The storm passes. For a week your phone does not stop. Crews work long days, and by Friday you cannot remember who you promised what.
Then the calls slow down, and there is a pile of people who contacted you and never heard back. That pile is both a risk and an opportunity. Handled well, it becomes next month’s work and a stack of reviews (more in our storm season guide and follow-up guide). Handled badly, it becomes angry posts.
Here is how I would handle it. I do not run crews, so this is about the phone and the follow-up, not the cutting.
Why the follow-up matters more than the rush
During a storm, almost everyone calls everyone. People are scared, and they dial five companies at once. The ones who get a clear answer quickly stay with that company. The rest keep waiting.
According to Invoca, about 27% of calls to home-service businesses go unanswered, and under 3% of those callers leave a voicemail. We do not have a number for storm weeks, but a busier phone is harder to keep up with. Whatever you missed, the follow-up is your second chance to answer.
Step 1: Get every lead into one list
On day two or three, stop and gather everything:
- Voicemails
- Missed calls from your phone log
- Text messages
- Website and form requests
- Messages on your Google profile
- Anything scribbled on paper or told to a crew member
Put it into one sheet with these columns: name, phone, address, what happened, date contacted, urgency, status, and next step. It will not be pretty. It does not have to be.
Step 2: Sort by urgency, honestly
Put every lead in one of four groups. Here is the same sort as a quick table:
| Group | Examples | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Danger now | Tree on a house, blocking an exit, near live lines | Call first; 911 or the utility if needed |
| 2. Urgent but safe | Tree on a car, fence or yard; blocked driveway | Book into the next open crew days |
| 3. Cleanup | Limbs and debris | Schedule when emergencies are done |
| 4. Future | Damaged trees, general estimates | Follow up over the next month |
In words:
- Danger now. Tree on a house, blocking an exit, near live lines. These come first, and some need emergency services or the utility, not you.
- Urgent but safe. Tree on a car, fence or yard; blocked driveway.
- Cleanup. Limbs and debris that can wait a few days.
- Future. Damaged trees that need pruning or removal later, and general estimates.
Tell the truth about what you can handle. If you can only do ten emergency jobs this week, do not book thirty.
Step 3: Send one honest message to everyone
Before you start calling, send a short text or email to everyone waiting. It buys you patience and shows you are real:
“Hi, this is Oak & Pine Tree Service. Thanks for contacting us after the storm. We’re working through a large number of calls. If anyone is in danger, please call 911. We’ll contact you about scheduling as soon as we can. Reply with your address and a photo of the tree if you haven’t already.”
This is an example for a made-up company. Use your own name and words. Include a STOP option if you send texts, and only message people who contacted you first. Do not send cold texts to strangers (see our texting rules guide). This is a short explanation, not legal advice. Check the texting rules with a lawyer.
Try it: use the quote follow-up planner to space your follow-ups, and the storm response checklist to run the week.
Step 4: Work the list in order
Call in order of urgency, then in order of when they contacted you. For each person:
- Confirm the address and the problem
- Ask for photos if you do not have them
- Say honestly when you can get there, or that you cannot
- Offer to refer them elsewhere if you are full
- Log the outcome
Referring someone to another company feels like losing a job. In practice it earns respect, and some of those customers come back for later work.
Step 5: Handle price questions fairly
Storm work is where people worry about being overcharged. Homeowners can read what to expect on our page about hiring help after a storm, so match what they will be told. Our guide to pricing storm work covers the pricing side. Be careful with both your pricing and your words:
- Give written estimates with a clear scope
- Explain why emergency work may cost more, if it does: overtime, risk, equipment
- Do not use pressure or fear to close
- Do not ask for large payments up front without explanation
- Keep your license and insurance information ready to share
Your reputation lasts much longer than one storm. If you want a structured way to estimate, the tree job estimator and the estimate template can help you stay consistent when you are tired.
Step 6: Convert the leads that were not urgent
The “future” group is where next month’s work lives. These people had a scare and now see their trees differently.
Follow up with each of them:
- Within a week: “Thanks for your patience. Want to schedule an estimate for the oak near your garage?”
- Two weeks later: A short check-in with an offer to look at the tree
- A month later: A final polite note, then stop
Do not send more than three messages. If they do not answer, let them go.
Step 7: Ask for reviews while the glow is fresh
A customer whose tree came off their roof is usually grateful. That is the best moment for a review request. Send a text shortly after the job is done, with a direct link. One reminder. Reply to every review.
Never ask for only five-star reviews or offer rewards. Google’s rules do not allow it, and an honest four-star review with a good story can be more convincing than a pile of generic fives. The review system can automate the asking, and you can always do it by hand.
Step 8: Fix what broke
After the rush, do a short review with your team. Ask:
- How many calls did we miss, and when?
- Where did messages get lost?
- Who was overloaded?
- What would we change before the next storm?
Write the answers into a one-page storm plan: who answers, where leads are logged, what the message says, which companies you refer overflow to. The storm capacity planner helps you work out what your crews can handle.
Also update your Google profile. Add photos of finished work (with customer permission), update your hours and make sure your emergency wording matches what you really offer.
Keep the habit going
The storm gave you something valuable: a list of people who need tree work and know your name. Treat it with care. A small monthly check-in, like a seasonal note about pruning before winter, keeps you in mind without being pushy.
If you want help seeing where leads slip through in your company, the free audit looks at calls, texts and follow-up.
A note on safety and fairness
Storm season brings out bad actors, and homeowners know it. Many are wary of anyone who knocks on a door or calls out of the blue. Make it easy to trust you: share your company name, a local phone number, your license and insurance details where you have them, and a written estimate.
Never pressure someone who is scared. Never work without a clear agreement on scope and price. And if a job is beyond your crew or insurance, say so and point them to someone qualified. Being the company that told the truth in a bad week is a reputation money cannot buy.
