3) Emergency Triage Decision Tree (use this on every call in under 2 minutes)
Your triage goal is to answer three questions quickly: When is the deadline? What’s the scope? Can you access the space? This is the fastest way to decide “dispatch now,” “quote and schedule,” or “refer out.”
Start with deadline language customers actually use: “Move-out today,” “inspection,” “guests,” “open house,” “Airbnb turnover,” “photos,” “landlord,” “keys,” “walkthrough.” If they can’t give a firm deadline, it’s not Tier 1.
Then confirm scope with simple, quote-ready prompts: type of clean (move-out, deep clean, post-party, office), square footage or bed/bath, and priority areas (kitchen, bathrooms, floors, inside fridge/oven). Finally, confirm access: is someone there to let you in, is there a lockbox code, where to park, and are utilities on.
Red-flag questions you must ask: any biohazard (vomit, feces, blood), heavy pet waste, smoke damage, or sewage smell. If yes, you can still help, but you may need specialized PPE, extra time, or to decline and refer to restoration/biohazard specialists.
If you miss calls because you’re mid-clean, set an AI receptionist like SkipCalls to gather these details and text you a clean summary (deadline, address, bed/bath, access), so you can approve/decline between rooms instead of losing the lead.
Key takeaway: Ask deadline → scope → access → hazards, then decide dispatch vs. schedule vs. refer out.