The Right Way to Handle Death Calls
>> Thursday, October 3, 2013
Death calls are made by people who want to arrange funeral arrangements. Such calls are made right after the caller is notified about his or her loved one's death. Answering death calls are difficult as the person you will be talking to is still very emotional. You should sympathize but still acquire the information you need to push through with the funeral arrangements.
There is a huge difference between death calls and regular calls. If you have outsourced an answering service provider to answer your death calls, you must make sure the agents are trained to handle these special calls. These agents should realize that callers do not want to spend a long time on the phone but still, they need to retrieve accurate information in just a short time. How can answering service agents answer death calls the right way?
The First Call- What is the first call? The first call is literally the first call made to a funeral home after the death of a loved one. First calls are made to make arrangements with the funeral home. The first thing to be done is to transport the deceased to the funeral home facility. When answering death calls, the answering service agent should introduce the business first and give assurance to the caller that transportation will be on route right after the agent get the information she needs.
Get All the Information- When answering death calls, the total duration of the call should last around two minutes. Agents should be able to get all the information within this time frame. What information is needed? You will need to get the caller's name and location. If the person died in the hospital, ask for the phone number of the hospital. Get the name of the deceased and the location. If in the hospital, ask the room number. Ask if Is the patient ready for release? Know the time of death, the doctor who signed the death certificate, the deceased's Social Security Number and the next of kin, address and contact number. Ask if there is family member waiting in the hospital?
Double-checking- Before transferring information to the funeral home, the agent should verify the information. The agent can double-check the information for every answer like spelling out names and contact numbers just to be sure.
Assurance- When the agent has all the information needed, she should end the call by giving an assurance that transportation will be on their way. This will give the caller peace of mind that things will be prepared already.
After putting down the phone, all information will be transferred to the on-call personal of the funeral home. Answering service companies can transfer the information through SMS, email or through the funeral home's website account. All information will be stored there.
Answering death calls the right way will benefit your business in the long run. Your customers will more likely to support your business as they see your genuine concern in handling their concerns and needs.
There is a huge difference between death calls and regular calls. If you have outsourced an answering service provider to answer your death calls, you must make sure the agents are trained to handle these special calls. These agents should realize that callers do not want to spend a long time on the phone but still, they need to retrieve accurate information in just a short time. How can answering service agents answer death calls the right way?
The First Call- What is the first call? The first call is literally the first call made to a funeral home after the death of a loved one. First calls are made to make arrangements with the funeral home. The first thing to be done is to transport the deceased to the funeral home facility. When answering death calls, the answering service agent should introduce the business first and give assurance to the caller that transportation will be on route right after the agent get the information she needs.
Get All the Information- When answering death calls, the total duration of the call should last around two minutes. Agents should be able to get all the information within this time frame. What information is needed? You will need to get the caller's name and location. If the person died in the hospital, ask for the phone number of the hospital. Get the name of the deceased and the location. If in the hospital, ask the room number. Ask if Is the patient ready for release? Know the time of death, the doctor who signed the death certificate, the deceased's Social Security Number and the next of kin, address and contact number. Ask if there is family member waiting in the hospital?
Double-checking- Before transferring information to the funeral home, the agent should verify the information. The agent can double-check the information for every answer like spelling out names and contact numbers just to be sure.
Assurance- When the agent has all the information needed, she should end the call by giving an assurance that transportation will be on their way. This will give the caller peace of mind that things will be prepared already.
After putting down the phone, all information will be transferred to the on-call personal of the funeral home. Answering service companies can transfer the information through SMS, email or through the funeral home's website account. All information will be stored there.
Answering death calls the right way will benefit your business in the long run. Your customers will more likely to support your business as they see your genuine concern in handling their concerns and needs.
About the Author:
Azalea M. Lynn works in the funeral industry as a consultant. She recommends a funeral home answering service for funeral directors looking to improve their bottom line. A answering service for funeral homes can help to reduce cost while improving customer experience.
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