Most service businesses book calls by telephone and almost none have written down how. The result is that the quality of a booking depends on who answered, and the technician finds out at the door. Six lines cover it, they take about ninety seconds, and they remove most of the surprises that make a day fall apart later.
The six lines
What is the problem, in your own words. What is the address, including how to get in. Is there anything the technician should know before arriving, such as a dog, a gate code or parking. Here is the window we can offer. Can I confirm your mobile number for the reminder. And if we cannot make it, we will ring you rather than leave you waiting.
Why the fault in the customer words matters
A booking that says boiler broken tells the technician nothing. One that says no hot water since Tuesday, radiators still warm tells them a great deal, and it is the difference between the right van arriving and a second visit. Write down what the customer said rather than what you concluded.
Confirm the number, because it is the reminder
On the worked example this site publishes, the 6% of 655 calls a month that never happen at all is 39.3 jobs and $11,200 of invoicing. Reminders are the cheapest thing that moves that number, and they need a number that was read back and a consent that was given. Automated calls and texts are regulated, so the consent matters.
Where an answering service fits
An answering and scheduling service takes the calls you cannot, usually out of hours, and books into your diary. That is a people purchase rather than a software one, and it is a good answer for businesses losing calls at seven in the evening. It is not what this site sells, and it solves a different problem from a board.
Questions people ask about phone script for scheduling appointments
Should the script be read word for word?
No. It is a checklist of six things that have to be captured, in whatever voice the person answering actually has.
Is an answering service worth it?
If you are losing calls out of hours, often yes. Count the missed calls first, because the answer is usually obvious once you have.
What is the single most missed line?
Access. Gates, codes, parking and dogs cause more wasted visits than any other omission at booking.