How much does a plumber answering service cost in the UK?
The headline price matters less than how you're charged. Here's how the main pricing models work, what to check in the small print, and how to tell whether it pays for itself.
By JobsAnswered team · Published · 3 min read
The short answer
UK answering services for plumbers are usually charged in one of four ways: per minute, per call, per message taken, or a fixed monthly fee with an allowance. The cheapest headline price isn't always the cheapest month, because a busy week or a winter cold snap can multiply a usage-based bill.
JobsAnswered, for comparison, is £99 + VAT a month on the Reception plan and £149 + VAT on Office, with setup included and a fair-use allowance of call time (300 and 600 minutes). We tell you before you get near it and never add charges you haven't agreed.
The four common pricing models
| Model | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per minute | You pay for every minute an operator or system spends on your calls | Very low call volumes | Long-winded callers and busy months push the bill up |
| Per call | A fixed charge for each call answered | Predictable short calls | Sales calls and wrong numbers are often still charged |
| Per message | You pay for each message passed on | Businesses that only want messages | Usually no qualification, just a name and number |
| Monthly fee | A set price with an included allowance | Most trades | What happens when you go over the allowance |
Costs that aren't in the headline
Before signing anything, ask:
- Setup fees. Some services charge to get started. Others, including JobsAnswered, include it.
- Minimum terms. A 12-month contract makes a cheap monthly price less flexible than it looks.
- Out-of-hours rates. Some services charge more for evenings, weekends or bank holidays.
- Spam and sales calls. Are you paying for the calls you'd never want?
- Overage. What happens when you go over? Is there a hard per-minute rate, or does someone talk to you first?
- Text alerts. Are the messages to your phone included or extra?
- Changes. Is it extra to update your areas, hours or the jobs you take?
How to tell whether it's worth it
You don't need an industry average to answer this. You need three of your own numbers:
- Calls you miss in a typical week. Your phone's call log will tell you. Count the ones with no voicemail.
- The share of those that would have become work. Be conservative. If you're unsure, use a low guess.
- Your average profit per job, not the invoice value.
Then: missed calls a month × share that would have booked × profit per job. If that's well above the monthly cost, the service pays for itself. If it's close, the deciding factor is often time: fewer interruptions on jobs, fewer evening call-backs, and knowing what a job is before you ring.
When an answering service isn't worth it
- You rarely miss calls because someone already answers in the office.
- Nearly all your work comes through a platform or contract rather than the phone.
- You're fully booked months ahead and don't want new enquiries.
Checklist before you choose
- Does it keep my existing number?
- Is the price fixed or usage-based, and what's included?
- What happens if I have a busy month?
- Will it ask plumbing questions or just take a name and number?
- Can it tell urgent jobs from routine ones?
- How do I get the message: text, email, app?
- Can I leave without a long notice period?
If you'd like to see what a fixed-price, plumbing-specific option sounds like, you can try our live demo or compare our pricing.