By Azalea M. Lynn
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.
If it was you on the receiving end of the line, answering death calls will not be as hard since you have a genuine concern for your customers. However, if you are hiring an answering service company to do it, it will be a different story. You need to make sure that the answering service agents are trained to handle calls from grieving and emotional customers. They should get the information quickly and accurately above all else. Take a look at these steps on how to answer death calls properly.
Introduce and Assure- The first call you are likely to receive is when funeral arrangements for the deceased need to be made. This call can be made within minutes or hours after the death. The caller will need to arrange for the deceased to be transported to the funeral home facility. This first call is probably the hardest part of handling funeral calls. The right way to answer death calls is to start by introducing the funeral home's name and then assuring the caller that transportation will be sent right away. The agent will then continue to get information as fast as possible.
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.
Verification- When answering death calls, all answers should be verified. Do not ask the caller to repeat the answers for verification. Rather, the agent should be the one double-checking the spelling and numbers to ensure accurate information.
Reassurance- After getting all the information, the agent should re-assure the caller that he or she got the information needed and the information will be transferred to the on-call personnel from the funeral home. Assure the caller that someone will be in route to transfer the deceased to the funeral home immediately.
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.
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 funeral answering service (http://www.funeralcall.com/) for funeral directors looking to improve their bottom line. A funeral home answering service (http://www.funeralcall.com/funeral-answering-service/) can help to reduce cost while improving customer experience.
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.
If it was you on the receiving end of the line, answering death calls will not be as hard since you have a genuine concern for your customers. However, if you are hiring an answering service company to do it, it will be a different story. You need to make sure that the answering service agents are trained to handle calls from grieving and emotional customers. They should get the information quickly and accurately above all else. Take a look at these steps on how to answer death calls properly.
Introduce and Assure- The first call you are likely to receive is when funeral arrangements for the deceased need to be made. This call can be made within minutes or hours after the death. The caller will need to arrange for the deceased to be transported to the funeral home facility. This first call is probably the hardest part of handling funeral calls. The right way to answer death calls is to start by introducing the funeral home's name and then assuring the caller that transportation will be sent right away. The agent will then continue to get information as fast as possible.
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.
Verification- When answering death calls, all answers should be verified. Do not ask the caller to repeat the answers for verification. Rather, the agent should be the one double-checking the spelling and numbers to ensure accurate information.
Reassurance- After getting all the information, the agent should re-assure the caller that he or she got the information needed and the information will be transferred to the on-call personnel from the funeral home. Assure the caller that someone will be in route to transfer the deceased to the funeral home immediately.
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.
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 funeral answering service (http://www.funeralcall.com/) for funeral directors looking to improve their bottom line. A funeral home answering service (http://www.funeralcall.com/funeral-answering-service/) can help to reduce cost while improving customer experience.