What to tell a customer who smells gas
Customer service representatives (CSRs) are particularly important when a customer reports a leak, says John Hansen, a partner at McCoy, Leavitt and Laskey LLC. The CSR taking the call should remain calm and ask where the gas odor is located. CSRs should not make any assumptions regarding the source of the gas or try to diagnose the problem.
According to Hansen, if a customer calls saying they smell gas or think they might have a gas leak, tell them the following word for word:
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- Get everyone out of the home immediately.
- Put out any open flames.
- Do not touch any switches or turn on any appliances or light fixtures.
- When outside, turn off the valve on the propane tank if it can be done safely.
- Stay a safe distance from the home. The farther away the better.
- Call the fire department from outside the home.
- We will arrive as soon as possible.
- Do not reenter the home until a qualified gas person has told you it is safe to reenter.
The CSR should document that the script was read verbatim to the customer, mark the date and time the call was received and identify who made the call.