Elder Demolition case study

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Elder Demolition is a first-class, full-service demolition companyย  serving clients throughout the western United States since 1997. Founder and President, JD Elder, takes pride in precision while delivering the safest, highest quality demolition work.

Cutting back to level upโ€‹โ€‹

Like many other small businesses in the industry, Elder Demolition spent years taking on any job that came their way.ย 

โ€œWe would do everything from commercial building to lumber mills, to renovating grocery stores, malls, and hospitals. Anything that required demolition, we would take on,โ€ JD explained. โ€œWhile this business approach kept us busy, the work we were doing wasnโ€™t particularly enjoyableโ€”or profitable for that matter.โ€

A member of Portlandโ€™s Entrepreneursโ€™ Organization (EO), JD was inspired by other business leaders in his community to narrow the scope of his services and widen his profit margin while maintaining a passion for his work.ย 

โ€œOnce we had honed in on what we wanted to offer,โ€ he said, โ€œthe number of people in our office went from eight to two or three.

Business continued to boom throughout the companyโ€™s shift in services and having a smaller office staff worked wellโ€”most of the time.

A little help when you need itโ€‹โ€‹

Providing quality customer service is the secret sauce in any business endeavor and being available to answer when clients come to call is critical to success. โ€œWe have an office manager, one or two estimators, and a fields operations manager in the office,โ€ says JD. โ€œDespite having people available to pick up the phone, there were moments when call volume exceeded the number of bodies in the office. I didnโ€™t want callers going to voicemail during working hours. I needed a different solution.โ€

Having the bandwidth to answer calls isnโ€™t a new dilemma for the industry. According to PH Media Group, 79% of American consumers are unsatisfied with the way construction businesses handle their calls. Wanting to provide a memorable experience for his callers, JD found Ruby through his EO chapter.

โ€œI knew about other answering and voicemail services, but Rubyโ€™s reputation as an extension of your business made them stand out. Rubyโ€™s service is personal, and thatโ€™s not easy to find,โ€ said JD.

Receptionists serve as backup to keep JD and his employees productive. Available 24/7, Ruby assists Elder Demolition in answering calls when the office crew is already tied up on the line or focused on another task.ย 

โ€œTrusting Ruby with our calls gives us just enough time to wrap up a task and hop on the phone with a customer that would have otherwise been sent to voicemail,โ€ said JD. โ€œRuby sounds like theyโ€™re right in our office. Iโ€™ve had employees call into the office asking when the new receptionist was hiredโ€”even they couldnโ€™t tell the difference!โ€ย 

In addition to transferring live calls, Ruby collects necessary information and relays messages when speaking with a caller isnโ€™t an option for JD or his team.

โ€œIf we canโ€™t take the call, Ruby takes a message and sends over an email notification, right away. If I am in a meeting with a client, I can forward the message to someone who can quickly follow upโ€”and I donโ€™t even have to pick up the phone.โ€ With clients in different time zones, having Ruby available to answer calls before and after business hours has proven beneficial.

โ€œWith Ruby serving as a backup to the office staff, Iย  have peace of mind knowing that my calls are being answered by a professional team of receptionists, and Iโ€™m not missing out on any business opportunities.โ€

A slice of adviceโ€‹โ€‹

โ€œItโ€™s kind of funny,โ€ said JD. โ€œOn paper, it sounds so simple, but Rubyโ€™s service comes together in a way that makes it so valuable. Despite using the service as extra support rather than a replacement for office staff, Ruby is familiar with who we are and what we do. Theyโ€™ve made personal connections with us, as well as our clients. Each receptionist is empowered to go above and beyond for their clientsโ€”and it shows. Stop worrying about missed calls. Call Ruby!โ€

Discover how Ruby can help your business grow.