DMBM511450 | Customer contact: Outdoor calls: Planning outdoor call work

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When you have completed your preparation you should have a clear idea of what you want from the call. You may find it helpful to

• make a note of the points to cover

• total all outstanding heads of duty

• attach a note to the front of the papers for easy reference.

Normally you will have several calls to make on the same day and you can plan your programme to return to the office at the end of the day. Where you are unable to return to the office your manager will have made 'call in' arrangements with you.

You should plan the order of your calls and the route you need to take by

• arranging the calls in a particular geographical area or direction from the office

• locating each address using your own knowledge or by reference to street maps of the area

• discussion with your manager or a colleague who has knowledge of the area.

When you have established the whereabouts of each address you should arrange the calls in an order which will enable you to make the largest number of calls over the shortest distance taking into account

• priority or urgent calls

• cases where the amount of unpaid duty is relatively large

• specific appointments you have already made

• information you already hold about the customer about the 'best' time to call.

Before actually going out to make your calls

• prepare an itinerary of the proposed calls in order of visit

• give a copy of the itinerary to your manager.