A service-area page with clear boundaries

The decision to make first

A list of town names can attract inquiries from places the business only sometimes serves, creating avoidable disappointment and dispatch work. Publish the approved coverage rule and explain how uncertain addresses are reviewed instead of implying universal service in a broad region.

What the handoff should contain

Maintain included areas, known exclusions, the date of the business’s last coverage review and the contact route for ambiguous locations.

Suggested wording to approve

Example wording: “If your address is near the edge of our service area, send the location for an office check before assuming a visit can be arranged.”

Test the difficult case

Test an included address, an excluded address and a boundary case against both the page and the assistant’s answer. Do not create dozens of nearly identical town pages or claim a local office in a place where the company has no such presence.

Worked example

Fictional example: The business serves most of a town but excludes a distant section. A useful area page explains that an address check may be needed rather than listing the entire town without qualification. The assistant should use the same boundary rule, so a visitor does not receive a broader promise after moving from web to phone.

Review it in operation

Review inquiries declined for distance and correct the public coverage information when it is causing a repeated misunderstanding.

Check before you launch

• Publish the approved coverage rule and explain how uncertain addresses are reviewed instead of implying universal service in a broad region.
• Maintain included areas, known exclusions, the date of the business’s last coverage review and the contact route for ambiguous locations.
• Test an included address, an excluded address and a boundary case against both the page and the assistant’s answer.
• Review inquiries declined for distance and correct the public coverage information when it is causing a repeated misunderstanding.

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