Decide which calls interrupt the job.

Start with the calls you get.

Start with a normal week’s calls: new job requests, current customers, suppliers, site questions, accounts, and calls outside office hours. For each, decide what the caller needs and who can help.

Then ask whether that person needs to be interrupted now. A supplier standing at a gate is different from a homeowner asking about an estimate next month. Write that down so nobody has to guess.

A supplier standing at a gate is different from a homeowner asking about an estimate next month.

Give the next person enough to work with.

A useful message captures the caller and callback number, the reason, any relevant job or site, and what was actually agreed. Collect what helps whoever gets the call act on it. Don’t turn every call into a long intake form.

Names, numbers, and references can be misheard. Keep the recording next to the summary so anyone can check.

Decide who to try next.

Name a primary person and a useful backup for each call type. Decide what happens when both decline or do not answer. Passing a call around the whole company rarely finds the person who can help.

Choose who calls back and when it needs doing. A text alert doesn’t mean someone has called back. Record what happened.

Test it on a busy day.

• Someone accepts: do they know who’s calling and why?
• Someone declines: does the caller reach the agreed backup?
• Nobody answers: is the message complete and assigned?
• A detail is wrong: can the person who got the call check and correct it?

Review the plan when people or responsibilities change.