Calling a funeral service is not an experience anyone looks forward to – it’s a time when emotions are running high and the caller is under significant stress. This means that even minor issues and imperfections, which most people would normally overlook, can cause major problems when someone is calling a funeral service. Thankfully, there are some tried and tested strategies that can help you avoid these hiccups.
Answer the phone professionally
Many funeral service providers give a mobile phone number for their out of hours calls. This can result in fumbling and confusion and the phone being answered by someone who has just been roused from sleep, which is not an ideal circumstance when you’re answering the phone to a highly emotional person.
Voicemails are a poor solution to this problem as, generally, a person calling a funeral service in the middle of the night wants to speak to someone as quickly as possible. If you’re not able to offer this type of service yourself, then consider using an outsourced funeral call handling service provider who can.
Have the answers to common questions on hand
Once you’ve taken a few out of hours phone calls, you’ll probably be able to predict the types of questions that you’re going to be asked. While you should avoid anything that sounds too scripted, you should ensure that anybody who is answering the phone on your behalf is able to answer these questions with confidence and compassion. If someone is calling you during one of the most distressing periods of their life, it’s very important that they quickly feel that you understand their situation and can empathise with them.
Invest in robust equipment
This is another reason to avoid using mobile phones. Dropped connections are a major irritation during any phone call, but for someone calling a funeral service, it could be the final straw. If possible, make sure you’re using a landline phone and a reliable phone line. It could make the difference between a contented caller and someone starting to shout.
All of this advice should help you to handle out of hours calls professionally, but you may find that outsourcing to a funeral call handling company works better for you. Get in touch with us today to discover how we can help.