The reorder call does not need a person.

Most of what rings an office supplies counter is somebody who already knows what they want and needs to know it is coming. Ava answers those, and your people keep the ones that are actually worth their time.

Harbour Dental, 10:42A reorder, answered by Ava
Answered
  1. Picked up on the second ring
  2. “The same toner as last time, for the second floor.”Niamh, Harbour Dental
  3. Found the last order
    HP 26A toner × 2In stockAccount price
Written up for your team
Order
2 × HP 26A toner
Deliver to
Second floor, tomorrow morning
Sent
Confirmation emailed at 10:44
What your phone rings about

Somebody who already knows what they want.

Incoming call Mon, 08:52
“The same toner as last time, for the second floor.”
Incoming call Tue, 11:20
“Is that in for next-day, or am I waiting until Thursday?”
Incoming call Wed, 15:47
“What is our price on a box of those, on our account?”
Incoming call Thu, 17:35
“Can you send me a quote for the whole list?”
Ava, inbound

What she does with them

  • Answers the stock, delivery and opening-hours questions out of what you have written down and what is on your online shop.
  • Sends the quote to their inbox while they are still on the phone, so they are not ringing the next supplier on the list.
  • Writes the call up and emails it to the desk it belongs to, with anything that needs a person marked for one.
  • Keeps doing it at six in the evening, on a Saturday and over Christmas, when the reorder would otherwise have gone elsewhere.
On your line day and night, weekends included
Sarah, outbound

What she does about the ledger

  • Works through the accounts that have run past terms and asks for a date, starting by email.
  • Gets firmer every round nobody answers, inside your hours and never off her own judgement.
  • Stops the day it is paid, and hands the account back to you when it is beyond asking.
Inside your hours, and never off her own judgement