A general contractor in Kalispell with 25 employees — office staff, project managers, and field crews — was running separate phone systems for their office and relying on personal cell phones for job site communication. When a general contractor or property developer called about a new project, the call went to the office. If the estimator was on a job site, the call went to voicemail. In a competitive Flathead Valley construction market, that meant losing bids.
The Problem
The company was running 4 active job sites simultaneously across the Flathead Valley. Project managers used personal cell phones to coordinate with subcontractors, suppliers, and the main office. When the office needed to transfer a client call to a project manager on-site, they'd take a message and have the PM call back — sometimes hours later. Bid calls during business hours went unanswered 30% of the time because the estimator was in the field. The office phone system was a basic 4-line setup with no auto attendant, no mobile integration, and maintenance costs of $200/month.
The Solution
Big Sky Telecom deployed hosted VoIP with 12 user lines: 4 office staff, 4 project managers (softphone app on their phones), the estimator, the owner, and 2 shared lines for the shop and warehouse. An auto attendant routes calls: "Press 1 for new project estimates. Press 2 for current project updates. Press 3 for accounting." Estimate calls ring the office estimator first, then the owner's mobile, ensuring every bid opportunity gets answered.
The Results
Zero missed bid calls: Ring groups ensure that estimate inquiries always reach someone — office first, then estimator's mobile, then the owner. In the first 3 months, the company captured 4 project opportunities they would have previously missed.
Seamless job site connectivity: Project managers answer office calls from job sites via the softphone app. The office transfers client calls directly to the PM on-site. Subcontractors and suppliers see the company number, not personal cells. When a PM leaves the company, the extension gets reassigned — no lost contacts.
35% cost reduction: Monthly phone costs dropped from $540 to $350. Annual savings: $2,280 — plus the revenue from captured bids that would have been lost.
SMS for scheduling: The office sends subcontractor confirmations via text from the company number: "Confirming electrical crew needed at Lakeside project, Tuesday 7 AM. Gate code: 1234." Text-based coordination cut scheduling miscommunication significantly.
What the Owner Said
"The first week we had VoIP, we caught a $180,000 project call that would have gone to voicemail on the old system. The estimator was on a job site but picked up through the app. That one call paid for the phone system for the next five years."
Is Your Construction Company Ready?
If your field crews and project managers are running on personal cell phones while the office phone sits at a desk, VoIP bridges the gap.
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Big Sky Telecom provides hosted VoIP, business phone systems, and managed IT services to small and mid-sized businesses across Western Montana. Locally owned and operated in Missoula, MT since 1998.