Notes on the phone.
Practical writing on missed calls, call forwarding, and what an AI receptionist can and cannot do for a small business.
How to return a missed call and still win the job
Speed, order and the first ten seconds: a simple routine for calling people back so a missed call still turns into work.
Your phone over the Christmas shutdown: a plan that lets you actually switch off
How a small business can close for Christmas and New Year without losing the calls that come in, or spending the holidays checking voicemail.
After-hours calls are your best leads. Here is how to catch them.
Why calls at 7pm and on Saturday convert better than calls at 10am, and four ways for a small business to handle them without answering the phone at dinner.
What does an answering service cost in Australia?
How live answering services, virtual receptionists and AI receptionists price their plans in 2026, with typical figures, and what to check before you sign.
Call forwarding codes for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone
The dial codes that turn call forwarding on and off on any Australian mobile, what each one does, and the mistakes that send every call to the wrong place.
Do callers mind talking to an AI receptionist?
What we have learned from real calls about how people react to an AI answering the phone, what annoys them, and what makes them relax.
How much does a missed call cost a tradie?
A plain-numbers look at what an unanswered phone costs a plumber, electrician or builder in Australia, and the three ways to stop the leak.
How to test your call forwarding without a second phone
Three ways to check that unanswered calls are really reaching your answering service or AI receptionist, including one that needs nothing but your own phone.
The questions your receptionist should ask every caller
What to ask a new caller in five industries so the message you get back is one you can act on, and how to word the questions so people answer them.
Writing a business profile your assistant can actually use
What to put in the hours, services, FAQs and contacts of an AI receptionist so it answers callers well, with examples and the mistakes to avoid.
What an AI receptionist can and cannot do
A straight list of what an AI answering service handles well, what it handles badly, and what it should never be asked to do.
What callers actually do when they reach voicemail
The uncomfortable behavioural research on voicemail, why most people hang up, and what changes when a voice answers instead.