Geting Raw Ep #24 John Geraghty and Michelle Mills from SOI
In this episode of Getting Roaring, host Richard Toutounji interviews Michelle Mills and John Geraghty of SOI Live Reception. The conversation traces the company’s evolution from a serviced‑office virtual address service to a fully staffed, personalized live reception solution aimed at service‑based businesses, especially personal trainers and fitness professionals. They explain how their receptionists answer calls, qualify leads, and book appointments in real time, using a technology platform that sends SMS confirmations and provides online access to schedules. The hosts discuss the business impact of missed calls, emphasizing that unanswered phones can cost leads, and illustrate how SOI’s approach improves conversion rates. They share success factors—consistent focus on tailored customer service and resisting competitors’ cost‑cutting trends—and failures, notably an unsuccessful attempt to staff male receptionists. The interview also covers market trends such as the rise of remote work, the growing demand for outsourced reception services, and predictions for the fitness industry’s reliance on real‑time lead capture. Throughout, the participants stress the importance of human interaction over scripted voicemail, the need for the right staffing, and the future relevance of personalized phone‑based lead generation.
Chapters
Welcome to Getting Roaring. It's Richard and Mark Toutounji. And today I'm on the road. I wanted to hunt down today how to get more leads and the best way to do it. So I'm here today Hi, I'm here with Michelle and John. Welcome. Welcome aboard. Hi. So you've got a company called SOI Live Reception, is that correct?
Yes.
Okay. And what I'm really interested about to know today is that we all pay so much money for marketing, for flyers, for pamphlets, yet I think a lot of the time it might go missed. Well, the core might go missed. So you've been in this business for over 13 years. So I wanted to find out, I guess, what the issues are when running a business, especially a personal training business, a fitness business, and the calls aren't getting answered. What can it actually do to a business? I know you guys specialize in personal trainers and service-based business answering the phone calls. So I guess I just want to know more about that because you've been in the industry there, you had live reception services and virtual offices since the So you know what you're talking about. So tell me, I guess, how did you get started in this sort of business for a start? Like how did you get started answering other people's businesses' telephone numbers?
Well, that was actually stemmed from the serviced office environment where you're renting out office space, so it's more property thing but you're also then answering the calls for the company. So it really stemmed from there when then companies sort of said, well, I don't really need the office, office, but I still want to have someone answer my calls. I still want the address.
Yeah.
So, that was where what we called a virtual office sort of stemmed from when companies told us that they didn't want an actual physical office. So, we started doing that, and then what I actually started to see a real need in the market for was to then really tailor it. And so, instead of it just being, good morning, ABC Company, to actually have the ability for the team to then really find out more about what the individual company was about. So when the call came in, the girls could say, we are a personal training company.
Yeah, but I mean, I always see it like that you always get the calls and like all the message bank services and it's so short. It's always short like, you know, Rich is not here right now but leave a message. And it's like, it's so rude. I feel like I'm an insult just to answer the call. I feel bad. But you're saying that your team actually Sort of like your company, is that what you're saying?
Absolutely. They become your reception team for you.
And they're scripted or they're not scripted?
They're not scripted, but they will ask you to come in, meet with them, and then for you to tell them exactly how you want the calls to be answered. So it's like you're employing your own receptionist, but you don't actually have to take on that team, you know, that person.
So what we're saying John, we're actually dealing with real human beings here to actually take the call.
Most definitely. Like Michelle was saying, if I was to say to, for example, a personal trainer, what I'd like to do is sit one of our fully trained receptionists at your home or in your office to sit there and simply take phone calls and take all your enquiries. Would you like— do you think that service would help your business? 99% of them would say, of course it would. The only difference is instead of sitting in their office, they're going to be sitting in our office. Yep. In our environment with all our technology to take their calls on their behalf.
Okay. It makes sense. It makes perfect sense. Obviously, if you're out to a personal trainer on the road and actually doing the session, you're missing that appointment. And I like the service and I actually, in a second, I actually want to see if we can actually go and check this out because I'm like the— I don't believe it until I see it. So I would like to actually see if we can in a sec. But What I was sort of saying is it feels like you can actually run your business and have this person working for you and actually understanding about the business. That to me is huge. So if you don't mind, can we actually go see this? Can we see this in action before we even go any further? I want to see this in action because I honestly— I like you guys but I don't believe— I need to see it. I'm a non-believer, okay? Absolutely. Excellent. So this is actually the virtual offices. You also have 2?
Yes, it is.
You have virtual offices and you've also got, as you were saying before, people just to answer the phone call?
That's correct.
Okay, that's what we'll look at now.
Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, companies can have just that live reception and then someone can also then continue to make the booking for them, etc.
Like a real person?
Like an absolute real person.
I'm very interested to see this.
Come on through. This is Kara, and I think she's in the middle of a call here. Hi, Fred.
Absolutely, we can certainly do that for you. Okay, so you were looking for weight loss and toning, was it? Great. Okay, I can book you in for a free first session with one of our trainers, and then you can certainly speak about the goals and needs that you're looking for. Okay, what time was best for you?
Okay, so she's making a real—
she's speaking to a real new person who's inquiring about fitness.
and wants to get them in as quickly as possible.
Absolutely. Yeah.
But it doesn't sound scripted to me.
No, because they're trained. They know what to do. So the client has actually gone through at the beginning, explained exactly what they want them to do, but the team know how to manage that, you know, and that's what they're doing every day. So they're the professionals.
That's actually quite good. I mean, you see the Telstra people call and they're very short on the phone with you, They'll take a message, that's it. But they're actually getting booking first time.
Yeah.
So this personal trainer's out probably doing clients, being doing their do best.
Yep.
And they're actually doing the backend for them.
Absolutely. So it means that all their bookings are set in there for them, and what they can do is they can actually get like an SMS confirming what bookings they have. They can go online at any time and see all the bookings that they've got.
All that stuff. All that all that techy stuff. Yeah. Awesome.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
Awesome. That's that's that's amazing. I'm amazed. It's a real person doing a phone. A phone consultation for a new client.
Yeah. That's good.
Okay, so that was a really amazing experience. Thanks, I think. I believe it. I mean, she was actually taking the lead in, and to me it sounded like it was a new inquiry calling through.
It was a new inquiry, and their job is really to try and sell the appointment. Right. They're not there just to take the call and get the information and send it off. I always— well, we train the girls, you put yourself in the situation of a potential client. You're a potential client looking for a personal trainer. If you were to ring through, you found some information on a personal trainer, and it went to someone's voicemail, what would your natural impulse be to do next?
I'd call them in person. I'm impatient.
People don't tend to leave a voicemail message. So every time that an enquiry comes through and the call goes unanswered, Potentially you've lost a client. That's where we actually can help step in and take the call and in a large percentage of the time actually make an appointment on the trainer's behalf. That way we feel we've done our job when we've achieved that.
Is this the first time this has happened? I mean, I know there's obviously online booking systems, we know that. I know there's people that can call up and say, we're not here, a live message. But is this a first for this kind?
It's— yeah, yes, I would say that we would really be the only ones going to the level that we go. As you say, there's a lot of companies out there that do that first line, but not actually going and totally representing the company and being able to make that booking and have that all confirmed, etc.
I would say that we're a lot more client-focused because examples are clients would— can— we have some clients Our virtual clients, would email in on a daily basis different instructions.
On a daily basis?
On a daily basis.
And you still take that?
I'm in meetings from 10 till 3, and that's the messages that we will then pass on to his clients. Or he may have certain instructions. If Peter rings, make sure you put him directly through to my mobile, but I'm not taking calls from anyone else. So we're happy to update that on a daily basis and tailor it to whatever our clients require on a day-to-day basis.
And that's because it's the personalized, the actual receptionist who's physically here in Sydney, so understands the Sydney market.
I like this. I'll have one just for myself. Just for myself. It's awesome.
I do actually have clients who have a business service and a personal service.
I'm in. Count me in for personal service. Both. Sounds great. So you guys have been in business for, we were talking before, 20 years, is that right? In this sort of business?
Yes, in this sort of business, I mean 20 years.
Okay, so where do you see, I guess, the future going? I mean, you know, everything is getting faster, got more phones, got more technology, got more Twitter, got more Facebook, we've got more everything else. And now, I guess, you're going from virtual office to live reception. Do you think that's the trend forward going through?
Yes, yeah, definitely. I think that people actually are starting to realize as we get more technology-focused, We actually need that more personalized service as well. And we've tried to go away from that.
Yeah.
The other thing also is it is actually harder to manage a professional receptionist now for a small business. It's quite expensive and to train and then have to employ your own person. So, therefore, to outsource it for, you know, small to medium-sized businesses just makes so much more sense.
And so now everybody's going online as well. I guess that's where people are working from home, they're working in small offices. That's the market that you're seeing?
Yes. Yeah. A lot more flexibility where they can be out and about and that sort of thing.
Okay. And so having this, I mean, you've been in this place. So we're in Sydney. You've been in this location for 13 years. So that's a long time in one location. So, getting on, I'd love to know more about, I guess, business success. So, can you tell me, like, what do you think has been the successes, both of your successes over the 13 years that you've been here? What's kept moving? You're doing something right, obviously.
The biggest success is the fact that when we started the business, it was totally focused on customer service and tailored solutions, and we never veered away from that. There was a time where We were struggling to convert, like to sell the product, because people were going away from that, saying, oh, we don't need that tailored service. And our competitors were moving totally away from it, and they were cutting costs and doing different things. But we decided to stick to our guns, not to follow what the competitors were doing, and that's been the biggest success.
Not to follow what the competitors are doing, and now good old-fashioned service is coming in full swing again.
Absolutely, yeah. That makes sense. It's really exciting to see. I can see that.
And what about your failures over the 13 years? There must have been some, you know, dealing with real people, you're always going to have staff, you're always going to have problems. What's the staffing solution?
I'll tell you, one of the biggest failures that we decided to do, this might be a bit sexist, but we tried to get guys within the live reception service and it did not work.
It didn't work? What was the problem?
A couple of things. Our clients didn't like it, but also the guys themselves didn't like the job because the job is sort of— it's very, very heavily multi-skilled or multitasked.
Oh, I'm no good at that.
No good.
As you know, we're just not good at that.
We're useless at it. Absolutely useless. That was one of our biggest failures. We were really excited to get these guys on our team and they just didn't like it.
Yeah, I saw the girls over there and I mean, they've got all these screens going and they've got to remember every company that comes through. I mean, that in itself is— I can barely remember my own phone number. So that in itself I think is quite
good.
So the moral of the story here is employ the right people for the right job.
Yeah, absolutely.
And so I guess to wrap it up, where do you see the fitness industry going in the next sort of 5 years? With the booking system and with the online lead system? Because you work for a lot of service-based businesses. Where do you sort of see the fitness industry happening? Especially, I'd love to ask the question because you're coming from outside, not in the industry. I'd love to know what do you perceive is coming?
What I know about the fitness industry, Richard, is that it's very competitive. There's a lot of people out there wanting to break into that market. Now, like with any business, you have to differentiate yourself from the others to have that point of difference. Typically, another similar type of service industry was a massage therapist. Prior to using our services, was listed very highly on Google purely because of her name.
Right.
When you did a Google search, you found it. And through no planning, it was just the way it was. She went from the one person being a solo therapist and within a very short space of time expanded that to 3. 3, maybe 4 therapists because she was doing massages, the phone was ringing, it wasn't being answered. Now when the phone's being called, she's constantly getting more and more bookings and then could then put more and more therapists on.
Makes sense.
And I think that would work particularly for fitness trainers because they find themselves in the same boat. They're hopefully doing sessions, phone's ringing, enquiries are going to voicemail, the potential customer's simply moving on to someone else.
So it's actually getting, you know, it's actually treating— we always say this in PT University, Like treating your business as a real business. Yes. Like someone needs to actually answer your phone between the hours of 9 to 5 or later if possible. Like that's what we're going to do.
Yeah, absolutely.
Okay, well it sounds like a fantastic service. I'm going to literally— I want a live reception just for my personal matters. That'd be awesome. That sounds like the best to me but I really think it's a valuable tool for business owners especially fitness business owners as you're saying. I mean it makes sense. If you can't answer your phone, you're going to miss the lead. It's as simple as that.
Absolutely.
People these days are so fast, they want things right now and you've got to give them to them right now when they want to know what's happening at that time. So that's where I think something like this would actually increase their business.
Yeah, I totally agree and we've seen that with our clients. We've seen their businesses grow and be successful.
Well, that's exactly why I want to come interview you. You know, you're in the service-based industry, you're in the lead generation industry and It's not a website, but it's actually a real person. It's very exciting, very exciting. Awesome, thanks a lot.
All right, thank you very much, Richard.
