Why construction firms outgrow landlines
A construction company rarely works from one place. The office handles estimates, scheduling and invoicing. Project managers move between sites. Crews are spread across two or three jobs at once. A traditional landline ties one phone number to one physical location, which is a poor fit for that way of working.
Yappalot builds hosted PBX and VoIP service for Ontario businesses, with unlimited calling across Canada and the USA and all features included on plans starting at $19.95/month. The practical question for a trades business is simple: how do customers, suppliers and inspectors reach the right person, whichever site they happen to be standing on?
One business number, many places to answer it
With a hosted PBX, your main business number lives in the cloud instead of on a wall jack. Calls to that number can ring the front office, a project manager’s mobile, and a site phone at the same time, or in the order you choose.
- The office keeps one published number on trucks, signs and invoices, even when crews change sites.
- Calls can ring several people at once, so a missed call on one phone is picked up on another.
- If a site shuts down or a project wraps, nothing about your number changes.
If you already have a number your customers know, you do not have to give it up. Our number porting service moves it to the new system.
Mobile app for project managers and field crews
The mobile VoIP app puts your business line on a smartphone. A site supervisor can make and receive calls as the company number instead of handing out a personal cell, and calls can be transferred to a colleague without the caller redialing.
This matters on a busy job. A supplier calling about a delivery reaches the person who is actually on site. A client who phones the office can be passed straight to the project manager. Details are on our mobile VoIP app page.
If your internet connection drops, mobile fallback sends calls to a mobile number so they are not lost. Worth knowing for sites with unreliable coverage.
Routing calls so nothing sits in a voicemail box
Construction calls come in waves: a quote request while the office is out measuring, a delivery driver at the gate, a homeowner asking about a delay. A few features keep these from slipping through.
- Call forwarding: send calls to a site phone or a cell when the office is closed or empty. See call forwarding.
- Auto attendant: let callers choose estimating, accounts or site coordination, so each call lands with the right person. See auto attendant.
- Voicemail: messages are kept where the right person can retrieve them from the app.
- Call recording: useful when a verbal change order or a scope discussion needs to be confirmed later.
Hosted PBX or plain VoIP: what a trades business needs
Most construction firms are served well by hosted PBX, because it combines the office phone system and the mobile side in one account. Plain VoIP lines can work for a very small crew, but they do not give you an auto attendant or shared routing. If you want the full comparison, read Hosted PBX vs VoIP.
Cost is usually the deciding factor for smaller firms. Our guide to VoIP versus landline for small business in Canada walks through the real numbers, and the same approach applies to a contractor with a couple of trucks and a small office.
Getting started
Before you call, write down how many people need to answer the main line, which sites need a desk phone, and who should receive after-hours calls. That list is most of the setup. If you are moving from an older system, the guide to switching to VoIP explains how to avoid dropped calls during the change.
When you are ready, request a quote or call 1-888-YAP-ALOT and we will help you build a setup around the way your crews actually work.
Frequently asked questions
Can my crew use their own cell phones with a VoIP system?
Yes. The mobile VoIP app lets staff make and receive calls as the company number from a smartphone, so personal numbers do not need to be shared.
What happens if a job site has poor internet?
Mobile fallback sends calls to a mobile number when the internet connection drops, so calls are not lost.
Can I keep my existing business phone number?
Yes. Yappalot offers number porting so you can keep the number your customers already know.
Can one call ring the office and a site supervisor at once?
Yes. Calls to the main number can be forwarded or ringed to several phones, including a site phone or a mobile, so the first person free can answer.
How much does a hosted PBX cost?
Yappalot hosted PBX plans start at $19.95/month with unlimited calling across Canada and the USA and all features included.
Do I need special equipment on each job site?
Not necessarily. A smartphone with the mobile app is enough for many sites, and a desk phone can be added where a fixed location makes sense.
