Thanksgiving: a day of gratitude, family gatherings, and, of course, sumptuous meals. With most businesses and medical offices closed you’d expect the phones to go silent at a professional answering service, with nary a gobble nor groan. Not quite. At Focus Answering Service – as well as the offices of many of our contemporaries – Thanksgiving morning proves to be anything but calm, particularly when it comes to the property management industry.
Here’s a countdown of the top 4 frantic holiday calls to an answering service:
- Disturbing Smells (Unrelated to Giblets)
Apartment A is detecting more than a hint of smoke, and yet – no fire… While not exclusive to Thanksgiving, we’ve frequently fielded calls from renters wondering where that “strange burning smell” was coming from in their apartment. Knock on wood, these mysteries are typically solved after confirming with the landlord that the heat was recently switched back on in preparation for colder weather. The burning? The dust that had settled on heating elements over the summer months going up in smoke.
- Ceiling Waterfalls and Kitchen Lights
Sometimes the call isn’t about the resident’s direct issue, but a neighbor’s. When apartment 401 from Building F reported a deluge from his kitchen light and a ceiling on the brink of caving in, we knew this was a Thanksgiving no one would forget. Our advice while we reached out to the service crew? Steer clear (and maybe have a bucket handy).
- The Great Flood of Building F
Ah, the trials and tribulations of preparing a holiday casserole! Peeling potatoes and onions turned disastrous for the lady in Building F, apartment 501. A clogged garbage disposal and an overflowing dishwasher turned her festive mood upside down. Thankfully, our dispatchers pulled through and a maintenance man was on the scene in no time. One can only hope her casserole survived.
- Cold Shoulders, Cold Turkeys, and Disappearing Circuit Breakers
The winner and still champion in our “frantic holiday calls to an answering service” parade is our friend in Building B, apartment 307. An oven that won’t heat, a turkey waiting in the wings, and a veritable swarm of expected guests—it’s the Thanksgiving trifecta of stress. The highlight? The oven apparently “worked last Thanksgiving!” In her defense, preparing a Thanksgiving meal for 14 hungry family members was no small task, especially with a non-functional oven. We delicately relayed the maintenance man’s temporary suggestion that she check her circuit breaker. This led to a follow-up question (and a good one): “Where is my circuit breaker?”
These stories paint a clear picture (maybe not a Norman Rockwell masterpiece, but a clear picture, nonetheless): while Thanksgiving is a day of relaxation for many, it’s also a day where unexpected hitches can throw a wrench in our plans. At Focus Answering Service, we’re here to assist in any way we can, come rain, flood, or malfunctioning oven.
To our wonderful patrons: We are profoundly grateful for all of you. As the holiday season beckons, remember that we’re just a call away at 800-886-6696 for all your outsourced call center needs.
Wishing everyone a joyous and mishap-free Thanksgiving!