Why we stop work to answer the phone
Nobody picks up in the middle of a session for fun. We do it for three reasons.
- A new client won't wait. Someone looking for a coach, a therapist or an electrician often calls several numbers one after the other. If they get voicemail, they try the next one.
- There is nobody else. No reception, no business partner, a single line, and sometimes it is your personal number.
- You don't know who is calling. A client who wants to move an appointment, a prospect, an emergency or a cold caller: the ringtone is the same.
The price of these interruptions doesn't appear on any invoice, but every trade knows it. The consultant apologises in the middle of a meeting for “having to take this call”. The coach breaks the rhythm of a session the client has paid for (see our personal trainer page). The therapist simply cannot answer: the confidentiality of the session forbids it, and our psychologist page shows how to handle these very particular first calls. The tradesperson working alone, up a ladder or in front of a fuse box, takes a risk by getting their phone out, as our electrician page describes.
Sorting calls before choosing a tool
Before choosing a solution, look at what you receive. For two weeks, note each call in one line: who, what for, at what time. You will find the same groups coming up.
| Type of call | What the caller wants | Does it deserve an interruption? |
|---|---|---|
| New client | A first appointment, a price, availability | No, if they get an answer quickly |
| Existing client | To move or cancel an appointment, or ask a practical question | No |
| Emergency | Whatever you have defined as such | Yes, according to your rules |
| Partner, supplier | Some information, a document | No |
| Cold call | To sell you something | Never |
The right-hand column says “no” almost everywhere. What matters is not that you pick up, but that the caller gets an answer quickly. Our guide to qualifying incoming calls helps you do this sorting.
The options, from the simplest to the most complete
Voicemail, properly set up
A short message that says who you are, when you will call back and what the caller can do straight away: send an SMS, book online. It is free, but it depends on the caller's goodwill, and some hang up without leaving a message. Our examples of greetings by trade help you write it.
Fixed callback slots
Rather than calling back between two sessions, call back at fixed times, for example at lunchtime and at the end of the day, and say so in your message. The caller knows when they will get an answer, and your working time stays intact. The limitation: playing phone tag with clients who are also at work.
Conditional call forwarding
Your phone rings first; if you don't pick up, the call goes to another number: a spouse who runs the office, a business partner, a telephone answering service or a voice agent. The how-to guide to conditional forwarding gives the codes for French operators.
Telephone answering services
Call handlers take your calls during set hours and pass the messages on to you. The answer is human; the cost follows the volume of calls, and booking appointments in your calendar is not always included.
The AI voice agent
It answers every call, announces itself as an AI, answers using the information you have given it, books the appointment in your calendar, sends the confirmation by SMS, transfers to you whatever you have defined as urgent and sends you a summary of every call. Our AI voice agent vs voicemail comparison puts the two solutions side by side.
Six organisational rules that work
- A separate business number. This is the one you can forward, hand over or switch off in the evening, without affecting your private life.
- Phone-free periods. During a session, a meeting or a job, the phone stays on silent: forwarding does the work.
- A written definition of an emergency. Two or three cases, no more, and for each one, what should happen: a transfer, an SMS or a priority callback.
- A single online calendar. Google Calendar, Microsoft 365 or Cal.com: whoever takes the call sees the same slots as you.
- Your answers written once. Prices, address, how a first session works, the area you cover: this text is used for your voicemail, your website and your agent.
- Calling back with the summary in front of you. You know who to call back, why, and what has already been said.
For evenings and weekends, our guide to out-of-hours calls details the settings specific to those times. For the building trades, the complete method for tradespeople covers the subject step by step.
The Solo plan, designed for the self-employed
At Sayelo, the Solo plan is designed for people who work alone: €39 excl. VAT/month, 100 minutes and 50 SMS a month, 1 agent, 1 number and 1 simultaneous call. Like every plan, it includes appointment booking in Google Calendar, Microsoft 365 or Cal.com, confirmation SMS and reminders the day before, transfer to a human, an email summary with the transcript, nearly 100 languages and HDS hosting in France, which matters for a therapist. Audio call recording is not included: it is available from the Essentiel plan upwards, and is never switched on by default.
- Your number. You keep your current number, whichever you prefer: by forwarding calls to your agent or, in France, by porting, on all plans. A new number is also included from the start of the trial, if you would rather start from scratch.
- Minutes. If 100 minutes are not enough in a given month, you add a top-up (60 minutes for €19, 120 for €35, 180 for €49, excl. VAT); no overage is ever billed automatically. If that becomes the norm, the Essentiel plan includes 250 minutes and 2 simultaneous calls.
- One call at a time. This works when your calls come in one by one; if they often overlap, the higher plans take several at once.
- Setting up. Ready in 5 minutes, with a setup guided by your agent, in writing, on WhatsApp or with a form, with no set-up fees and no commitment. The 14-day free trial is on the Solo plan: card details are required at the start, and nothing is charged if you cancel before the end.
Details of every plan are on the pricing page.
A typical day, with a fictitious example
To illustrate, let's take an imaginary coach, in sessions all morning. Her phone rings three times. A prospect asks for an initial assessment: the agent offers two slots, puts it in the calendar and sends the confirmation by SMS. A client moves her Thursday session: the agent finds the appointment and offers another one. A cold caller introduces himself: the agent invites him to write in. At midday, she reads three summaries, and all that is left to do is prepare the prospect's assessment. The agent has worked as back-up, never in her place: if a client had needed her, the transfer rule would have alerted her.
