The seven questions to ask on every emergency call

Second trips kill margin. Most of them trace back to something nobody asked on the first call.

Ask where the problem is, and get the full service address including unit or gate codes. Ask what is happening right now, in the caller’s own words, before offering any diagnosis.

Ask when it started. A heater that has been out for three days is a different job from one that failed an hour ago, and it changes how you schedule.

Ask for the make and model if there is equipment involved. A photo of the label texted over takes the caller thirty seconds and saves your tech a trip to the supplier.

Ask whether anything has been shut off already. Ask who will be on site and how to reach them. Ask whether there is anything the tech should know before arriving, which is where you find out about the dog, the locked side gate, and the elderly parent upstairs.

Seven questions, about ninety seconds. Written down and asked the same way every time, they are worth more than most software.