Pest control phone calls: how to book a treatment for cockroaches, bedbugs and rodents
Sado AI team · · 5 min read
In short
People who call a pest control service are often embarrassed and want help fast. Stay calm and ask five things: which insects or rodents, the type and size of the place, whether small children, a pregnant woman or pets live there, the address and a convenient time. Give preparation and safety rules only from your company’s own list. Book the repeat treatment date at once and set a regular schedule with cafes and warehouses. An AI operator can take these calls too.
Who calls and what they expect
Callers are usually of three kinds: a home owner who saw cockroaches or bedbugs last night and wants a treatment tomorrow; a landlord preparing a flat for new tenants; and a business such as a cafe, canteen, food warehouse or shop that needs regular treatments.
Home owners are often embarrassed and ask that “the neighbours don’t find out”. So the first words should reassure: “This happens in lots of homes, we’ll sort it.” A joke or a hint of blame ends the call.
Five questions for a booking
- What is the problem: cockroaches, bedbugs, ants, fleas, rats or mice? If unsure, ask what they saw, where and when.
- Type and size of the place: a flat (how many rooms), a house, a cafe or a warehouse. The price usually depends on it.
- Who lives there: small children, a pregnant woman, someone with allergies, a cat, a dog, an aquarium. Always ask: the specialist chooses the product and method by it.
- Address, landmark and a convenient day. If people must stay out for some hours after the treatment, say so now so they can plan.
- Privacy wishes: an unmarked car, a specialist in ordinary clothes. If you offer this, mention it yourself.
Preparation and safety: your company’s rules only
Never give your own advice on products, doses or health over the phone. Agree one short list with your specialists and have everyone say the same. For example:
- Put food and dishes in a closed cupboard or out of the room.
- Move furniture slightly away from the walls; for bedbugs, wash bedding and clothes in hot water.
- How many hours to stay out during and after the treatment, as your specialists say.
- Take pets and the aquarium elsewhere.
This list is only an example; use your own. If someone feels unwell or may be poisoned, the operator tells them to call 103 or see a doctor at once.
A sample call
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, Pokiza Dez, Shohruh speaking.
Caller: Hello… I think there are bedbugs in my flat. They bite at night.
Sado: I understand, it happens in lots of homes, we’ll sort it. How many rooms?
Caller: Three. I have a small child, so I’m worried.
Sado: Good that you said, I’ve noted it. The specialist will explain the method for a home with a child. Tomorrow or Saturday?
Caller: Saturday morning. Just so the neighbours don’t know.
Sado: Fine, Saturday at ten, and the specialist comes in ordinary clothes. Shall I go through the preparation now?
Repeat treatments and regular clients
- Bedbugs and cockroaches often need a second treatment. Book its date during the first one and remind the day before.
- For example, two weeks later make a short call: “Have they come back?” If so, the customer tells you, not an online review.
- Agree a monthly or quarterly schedule with cafes, canteens and warehouses, and confirm the time a day or two before each visit.
- Keep it all in one sheet or CRM: address, date, what was done, next date. Turning a sheet into a call list: calls from Excel and Google Sheets.
What an AI operator can do
People usually spot pests in the evening or at night and call straight away. Sado’s AI operator answers then too, within a second: it reassures the caller in Uzbek or Russian, asks the five questions, books the visit and reads out the preparation list. Detailed product questions go to a specialist with a callback task. A business asking about a large contract is put through to staff by your rule. More: AI operator for incoming calls.
Upload repeat treatments and regular clients to Auto-calls and the operator makes the reminder calls too: AI outbound calls. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
Should we give a price on the phone?
Yes, give the range from your price list: it depends on the type and size of the place. Add that the specialist confirms the exact price after seeing it.
What does the AI operator say to “Is the product safe for my child?”
Only the answer your company wrote. It leaves the detailed question to a specialist and creates a task for them to call back.
May we call past clients with a reminder?
Calling your own client about their next treatment is part of the service. A number that said “don’t call me” is never called again by Sado.