It is 6:40 in the morning after a windstorm. Your phone shows 31 missed calls. Number one is a lady with a limb in her yard. Number nine is a man whose oak is lying across his roof, and he can hear it creaking. If you call back in the order the calls came in, the man waits longest.
That is why you need a triage system. Triage means sorting by how urgent something is. Hospitals do it. You can do it too, and it takes no special software.
Why “first come, first served” fails in a storm
On a normal day, you call people back in order and it works fine. After a storm, three things break that rule:
- The calls come all at once, so you cannot answer them in order.
- The loudest or most upset caller is not always the one in the most danger.
- Your crews can only do so many jobs a day, so someone will wait.
If you sort by danger, the people who need you most get you first. The others get a clear message about when to expect you. Both groups are treated fairly.
This post is general business advice, not safety training. Follow your own training, your insurer’s rules and your local utility’s instructions.
The three levels
Keep it to three. More than that and you will not use it at 6:40 am.
| Level | What it looks like | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Danger now | Tree or limb on a house with people inside, a tree on a power line, someone hurt, gas smell | Tell them to get to safety and call 911 or the utility. Then schedule when it is safe |
| 2. Blocked | Tree across a driveway, road or door, a car trapped, a hanging limb over an entrance | Book the first open slots, in order of how stuck they are |
| 3. Everything else | Limbs in the yard, a leaning tree, fence damage, cleanup, stump work | Take a photo and address, give a rough window, schedule after levels 1 and 2 |
Notice that level 1 does not say “send a crew.” A tree on a power line is a job for the utility first. Your message to the homeowner should tell them to stay away and call the utility.
The three questions that sort a call
You can place almost any caller in a level with three questions. Put them on a card by your phone or in the first text you send.
- What is the address?
- What happened? (On the house, on a power line, across the road or driveway, in the yard.)
- Is anyone in danger or hurt right now?
If the answer to question 3 is yes, the call becomes level 1. Tell them to get to safety, and call 911 if they are hurt or in danger. Do not try to talk them through any cutting or climbing.
A photo is the fourth question. Ask for it by text. A photo shows you the size of the tree, whether lines are involved, and what equipment you need.
Let text do the first pass
You cannot talk to 31 people at once. You can text 31 people. This is where a missed-call text helps.
Example (an example only, for “Oak & Pine Tree Service”; texting rules apply, this is not legal advice):
“Hi, this is Oak & Pine Tree Service. Sorry we missed your call, our crews are out after the storm. If anyone is in danger, call 911. If a tree is on a power line, stay back and call your utility. Otherwise reply with your address, what happened, and a photo if you can. Reply STOP to opt out.”
That one message does three things. It gives safety guidance. It collects the facts you need for triage. And it tells the caller they have not been forgotten. Our missed-call text-back service sends a message like this within about 30 seconds of a missed call.
According to Invoca, about 27% of calls to home-service businesses go unanswered, and under 3% of those callers leave a voicemail. Storm days make the pile bigger, so the first text matters even more.
Build your queue
Once replies come in, put each job in a simple list. A spreadsheet or even a notebook works. Use these columns:
| Column | Example (made up) |
|---|---|
| Level (1, 2 or 3) | 2 |
| Address | 123 Maple Lane |
| What happened | Oak across driveway, no damage to house |
| Photo? | Yes |
| Who is the contact | Name and number |
| Status | Waiting for crew, or booked for Wed |
Sort by level, then by how long they have waited. Every evening, call or text the ones who are waiting and give an update. People forgive a wait when they hear from you. They do not forgive silence.
Set your daily capacity before the storm
You can only promise what your crews can do. Work out roughly how many stops a crew can handle on a storm day, and plan from there. Use the storm capacity planner and put in your own numbers. They are your estimates, not a promise.
When you know your capacity, you can say honestly, “We can get to you by Thursday.” That beats “soon,” and it is far better than not answering.
Be careful about pricing and pressure
Storms bring out bad behavior in the industry. Homeowners are stressed and some contractors push them to sign on the spot. Do not do that. Give a clear price after you see the job, explain the work, and let the customer decide. Our guide on pricing storm work covers this, and the storm season guide covers planning.
A storm-morning checklist
- Phone forwarding is on, and a second person can answer.
- The missed-call text is on and has safety wording in it.
- The three triage questions are written on a card.
- A list or sheet is open with the level, address and status columns.
- Crew capacity for the day is written down.
- A plan exists for evening updates to everyone waiting.
- Every crew lead knows: stay clear of downed lines, call the utility.
What to do next
Try it: open the storm response checklist and print it before the next storm. Then set your message in the text-back script builder. If you are not sure your phone setup would hold up under a surge, you can get a free audit of your missed calls. See our AI receptionist for after-hours coverage and the pricing page for what is included.
Triage is not about being cold. It is about reaching the people who need help most, first, and being honest with everyone else.
