Setting Up Customer Calls the Right Way: A Simple Guide

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Quick Takeaways

• Setting up automated customer calls is simpler than you think (no tech skills needed)
• Follow the 3-step compliance checklist and you're covered
• Start with ONE type of call (probably appointment reminders)
• Test with 10-20 customers before rolling out to everyone
• Read Part 1 first: Why Customer Trust Equals Revenue

The 3-Step Compliance Checklist (Really, That's It)

Let's get the "scary legal stuff" out of the way first. Good news: if you're calling your own customers for normal business reasons, compliance is simple.

✓ Step 1: Only Call Customers You Have a Relationship With

This means:

• People who've bought from you before
• Current customers with appointments/accounts
• People who filled out your contact form asking you to call them

This does NOT mean:

• Random lists you bought online
• People you found on LinkedIn
• Your competitor's customers
• Anyone who didn't ask to hear from you

If they're your customer, you're good.

✓ Step 2: Include an Easy Opt-Out Option

Just make it simple for people to say "don't call me anymore."

Example: "If you'd prefer not to receive reminder calls, just let us know and we'll note that in your account."

Good platforms (like CallerWave) track this automatically. Person opts out → they never get called again. Done.

✓ Step 3: Respect Do-Not-Call Lists

Most good platforms check this automatically. But basically: if someone's on the national Do Not Call list, don't call them (even if they're your customer, unless they specifically asked you to call).

That's it. Seriously.

If you follow these three rules, you're compliant with TCPA, DNC, and the other acronyms people worry about.

What Type of Call Should You Start With?

Don't try to automate everything at once. Start with the one type of call that's eating up the most time or causing the biggest problems.

Best Starting Points:

1. Appointment Reminders (Most Common)

Perfect if:

• You have regular appointments (dental, medical, salon, professional services)
• No-shows are costing you money
• Staff spends hours making reminder calls

What the call does:

• Calls 24-48 hours before appointment
• Confirms customer is coming
• Offers to reschedule if needed
• Answers common questions (where to park, what to bring)

Expected result: 30-60% reduction in no-shows

2. Post-Service Follow-Ups

Perfect if:

• You provide services (HVAC, plumbing, auto repair, etc.)
• You want to catch problems early
• You want more positive reviews

What the call does:

• Calls 24 hours after service completion
• Asks how everything went
• Flags issues for immediate human follow-up
• For happy customers, asks about leaving a review

Expected result: Issues caught days/weeks earlier, 2-4x more reviews

3. Payment Reminders

Perfect if:

• You have recurring payments or subscriptions
• Some customers forget to pay on time
• You hate making "collection" calls

What the call does:

• Friendly reminder when payment is due or late
• Offers to update payment method
• Can process payment during call (if integrated)

Expected result: 30-50% reduction in late payments

Pick ONE. Get it working. Then add others.

How to Write Your Call Script (Examples You Can Steal)

The key to good automated calls: sound helpful, not robotic. Here's how:

Appointment Reminder Script

Bad (Robotic):

"This is an automated reminder. You have an appointment on March 15 at 2:00 PM. Press 1 to confirm. Press 2 to cancel."

Good (Helpful):

"Hi Sarah, this is Alex from Bright Smile Dental. Just calling to confirm your cleaning appointment tomorrow at 2 PM with Dr. Johnson. Can you still make it?"

[Customer responds]

"Great! We'll see you then. Oh, and just a reminder - parking is free in the lot behind the building. If anything comes up and you need to reschedule, just let us know. Have a great day!"

Why it's better:

• Uses customer's name
• Sounds conversational
• Provides helpful info (parking)
• Offers easy out (reschedule)

Post-Service Follow-Up Script

Bad (Pushy):

"Rate our service on a scale of 1 to 10. If you're satisfied, please leave us a 5-star review."

Good (Caring):

"Hi Mike, this is Jordan from Elite HVAC. We serviced your AC yesterday and wanted to make sure everything's working well. Is the system running okay?"

[Customer responds positively]

"That's great to hear! We're glad we could help. If you have a minute and were happy with the service, we'd really appreciate it if you'd consider leaving us a quick review. No pressure though - we're just glad your AC is working!"

Why it's better:

• Genuinely checks on the work
• Doesn't assume satisfaction
• Review request is secondary, not primary
• Gives customer an out

Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

Mistake #1: Trying to Sound Too Human

Don't try to trick people into thinking it's a real person calling. Be upfront.

Bad: Make it sound exactly like a human, hide that it's AI Good: Sound natural, but customers know it's AI and that's fine

Mistake #2: Calling at Bad Times

Bad times to call:

• Before 9 AM or after 8 PM (local time)
• Sundays (for most businesses)
• Major holidays

Good times:

• Mid-morning (10 AM - 12 PM)
• Early afternoon (1 PM - 3 PM)
• Early evening for residential (5 PM - 7 PM) if appropriate

Set your calling window and stick to it.

Mistake #3: Not Leaving Voicemail

If customer doesn't answer, leave a helpful voicemail. Don't just hang up.

Example voicemail:

"Hi Sarah, this is Alex from Bright Smile Dental calling to confirm your appointment tomorrow at 2 PM. If you can still make it, no need to call back - we'll see you then! If you need to reschedule, just give us a call at 555-0123. Thanks!"

Mistake #4: Making Every Call the Same

Customize based on:

• Customer history (first time vs returning)
• Type of service
• Previous interactions
• Customer preferences

Mistake #5: No Human Backup

Always have a clear path to a human:

• "If you have questions, press 0 to reach our office"
• "You can also call us directly at [number]"
• Route complex issues to your team automatically

The Testing Phase (Don't Skip This)

Before you roll out automated calls to all your customers:

Week 1: Internal Testing

• Call yourself, your staff, your friends
• Listen to how it sounds
• Ask for honest feedback
• Adjust script based on what feels off

Week 2: Small Customer Test

• Pick 10-20 friendly customers
• Let them know you're testing a new reminder system
• Ask for feedback
• Review every call transcript

Week 3: Review and Adjust

• What worked well?
• What confused people?
• What questions came up repeatedly?
• Update script accordingly

Week 4: Gradual Rollout

• Start with 25% of customers
• Monitor results
• Expand to 50%, then 75%, then 100%

What Good Results Look Like

Don't expect miracles overnight, but you should see:

By Week 4:

• 20-30% reduction in no-shows (for appointment reminders)
• 5-10 hours per week saved on phone calls
• Fewer scheduling conflicts

By Month 3:

• 40-60% reduction in no-shows
• 15-20 hours per week saved
• Noticeably better customer feedback
• Staff less stressed about phone work

By Month 6:

• Process is "set it and forget it"
• Customers expect and appreciate the calls
• You wonder how you ever did it manually

When to Use Humans Instead

Automated calls are great for routine stuff. But humans are still better for:

Complex problems:

• Customer is upset about something
• Situation requires judgment
• Multiple issues to resolve

Relationship building:

• VIP customers
• First-time customers (sometimes)
• High-value accounts

Sensitive conversations:

• Bad news delivery
• Negotiating payment plans
• Addressing complaints

Anything nuanced:

• Requires empathy and reading between lines
• Customer needs reassurance
• Situation isn't black and white

Rule of thumb: If you'd want a human handling it for your own account, use a human.

Integrating With What You Already Use

You shouldn't have to change how you work. Good automation fits into your existing process.

Common integrations:

• Scheduling software (Calendly, Acuity, Square Appointments)
• CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive)
• Practice management (for medical/dental)
• Spreadsheets (Google Sheets, Excel)
• Point of sale (Square, Clover)

The automation should pull customer data from where it already lives and update it there too.

How to Know If It's Working

Track these simple metrics:

For appointment reminders:

• No-show rate before vs after
• Number of calls your staff makes per week
• Customer feedback

For follow-ups:

• How many issues you catch early
• Number of reviews you get
• Customer retention rate

For any automated call:

• Hours saved per week
• Customer satisfaction scores
• Staff stress levels (subjective but important)

The Bottom Line

Setting up automated customer calls doesn't require technical skills, big budgets, or weeks of implementation.

It requires:

1. Picking one type of call to start with
2. Writing a helpful (not robotic) script
3. Following the simple 3-step compliance checklist
4. Testing with a small group first
5. Adjusting based on results

The businesses that figure this out save 15-25 hours per week, reduce no-shows by 40-60%, and build stronger customer relationships.

The businesses that don't keep burning time on phone tag and wondering why customers don't come back.

Which one do you want to be?

Next Steps

If you're ready to set this up:

1. Pick your first use case (probably appointment reminders)
2. Write your script (use our examples as starting points)
3. Find a platform that's built for customer service (not cold calling)
4. Test with 10-20 customers
5. Roll out gradually

Or email us at support@callerwave.ai and we'll help you figure out what makes sense for your business.

Related Articles:

• Part 1: Why Customer Trust Equals Revenue
• Why We Built CallerWave
• The New Era of Customer Service

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