What Checkatrade does well
Homeowners know the name, and a Checkatrade profile tells them a trade has been checked and has reviews from real jobs. For a new firm with few reviews of its own, that borrowed trust is worth a lot, and in some trades and areas it brings a steady run of enquiries.
Your own Google listing
A Google Business Profile is free. When someone searches "plumber near me" and rings the number on yours, that call is yours alone: nobody else was sent it, and it costs you nothing. The work is in getting seen, which mostly means reviews, and in answering, which is where the calls leak away. How to get more reviews, within the rules.
Make every listing catch the call
A call from your Google listing that rings out is the most expensive call you get, because it was free and it was only yours. So put a number that texts back on every listing you have: your Google profile first, then your Checkatrade profile too, so a missed call from either gets a text in your firm's name within seconds.
- Who else gets it
- A Checkatrade requestUp to two other local trades, through the request form
- A call from your Google listingNobody
- What it costs you
- A Checkatrade requestYour membership, whatever the month brings
- A call from your Google listingNothing per call
- What wins it
- A Checkatrade requestPrice, reviews and replying first
- A call from your Google listingAnswering, or replying first
- What loses it
- A Checkatrade requestA slower or cheaper firm
- A call from your Google listingRinging out
| A Checkatrade request | A call from your Google listing | |
|---|---|---|
| Who else gets it | Up to two other local trades, through the request form | Nobody |
| What it costs you | Your membership, whatever the month brings | Nothing per call |
| What wins it | Price, reviews and replying first | Answering, or replying first |
| What loses it | A slower or cheaper firm | Ringing out |
Straight answers
- Should I leave Checkatrade?
- Only your own numbers can say. Count the jobs it brought you last quarter, what they were worth, and what you paid. If it pays, keep it for the trust, and work harder on the calls you already get.
- Can I put Slate's office line on my Checkatrade profile?
- Yes. It is an ordinary UK number. Put it everywhere a new customer might see you, so every missed call from any listing is texted back.
- What does Slate OS cost?
- £249 a month, one plan. The first 25 firms pay £199 a month for as long as they stay. You get 14 days free from the day you start, and if you are not happy within 14 days of your first payment, you message us and we refund it in full.
Sources
Slate OS gives you an office line that rings your own mobile. When you can’t pick up, the caller gets a text in your firm’s name within seconds, and the job lands on your phone. Quotes, invoices and a diary come with it, for when you want them.