Covering calls/emails during the day

[essayer]

I need to arrange support cover during the day for a business I run, currently on my own

There are probably 5-10 calls per week plus emails, most of which follow a typical script but require a bit of PC/server knowledge to solve

There's not enough going on to warrant employing someone, and the calls are random in nature, but must be answered.

So..

What's a good approach to cover this ? I was thinking of approaching people or companies that already have spare support capacity; eg. freelancers working mostly from home, that sort of thing. I don't know what would be a reasonable rate to pay for this, would it be better as a retainer ? What sort of money would be expected for this sort of work ? Ideally I could 'recruit' a few people, so split the shifts up accordingly.

[JaybirdUK]

You really run the risk of them poaching your customers. Can you not field these calls from a mobile and something like a 3G tablet/laptop?

If your a one man IT support company I'm sure your customers stick with you because of the service and knowledge you offer, would a temp agent give the same level of care?

[FraserLFA]

How long do you need the cover for? A day? a week? Ongoing?

[essayer]

Ongoing.

Yes, them running off with customers is a concern. Mitigated slightly by the business, but still a potential for problems.

At some point it becomes 'this business is unmanageable as one person and should really employ staff'

[Wing Commander]

Would something like AlldayPA be suitable? I believe you can get them to use a script (might cost a bit more).

I currently use them to answer my calls for my one man band business whilst I still work a 9-5. I then return the calls on my next break. I am in a similar situation - sporadic calls, maybe 5-10 a week.

Works quite well for me

[Tuscanless Ali]

One of the companies I work for use http://www.moneypenny.co.uk/Home.aspx seems to work well for them (Housebuilders) have a look and see what you think.