How You Handle Emergency Calls

[brian john]

Many contractors offer 24 hour emergency service, though in my expierence few contractors have an actual system in place for a TRUE 24 hour emergency response.

If you call my office the voice message tells you to hit extension 19 for emergency, typical emergency message and when you hang up our phone system calls a cell phone and two pagers. Typically the customer receives a call back in 15 minutes with a tech on site in 1-2 hours.

We receive call regularly from electrical contractors wanting us to do an emergency call for them, other times we receive calls from customers that tell us we are the 3rd or 4th EC they called.

There is one contractor in my area that has the following message on his trucks- "23-1/2 hours emergency service We have to sleep sometime" Different and eye catching

 

[480sparky]

On a recent trip to the Dallas, TX area, I thumbed through the YPs for EC ads. Most advertised 60-minute respones, much like a pizza delivery. Some advertised 59 minutes, a few 58 minutes, and one was proud of their 57-minute maximum response time.

 

[mdshunk]

I wonder how many guys you're paying to sit around and do nothing so that you can have a 58 minute response time during the regular workday? I think a callback within 15 minutes and a max 2-hour response time is more reasonable. The guy on call could be eating at a restaurant, so he has to shovel in his food, pay the bill, drive home and change quick, and hop in the truck and go. Two hours can even be tight for that.

 

[brian john]

I make no promises upfront of response times, but strive for a maximum of two hours, I have do too many different things, generator, batteries, ATS's, controls and then basic electrical emergencies. tripped mains being number 1.

 

[Sierrasparky]

2 hour response is reasonable. I usually as how soon do they need me. I am usually very close as I service the town in which I live.

What do you folks charge?

 

[mdshunk]

What do you folks charge?

No more than necessary.

 

[480sparky]

I wonder how many guys you're paying to sit around and do nothing so that you can have a 58 minute response time during the regular workday? I think a callback within 15 minutes and a max 2-hour response time is more reasonable. The guy on call could be eating at a restaurant, so he has to shovel in his food, pay the bill, drive home and change quick, and hop in the truck and go. Two hours can even be tight for that.

They are probably pretty big outits with well-staffed large jobs all over town. So if a call comes in, they can radio/phone so-and-so at a nearby site and have that person run over for the service call.

 

[mdshunk]

They are probably pretty big outits with well-staffed large jobs all over town. So if a call comes in, they can radio/phone so-and-so at a nearby site and have that person run over for the service call.

I would hope so, but the Mr.Electric in my area advertises this sort of response time, and they have 2 electricians. That's sorta telling, to me. It makes me think that both of them aren't all that busy.

 

[aline]

On a recent trip to the Dallas, TX area, I thumbed through the YPs for EC ads. Most advertised 60-minute respones, much like a pizza delivery. Some advertised 59 minutes, a few 58 minutes, and one was proud of their 57-minute maximum response time.

That's the time it takes them to return your call after you've left a message on their answering machine.

 

[brian john]

What do you folks charge?

4 hour minimum, portal to portal plus time on site. Mileage for outside normal service area.

 

[iwire]

The companies I have worked for have/had 24/7 commercial service divisions. Both companies used an answering service that would contact the guy on call. When I am the on call person I am usually speaking with the customer within 5 minutes of their call to the answering service.

Our service range is fairly far, an average one way distance would be 30 - 40 miles but many times 90 miles is not unusual.

 

[BryanMD]

If they genuinely need someone in less than two hours they should probably be calling 911 instead.

My brother used to have a towing company with 23 1/2 hr emblems on all his trucks. It does get you a second look while in traffic.

 

[iwire]

If they genuinely need someone in less than two hours they should probably be calling 911 instead.

If the electrical problem is costing them money by the minute it is an emergency to them.

 

[brian john]

As I noted elsewhere we prioritize calls.

Hospitals first, more than money at stake here.

Data centers communication company's next, millions a minute.

Commercial buildings last. Though in Washington DC area most commercial buildings have lawyers in them and they fell they should be numero uno.

It is seldom we have all 3 calling at once but it does happen.

 

[mdshunk]

If the electrical problem is costing them money by the minute it is an emergency to them.

I don't particularly like doing emergency work, but I never really saw it as my place to determine what was and was not an emergency. Last weekend the "emergency" was a metal halide lamp burned out under a hotel's unloading canopy. This place even has a 24 hour maintenance staff, but their lack of a tall ladder dictated that this was now an emergency.

 

[wireguru]

how do your customers like the answering service and call back vs reaching the on call guy during the first phone call?

not an EC, but here's how our phone setup works:

person calls in and reaches the autoattendant or after hours autoattendant (depending on what time it is of course) if the caller presses the menu selection for 'emergency i need a person on the phone right now' a brief message is played for them, then they are placed on hold while the following happens: the appropriate desk extensions ring, then after X seconds the system calls the appropriate mobile numbers for whoever should be taking that call during that day/time. if those mobile numbers dont answer within X seconds the call is then routed to the company president, if he doesnt answer within X seconds, the call goes to a voicemail as last resort. once a message is left in that voicemail an email is sent to the appropriate people and to their cell phones.

sounds a bit complicated, but its transparent to the caller. all they know is they sit on hold for a bit, then someone who can directly help them picks up the phone.

 

[zog]

We have a duty pager that gets passed between a few senior techs, they get it for a week and then pass it to the next guy, 800 number has duty pager number. You are like a doctor on call when you have that pager and you get paid a bunus for that week even if it never rings.

 

[brian john]

Every year since I have been in business emergency has been a major money maker. I have tried to figure a way to do only emergency service. BUT it burns the men out and my doctor thinks it stresses my heart. Those 36 hour days maybe?

 

[bikeindy]

BUT it burns the men out and my doctor thinks it stresses my heart. Those 36 hour days maybe?

This is why I figured I will never do "emergency work"

 

[brian john]

It kinda of comes with the terroirty in my end of the business, plus I thrive on it.