was able to switch his divert on and off throughout the day. This enabled him to hold uninterrupted meetings with his clients, safe in the knowledge that FFB would be there when he wasn’t able to answer himself.

The results

Malcolm was delighted with the results of his free 7-day trial. He could immediately see the benefits, not only in terms of cost savings in that he no longer needed to consider the option of employing staff, but he now also felt that he was in control of his day, rather than his day being in control of him.

Not only have we built an excellent working relationship with Malcolm, but his regular clients have got to know us and are much happier leaving a message with us than a voicemail or answerphone.

He updates us each day on his whereabouts so that his callers know when to expect a call back and regularly uses our feedback function so that he can tell us how we’re doing.

As well as adding a level of professionalism to his business, Malcolm said that Face For Business saves him money, as he says it would be impossible to employ a receptionist for the same cost. It also saves him having to find additional office space.

What Malcolm says about our virtual receptionist service

“I’ve had nothing but praise from my clients regarding Face For Business. They’re very impressed with the professional service that Face For Business’ PAs offer and are always much happier to talk to a real person.

“I have built an excellent working relationship with my Lead PA and her team – they’re great. In the past they have the foresight to identify urgent callers thereby upholding my reputation and professionalism. I have a really good working relationship with my PA and I speak to her on a daily basis (sometimes twice a day) to update her on my plans for the day.

“I have had stress-free holiday since I’ve been using FFB knowing that my calls are being professionally managed and that my clients are being updated on when I will get back to them. I am in control of my day and my phone calls rather than them in control of me.

“As a sole trader I cannot emphasise how important and productive this is. For the cost of my package, I couldn’t employ someone to answer my calls – as a sole trader working from home, the service saves me the expense of office space and additional staff. I pay for the service I use. I never miss a call. You not only save me money, you make me money by never missing a call from a potential new client. Face For Business’ portal is useful as a fall back when I need to listen back to any of my calls. I know I can assess my PAs ability to answer my business calls and can send feedback via the portal with any comments on the way my calls are handled.”