How to track missed calls: set up a simple callback system for your small business

Why you need a system, not good intentions

The missed calls list on your phone shows who called. It doesn't show who has already called back, what the outcome was, or whether it was a new customer. If several people share one phone, everyone soon assumes someone else has taken care of it.

A callback system doesn't have to be complicated. It has three parts:

• One list that every missed call goes into, with what happened next.
• One owner for each part of the day, who keeps the list up to date and calls back.
• Ground rules: how quickly you call back, how often you try, and when you stop.

Step 1: Make a callback list

A notebook next to the phone works, and so does a shared spreadsheet in Google Sheets or Excel. Choose what your team will actually use every day. You need these columns:

If the same number calls three times, it stays one row with all three times. That way you call the customer back once instead of three times, and you can see right away that it was urgent.

Step 2: Agree on who calls back and within what time frame

Whoever has the phone at a given moment also owns the callback list at that moment. At a shift change, that person hands over the open rows, with a short sentence for each row. That way the next person knows exactly what still needs to be done.

Then choose a callback time frame that fits your business and your staffing. A salon with short appointments has different needs than an office that prepares quotes. The examples below are not standards; they only show what such an agreement can look like.

Step 3: Set fixed callback times

“I'll call back later” doesn't work on a busy day. So schedule fixed times, for example at 10:00 AM, 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM, and right after the busiest hour. At each of these times, the owner of the list does the following:

1. Copy over the missed calls

   Put every missed number from the phone into the callback list, even if it is a familiar number.

2. Merge duplicate calls

   The same number is one row. Add the extra times to it.

3. Call back in a fixed order

   First whoever has waited longest or called most often, then the rest.

4. Record every attempt immediately

   Time and result, right after the call. Not from memory at the end of the day.

5. Leave something if there is no answer

   Leave a short voicemail or send one message (see the scripts below), and put the next attempt in the list.

6. Close the row

   After a conversation: fill in the outcome and next step, and enter “Spoken to” as the status. If it leads to an appointment, put it on your calendar right away.

Step 4: Callback scripts

With a set script everyone on the team sounds the same, and nobody forgets the important questions. Don't read it word for word; use it as a memory aid.

Step 5: Agree on when to stop calling

Without an agreement, one coworker keeps trying a number endlessly while another gives up after one attempt. So set one rule that applies to everyone, and write it at the top of the list.

Stop immediately if

• the customer says it is no longer needed, or that they don't want to be called;
• it was a wrong number;
• it was a sales call or spam (status “Stopped” with reason “not relevant”);
• the number was private (caller ID hidden). You can't call it back, but do write it down, so you know how often it happens.

Step 6: Cover lunch and busy hours

After a week of tracking, your list shows when most calls are missed. These are often the same times every day. Then look at what you can do differently at those times:

• Stagger breaks, so there is always someone answering the phone during lunch.
• For the busiest hour, assign one person to answer the phone, and don't give that person any tasks during that hour that can't be interrupted.
• Record a voicemail greeting that says when you will call back, if your phone or plan has voicemail.
• Forwarding to a coworker or a second number can help, if your phone company supports call forwarding. Ask about it, and ask what it costs too. It only works if someone actually answers the phone the calls are forwarded to.
• Schedule a fixed callback time right after lunch and after the busiest hour.

Example: a week of callbacks at a garage

Step 7: Review the list once a week

Take ten minutes every week to go through the list. One number then tells you a lot about how things are going:

• On which days and at what times are most calls missed?
• How many rows have been open longer than your time frame, and why?
• How many conversations led to an appointment, an order or an answer?
• Is the time frame achievable, or do you need to adjust your staffing or the time frame?

In lesson 5 of the course you turn this into a weekly scorecard, together with your other channels.

Checklist

• A callback list with the eight columns, in one fixed place.
• One owner for each part of the day, and a handoff at each shift change.
• A callback time frame you have chosen yourself and that you meet.
• Fixed callback times on the calendar.
• The scripts next to the phone.
• A stop rule at the top of the list.
• A plan for lunch and the busiest hour.
• Ten minutes a week to review the list.

Continue with the lesson and the download

This article goes with lesson 2 of the free course, where you set up a complete phone process: from the greeting to transferring calls and escalation. You will find the scripts, a printable callback list and a handoff checklist in the download below.

Do a lot of questions also come in on WhatsApp? Then read how to set up WhatsApp Business for customer service.

Want to miss fewer calls without extra staff? Bits Please can set up Claudia to take suitable calls and record callback requests, depending on the package. The system in this article also works without it.

Frequently asked questions