Sockly research · moving companies · updated 2026-11-03
13% of moving companies have a review from the last year that says nobody answered.
Saturday, 8:40 am, the truck is late and the customer is calling the office. A family calls a moving company. We read the Google reviews of 101 independent moving companies in 9 US metros: 13 had at least one customer write, in the last 12 months, that they couldn't reach anyone. 17 reviews in all.
What they wrote
What customers of moving companies describe
Paraphrased from reviews that passed our complaint check. No business is named.
Called for an ETA on moving day; no answer
Voicemail box full on the day of the move
Never heard back about the quote
Where we read them: Dallas, TX, Marietta, GA, Roswell, GA, Smyrna, GA, Kennesaw, GA, Alpharetta, GA, Decatur, GA, Atlanta, GA, Sandy Springs, GA.
The script
What a front desk should say when a family calls
Five lines. The ones without a complaint review do most of this.
- “Thanks for calling [your business], this is the front office. How can I help?” Name first. They called you, not a call center.
- “What's going on?” Then let them finish.
- One qualifying question: “What size is the move, and what date?”
- Two times, not an open question: “We can do the 14th or the 15th, morning crew.”
- “What's a good name and number, in case anything changes?” Then confirm it by text before you hang up.
The math
One missed call a week
1 missed call a week × $900 job = $46,800 a year.
$900 is an estimated average job for moving companies; use yours. The reviews are the callers who wrote it down. Most don't. They call the next name on Google.
Questions
Missed calls at moving companies
- How many moving companies have a review about not answering the phone?
- In our scan of 101 independent moving companies across 9 US metros, 13 (13%) had at least one review of 3 stars or fewer in the last 12 months saying the caller couldn't get through, never got a callback, or was brushed off by the front desk. Reviews undercount it: most callers who can't get through don't write anything.
- What does one missed call cost a moving company?
- Using an estimated average job of $900, one missed call a week that becomes a lost job is $46,800 a year. Your number may be higher or lower; the arithmetic is the same.
- What should a front desk say when a family calls a moving company?
- Answer with the business name, let the caller say what's going on, ask one qualifying question (“What size is the move, and what date?”), offer two specific times instead of an open question, then take a name and callback number and confirm by text.
- Can Sockly answer as a moving company?
- Yes. Call 470-280-8910 and say your business name; it answers as you in about 30 seconds. On your real number it answers every call 24/7, books on your calendar, texts you the summary and callback number, and confirms the customer by text. First month free, $0 setup, then $997 a month for up to 500 calls.
Other trades: law, pest control, appliance repair, HVAC, roofing, veterinary, auto repair, garage door, locksmith, plumbing, towing, electrical, tree service, cleaning.
Hear it answer as a moving company.
Call 470-280-8910 and say your business name. Sockly answers as you in about 30 seconds. First month free, $0 setup.