Efficient Dispatching - Side Notes = Better Customer Service

We all make side notes.  We make them in the shower, in our cars, at the office, at home watching tv - the list goes on and on.  Usually our notes are supposed to act as reminders for a later date such as: Don’t forget to get dog food or remember to call Steve before the weekend.  The problem with the notes we make inside our head is that they are usually forgotten quite easily.  Other thoughts come in and push out the side notes that may be important but are just easily forgotten.

When it comes to a dispatcher, the side notes they make are often about customers and ways to get more money from customers.  It could be anything from remembering to contact a new customer and see if they were pleased with a service to ordering a part for a customer before the tech returns to their location.  But if your dispatchers aren’t recording these pieces of customer information, how will they ever remember them all?

We suggest you provide your dispatcher with a system, whether it be digital or manual, that records side notes as they appear.  It can be as simple as a notebook that they jot down notes from each call in, or an entire CRM (customer relationship management) system on the computer to record and store the data.

You’d be surprised how much better customer service you can provide from side notes.  When talking to techs after each job, ask them about the job.  Find out:

• What parts were used 
• Ask if they saw anything that should be fixed or replaced in the future
• Find out how the tech was paid, or if they weren’t paid that day, ask when.

All of these can be recorded for future reminders.  You can determine when customers will need a new part or piece of equipment.  You can be reminded of previous work done at locations.  You can also record payments you have or have not received from customers.  Customers appreciate working with people who know them and know their history with the company.  It’s just that extra step that shows you care.  

This not only helps you provide better customer service, it also helps you make a quicker profit.  If you know the customer will need a new piece of equipment in the next few months, you can preorder it.  This way, when they call asking for the job to be done, you are ready to go.  The history can also inform you when the customer usually pays bills.  This will help you determine when to send the invoice. 

By recording notes heard while on the phone with a customer or with a debriefing with the tech, you are gaining valuable knowledge.  Knowledge is power when it comes to serving customers.  They appreciate being well taken care of and the more you know about them and their needs, the better you are able to serve them.