An enquiry is the most expensive thing your marketing produces. Whether it came from an ad, a Google Maps listing or a cousin's recommendation, someone has already spent time or money to get that person to contact you. Losing it because the phone went to voicemail, or because the caller spoke Punjabi and the person who answered didn't, is the most avoidable loss in a local business.
This guide sets out a simple system for a Surrey business that hears from customers in both English and Punjabi. It doesn't need new software or new staff. It needs a few decisions written down and followed.
Start by measuring what you're losing
Before fixing anything, count. Take the last four weeks and fill in a sheet with one row per enquiry:
| Date | Channel (call, text, email) | Language | Answered live? | Reply time | Booked? |
|---|
Most phone systems and carriers show missed calls; your text and email apps show times. It takes an hour or two. What owners usually find:
- a cluster of missed calls during the busiest working hours, when everyone is on a job or with a customer
- evening texts that don't get answered until the next afternoon
- Punjabi callers who booked at a lower rate than English callers, often because the call ended with "someone will call you back" and nobody did
You can't fix what you haven't seen. Once you know your numbers, the rest of this guide gives you specific fixes.
Decide who answers in which language
Surrey has a large Punjabi-speaking community, with Punjabi reported as the mother tongue of 22.7% of residents in the 2021 Census. Even if most of your customers are comfortable in English, some of the people who decide on a job, often an older parent, may not be. Plan for that rather than improvising.
Write down three things:
- Who on the team is comfortable speaking Punjabi with customers? Be honest. Conversational fluency is fine for booking, but quoting or explaining technical work needs confidence.
- When are they available? If your only Punjabi speaker is on a job site all day, live calls need a different plan.
- What happens when they're not available? For example: "Answer in English, take the name and number, tell the customer someone will call back in Punjabi by [time], and text the details to [person] right away."
A short written handover rule beats good intentions. The customer hears a clear promise, and the right person gets a message they can act on.
Set reply targets you can actually keep
Targets should be realistic for your size. A two-person crew can't answer every call live, but it can promise that no enquiry waits overnight without an acknowledgement. Here's a starting set:
- Missed call: an automatic text within five minutes, in English with a short Punjabi line if you advertise in Punjabi.
- Text or email during business hours: a human reply within one hour.
- Anything after hours: a reply first thing the next business morning.
- Punjabi callback promised: completed by the time stated, or a text explaining the delay.
Put the targets where everyone can see them. Then check them weekly for the first month using the sheet above.
Write short scripts, in English first
Scripts aren't about sounding robotic. They stop people forgetting the important steps when they're busy. Write them in English, then have a qualified native-speaker translator prepare Punjabi versions. Don't rely on machine translation for anything customers hear or read.
Answering the phone
"[Business name], this is [your name]. How can I help?" Ask: what's the job, where is it, and how soon do they need it? If you can't help in their language: "I'll have [name] call you back in Punjabi by [time]. Should we use this number?" Close: "You'll get a text from us confirming that."
Missed-call text
"Sorry we missed your call to [Business name]. We'll call you back shortly. You can also text us the job details and your address here."
Add a line in Punjabi, prepared by your translator, if you advertise in Punjabi.
Voicemail greeting
Keep it under 20 seconds. Name the business, say when you'll call back, and suggest texting. If you advertise in Punjabi, add the same message in Punjabi, recorded by a fluent speaker.
Make texting the default backup
Texting solves several problems at once for a busy Surrey business. A customer can send photos of the problem. A message in Punjabi can be forwarded to the right staff member in seconds. And a text sitting on your phone is harder to forget than a voicemail.
Set it up properly:
- make sure your main business number can receive texts, or use a texting line that forwards to the right people
- put "Call or text" next to your number on your website, your Google Business Profile and your vehicles
- use missed-call text-back so every missed caller gets a prompt
- keep replies personal: a name, a time and a next step
One caution on messaging rules: replying to someone who contacted you is a different thing from sending promotions. Canada's anti-spam law covers commercial electronic messages, and the CRTC's FAQ explains the basics. If you plan to send promotional texts, get proper advice first.
Track bookings by language
Once the system is running, keep the same sheet going and add up two numbers each month: the booking rate for English enquiries and the booking rate for Punjabi enquiries.
If Punjabi enquiries book at a noticeably lower rate, the problem is usually inside the business, not in the marketing. Common causes include callbacks that come too late, quotes explained only in English, or a website contact page with no Punjabi at all. Our guide to tracking leads by language shows how to tie these numbers back to each campaign.
A worked example: suppose you get 40 English and 15 Punjabi enquiries a month. English books at 35% (14 jobs). Punjabi books at 20% (3 jobs). If better handling lifted Punjabi to 35%, you'd gain about two extra jobs a month without spending a dollar more on ads.
Common mistakes
- Promising a Punjabi callback and not tracking it. Write it down and give it a deadline.
- Using machine translation for scripts and texts. Errors in trade terms or tone cost trust quickly.
- Advertising in Punjabi with an English-only voicemail. The ad sets an expectation the phone then breaks.
- Letting one bilingual employee become the bottleneck. Share the load with texting and clear handovers.
- Judging the Punjabi campaign without checking handling first. A campaign can look weak when the real problem is the callback.
Putting it into practice
Do the four-week count, write the handover rule and the reply targets, get your scripts translated properly, and switch on text-back. Most businesses can do all of this in two weeks.
If you'd like help setting it up, that's exactly what our reviews and fast replies service covers. Owners who want a dedicated text-back tool can also look at CallText.chat. For the wider picture, see the guides overview or get in touch through the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
What if nobody on my team speaks Punjabi?
Be honest about it. Answer in English, offer to call back with someone who can help, and keep that promise. Many families have a bilingual member who will join the call, and customers appreciate being asked.
Should I record my voicemail greeting in both languages?
If you advertise in Punjabi, yes. Keep it short, have a fluent speaker record the Punjabi part, and invite callers to text, because a text is easier to pass to the right person.
How fast is fast enough?
Within the hour during business hours is a good target for most local services. Emergencies need faster, and a missed call should trigger an automatic text within minutes.