How should after-hours calls be triaged?
Use the same three groups every time. A true emergency is active water or sewage that threatens property or safety, and gets a truck now. Urgent but contained means the problem is stopped for now, so you give overnight instructions and dispatch first thing in the morning. Routine goes on the normal schedule.
Three questions sort most calls: Is water running now? Can the caller reach the main shutoff? Is anyone without water or a working toilet? Write them on a script so the person answering the phone, whether staff or an answering service, applies the same rules.
How do you set up the on-call rotation?
Name a primary tech and a backup for every shift so nobody has to phone the owner to find out who is on duty. Publish the schedule at least four weeks ahead. A rotation of four to six techs keeps any one person from carrying the phone too often.
Pay for the disruption. Many shops pay a weekly on-call stipend plus a minimum number of hours for any dispatch, even a short one. Check your local wage and on-call pay rules, because they vary.
What response targets and fees should you set?
Set targets in numbers, such as a callback within 30 minutes and a truck on site within two hours in your core area. These are examples. Pick targets your crew can actually meet.
Before the truck leaves, tell the customer the arrival time, that after-hours visits carry a separate flat dispatch fee, and what to do right away, such as finding the main shutoff. Quote the visit, not a repair price for a problem you have not seen.
What does a month of after-hours coverage cost? A worked example
All numbers are examples. A shop handles 8 true emergencies in a month. Each call has a $149 dispatch fee and an average $520 repair, with $140 in parts.
Revenue: 8 x ($149 + $520) = $5,352. Parts: 8 x $140 = $1,120. Tech call pay at a 2-hour minimum and $45 an hour: 8 x $90 = $720. On-call stipend: 4 weeks x $300 = $1,200. Answering service: $200.
Costs total $3,240. Contribution before truck and overhead is $5,352 - $3,240 = $2,112. If the number is thin, raise the dispatch fee, tighten triage so fewer routine calls roll a truck, or cut the stipend by widening the rotation.
How do you keep improving?
Hold a short debrief the next morning for every emergency. Did the truck have the right parts? Was the response target met? Did the customer understand the price? Keep an emergency parts list based on a year of after-hours jobs and have someone restock it weekly. Log the notes in your field-service software so patterns show up over time.
Step by step
- Write the triage script. List the three call groups and the three sorting questions, and give the script to everyone who answers the phone.
- Build the rotation. Name a primary and backup tech for each shift and publish the schedule four weeks ahead.
- Set targets and fees. Choose callback and arrival targets and a flat after-hours dispatch fee you can explain.
- Brief the customer before dispatch. Give the arrival time, the dispatch fee and the immediate steps to limit damage.
- Debrief and log. Review each emergency the next morning and record the findings on the job.
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Sources: Contractor Magazine: Build an Emergency Call Dispatch Playbook Before You Need It