The worst kind of lead is a name and a phone number. You call back, play voicemail tag, and when you finally connect you still don’t know whether it’s a five-minute socket swap or a full rewire. A good intake fixes that on the first call.

Here’s the question set — grouped the way a trained dispatcher actually asks them, conversationally, not like a form.

Contact and location

  • Full name
  • Best phone number (read it back to confirm)
  • Full address including ZIP
  • Property type — house, apartment, commercial, new build, or rental

Property type alone tells you a lot. A 1960s house with the original panel is a different job than a 2020 new build.

What’s actually wrong

Let the caller describe it, then probe by category:

  • Panel / power — Is there smoke, sparking, or a burning smell? Is the power fully off or partial?
  • Breaker — Did it trip? Does it reset, or trip again straight away?
  • Outlet / GFCI — Which room? Have they tried the reset button?
  • Lighting — One fixture, one room, or the whole house?
  • EV charger — Panel size, single- or three-phase, and where’s the parking?

Those follow-ups are the whole game. “My lights are out” and “the whole house is dark and the breaker won’t reset” are two very different trucks-rolls.

Urgency and timing

  • Is anyone in danger right now? (Yes/No)
  • How soon do they need it — today, this week, this month?
  • Preferred day and time

Close the loop

Confirm the details back, give a clear next step (“booked for Thursday 2pm” or “an electrician will call within the hour”), and send a summary. If you can’t book on the call, the caller should still hang up knowing exactly what happens next.

The point

Every question above exists to answer one thing: can I price and schedule this without a second phone call? When intake is consistent, you show up with the right parts, quote accurately the first time, and stop bleeding hours to phone tag.

Wirewoman runs this intake on every call — panel, breaker, GFCI, lighting, EV charger, booking — and texts you the summary before you’ve packed up. See how it works.