New plumbing customer call intake

The decision to make first

A first-time caller may describe the whole problem before the office knows whether the property is within the service area. Start with the service location and callback number, then capture a short description without asking the assistant to diagnose the fault.

What the handoff should contain

Include the caller’s preferred name, service town, callback number, problem in their own words and requested contact window.

Suggested wording to approve

Example wording: “I can collect a service request for our team. Which town is the property in, and what number should we use if the call drops?”

Test the difficult case

Try a fictional caller who gives a long story, changes their phone number and asks for an immediate arrival promise. If the caller cannot provide an address, keep the request incomplete and ask the dispatcher to clarify before any booking.

Worked example

Fictional example: A caller says the kitchen tap is leaking, then corrects the town and callback number. The saved request should contain the corrected town and number, the caller’s description and an unconfirmed next step. The earlier values can remain in an approved audit trail, but must not appear as the current dispatch details.

Review it in operation

Review whether the dispatcher could return each call and whether any incomplete location was mistakenly treated as serviceable.

Check before you launch

• Start with the service location and callback number, then capture a short description without asking the assistant to diagnose the fault.
• Include the caller’s preferred name, service town, callback number, problem in their own words and requested contact window.
• Try a fictional caller who gives a long story, changes their phone number and asks for an immediate arrival promise.
• Review whether the dispatcher could return each call and whether any incomplete location was mistakenly treated as serviceable.

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