Dispatch & Phone Triage: the full procedure

Capture the customer, vehicle, symptom, and location accurately so the right tech, parts, and time block are dispatched to the right address.

• Applies to: Owner, dispatcher, lead technician
• Frequency: Every inbound service request
• Scope: Covers how a service request is intercepted, qualified, and turned into a scheduled job. Any preliminary safety judgment (e.g., "is this vehicle drivable / safe to leave roadside") is flagged for the on-site ASE-certified tech and the business safety plan, not decided on the phone.

What you need

• Phone/CRM intake form
• Service-area map
• Calendar/scheduling app
• Vehicle-info lookup (VIN/year-make-model)
• Parts-availability reference
• Deposit/payment link

The procedure, step by step

1. Greet and capture contact — Record full name, callback number, and email before discussing the problem; confirm spelling of name and the address where the vehicle will be.
2. Identify the vehicle — Capture year, make, model, engine, mileage, and VIN if available; note transmission and drivetrain so parts and labor can be scoped.
3. Triage the symptom — Ask what it’s doing, when it started, and whether it’s drivable; capture the customer’s words verbatim plus any warning lights or noises.
4. Flag safety/drivability questions — If the customer describes a no-start, brake, steering, or fluid-leak concern, note it for the on-site tech to assess; do not give a phone diagnosis.
5. Confirm location is workable — Verify the address is in the service area and ask about the work surface (driveway, flat lot, street) so the area can be set up safely on arrival.
6. Set expectations and schedule — Quote the trip/diagnostic policy, give a realistic arrival window, and book the slot; collect any required deposit.
7. Send written confirmation — Text or email the appointment with date, window, address, and what’s included, plus the cancellation/access requirements.
8. Hand off to dispatch — Attach the intake record, vehicle info, and triage notes to the assigned tech’s route so parts and tools can be pre-staged.

Quality check before you finish

• Customer name, phone, email, and exact service address are all captured and confirmed.
• Vehicle year/make/model/engine (and VIN where available) recorded.
• Symptom recorded in the customer’s own words with onset and drivability noted.
• Address verified inside the published service area.
• Arrival window and trip/diagnostic policy stated and acknowledged by customer.
• Written confirmation sent and logged.
• Any safety/drivability flag passed to the assigned tech.

This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Mobile Mechanic business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.

Sources

• AAA (aaa.com)
• Bureau of Automotive Repair — "Write It Right" (bar.ca.gov)
• Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov)