List of Best Practices to Cover:

• Keys to Success
• Definition of a Billable Lead
• How to Handle Calls
• How to Dispute Calls
• How to Pause Your Account
• How to Manage Your Partner Dashboard
• Calls from our Call Center
• The Billing Cycle and Pre-Billing
• Past Due Accounts and Collections
• Removing Services and/or Counties
• The Cancellation Process

Keys to Success:

• Have a live person answer every call
• Have your best closer answer each call
• Answer and handle calls professionally
• Verify the caller is the homeowner or decision maker
• Ask qualifying questions to determine the type of work
• Never give pricing over the phone
• Call back missed calls right away
• Keep your notes updated

Always Remember These Things:

• YOU WILL BE BILLED IF YOU SET THE APPOINTMENT, EXCHANGE CONTACT INFORMATION, OR REFER THE LEAD TO ANOTHER COMPANY
• NOT EVERY BILLABLE LEAD WILL TURN INTO A JOB
• YOU WILL BE BILLED EVEN WHEN CALLS ARE UNANSWERED, GO TO VOICEMAIL, ANSWERED BY AN IVR, OR ARE POORLY HANDLED
• WE ARE ADVERTISING A FREE ESTIMATE, AND YOU ARE REQUIRED TO OFFER A FREE ESTIMATE

Definition of a Billable Lead

We review every call to determine if it’s a billable lead. Leads are billable if:

• You set an appointment
• You exchange contact information
• You provide pricing or an estimate over the phone
• You refer the lead to another company
• The call goes unanswered (4 rings or more)
• The call goes to voicemail, regardless if they leave a message
• An IVR answers the call, regardless if the caller is connected to you
• The call is poorly handled

You are only required to set the appointment when the caller:

• Is the homeowner or decision maker
• Has the authority to authorize the work
• Is inquiring about the service you are signed up for (Ex: Water, Fire, Mold Remediation, Plumbing, or Biohazard)
• Is located in a county you are signed up and active in

Tips to Avoid Being Billed

• Make sure a live person is answering calls
  • Have your best closer answer each call
  • Calls that go unanswered (4 rings or more) are billable
  • Calls that go to voicemail are billable, even if they don’t leave a message
  • Calls answered by an IVR are billable
• Never give an estimate or pricing over the phone
  • Calls where you quote a price or give an estimate are billable
  • This includes giving a minimum charge or a range of pricing for the job
  • Let the caller know you need to inspect the damage before giving an accurate price
• Never refer the lead to another company
  • Calls referred to another company are billable

Handling unanswered calls or calls that go to voicemail:

• Always call the caller back as quickly as possible
  • We will send the caller’s number to you by text and email immediately after missing the call
• Update your notes to let us know what happened when you returned their call
• These calls will be initially marked as billable
• Our dispute team will review your notes and follow up with the caller to determine if the call will remain billable

Handling short calls (3 rings or less without being answered):

• Always call the caller back as quickly as possible
  • We will send the caller’s number to you by text and email immediately after missing the call
• Update your notes to let us know what happened when you returned their call
• These calls will be initially marked “TBD Short Call”
• Our dispute team will review your notes and follow up with the caller to determine if we will mark the call billable

How to Handle Calls

Always answer your phone professionally. Avoid asking, “what is your emergency,” because not every situation will be an emergency. Instead, ask how you can help.

Thanks for calling COMPANY NAME. This is FIRST NAME, how may I help you?

If the caller asks if you are a different company, let them know you are a different company but offer the same services. Never mislead the caller.

No, this is COMPANY NAME, but we offer the exact same services as DIFFERENT COMPANY. Is there something I can help you with?

After the caller explains their situation, confirm that they are the homeowner or decision maker and they have the authority to authorize the service. If they are, then confirm they are calling for a service you are signed up for and are in a country you are active in. If they are not, advise them to have the homeowner or decision maker call the same number they just dialed. We will route that number directly to you for the next 48 hours.

How to Dispute Calls

In order to dispute a call, log in to your dashboard and add comments in the partner notes section after the call occurs. Include as much detail as possible about the call.

** ALL DISPUTES FOR THE BILLING CYCLE MUST BE ADDED BY THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY AT 12 PM EASTERN **

** PARTNER NOTES FIELD WILL BE LOCKED AT THIS TIME EACH WEEK **

We review all disputes by Wednesday at 5 pm Eastern. After review, there are three possible outcomes for disputes:

• Agreed: We agree with your dispute and you will not be charged
• Not Agreed: We cannot confirm your dispute with the caller and the call is still billable
• Settle For Less: We are reducing the cost as a courtesy

How to Manage Your Partner Dashboard

• Watch our partner dashboard training video to learn how to manage your account. Watch Video
• Always update your notes in your partner dashboard after each call

How to Pause Your Account

It is your responsibility to pause your account when you get busy or need time off. Not pausing your account may result in missed calls and billable leads. You have the option to pause specific counties or your entire account.

To pause, log in to your dashboard, hit the pause button, and choose your pause duration. There are several options for the pause duration, ranging from 3 hours to 7 days.

Your account will automatically reactivate once the pause expires. We will send you text and email notifications to alert you that your pause has expired. If you need to pause for more than 7 days, contact your account manager.

Calls from our Call Center

We will route most of our calls to you automatically, but you may occasionally receive a call from our call center. Our call center team members will clearly identify themselves as a 33 Mile Radius employee and that they are ready to transfer you a live customer that called into our system. Once you are connected with the customer, handle the call as you would any other call from us. Please note, you may not decline a transfer from our call center agent and must always accept the transfer.

The Billing Cycle and Pre-Billing

The billing cycle runs Monday at Midnight to Sunday at 11:59 pm Eastern. We bill on Thursday, however, you may be pre-billed earlier if you exceed the pre-billing threshold. For example, if you owed $3000 last week, we will pre-bill you this week at $1500.

Pre-billing mitigates our risk and still allows you plenty of time to dispute calls before the end of the billing cycle. Each company may have a different pre-billing threshold. The pre-billing threshold for new accounts start at $600.

Past Due Accounts and Collections

If your credit card is declined, we will pause and lock your account, then call, text, and email you about resolving the issue. Once your account is past due by 30 days, we will send a collection letter by certified mail.

If there is no response within 15 days of receipt of the collections notice (45 days past due), we will forward the case to our collections agency. If the past due amount is greater than what is considered small claims, we will contact our attorney to discuss our collection efforts.

Removing Services and/or Counties

First, pause the services and/or counties you want to remove to stop getting those leads. Then email [email protected] to let us know what services or counties you want to remove.

The Cancellation Process

You can always temporarily pause your account within your 33 Mile Radius portal. If you’d prefer to cancel, please send an email to [email protected] to cancel your account.

Please contact your account manager if you still have any questions.