When the tech calls in lost
Say
Hi, this is the office. The tech is nearby, but the map is putting them in the wrong spot. What is the easiest way to spot your house from the road?
Not
The tech is lost, where are you?
Say
Is there a gate code, or a different entrance to the driveway?
Not
The address you gave is wrong.
Say
The tech will be with you in about five minutes. Thanks for helping them find you.
Not
It is going to take a while now.
Ask these on the booking call when the address might not be enough
- Is this a new build, a rural road, or a gated community?
- Is there a unit or building number, or a gate code?
- Which entrance or driveway should the tech use?
- Anything that makes the house easy to spot: the color, the mailbox, a corner lot.
- The best number to reach them on the day, in case the tech needs to call.
What to put in the job notes for the tech
- The directions in the customer's words, not just the address.
- The gate code and parking note at the top, where the tech sees them first.
- A flag on any address the map has got wrong before, so the next visit starts right.
The three ways this goes wrong
- Circling before calling. Every minute lost comes out of the window the customer is waiting through.
- Blaming the customer's address. They gave you what they had; getting to the door is the job.
- Fixing it for today and not in the notes. The same house will send the next tech in circles too.
A tech who cannot find the house is spending time the customer is waiting through. One call from the truck saves the visit, and one line in the notes saves the next one.
B
I answer the phones for contractors, and I ask for gate codes and directions whenever the address alone will not get the tech there. callbobai.com