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The Right Way to Handle Death Calls
>> Friday, February 15, 2013
Answering death calls can be heart breaking. You'll likely answer phone calls from people who are crying or emotional due to the loss of their loved one. In this situation, you want to help them and get all the necessary information you need to arrange the funeral but you don't want to be on the phone with them all evening.
If you decided to outsource answering services be sure that the agents know how to handle death calls properly. Death calls are very different from regular calls. Agents should know how to talk to grieving callers who might want someone to talk to or grieving callers who do not want to spend much time on the phone. Agents should get as much accurate information as they can in a short amount of time. So, what is the right way of handling death calls?
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 Accurate Information- The approximate time frame of death calls is around two minutes only. In this short amount of time, the agent should be able to get accurate information on the caller and the deceased. o Know the name of the caller, the location and the contact number of the location. o Know the name of the deceased, the deceased's social security number, time of death and if the patient is ready for release. o Know the next of kin, address and the contact number. o Know the doctor that signed the patient's death certificate. o Know if anyone is already waiting for the transportation from the funeral home.
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.
Reassure Caller- This is the last part of the death call. With the information at hand, the agent can finally inform the funeral home about the arrangements. To end the call, the agent should reassure the caller that the transportation is already in route.
Once the call is finished, the agent should immediately contact the on-call personnel and provide them with all the information. Depending on the answering service company, the funeral home can be contacted through e-mail, SMS message or a website. Usually, all calls are stored in a dedicated website for the funeral home. Owners can check all the messages they have.
Handling death calls the right way is important to the funeral home business. Bear in mind that callers are under distress and they'd rather spend time with their relatives rather than talking on the phone with an agent.
If you decided to outsource answering services be sure that the agents know how to handle death calls properly. Death calls are very different from regular calls. Agents should know how to talk to grieving callers who might want someone to talk to or grieving callers who do not want to spend much time on the phone. Agents should get as much accurate information as they can in a short amount of time. So, what is the right way of handling death calls?
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 Accurate Information- The approximate time frame of death calls is around two minutes only. In this short amount of time, the agent should be able to get accurate information on the caller and the deceased. o Know the name of the caller, the location and the contact number of the location. o Know the name of the deceased, the deceased's social security number, time of death and if the patient is ready for release. o Know the next of kin, address and the contact number. o Know the doctor that signed the patient's death certificate. o Know if anyone is already waiting for the transportation from the funeral home.
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.
Reassure Caller- This is the last part of the death call. With the information at hand, the agent can finally inform the funeral home about the arrangements. To end the call, the agent should reassure the caller that the transportation is already in route.
Once the call is finished, the agent should immediately contact the on-call personnel and provide them with all the information. Depending on the answering service company, the funeral home can be contacted through e-mail, SMS message or a website. Usually, all calls are stored in a dedicated website for the funeral home. Owners can check all the messages they have.
Handling death calls the right way is important to the funeral home business. Bear in mind that callers are under distress and they'd rather spend time with their relatives rather than talking on the phone with an agent.
About the Author:
Azalea M. Lynn works in the funeral industry as a consultant. She recommends a answering service for funeral homes for funeral directors looking to improve their bottom line. A funeral home answering service can help to reduce cost while improving customer experience.
