A callout — from call to completed task

No two jobs are alike. One time it's a dead battery in a car park, the next it's a car in the ditch on a dark motorway in rain. What they all have in common is that you need to assess the situation, work safely and help the customer on their way. It's as much about head as hands.

§The call and the preparation

A task starts with information: where is the customer what happened what car and is there danger? From that you assess what equipment you need and how to approach the task. Good preparation saves time on site and makes the task safer. If it's a serious situation with injured people it's the rescue service not roadside assistance that should go first.

§Arrival and site security

The first thing you do on arrival is to secure the site. You place your vehicle so it protects you and the customer, turn on warning lights, and mark according to conditions. You ensure the customer is safe – often behind the crash barrier, not in the car in the emergency lane. On a busy road, being hit is the greatest danger for the roadside assistant, so securing the site always comes before the actual work.

§Troubleshooting on site

Many tasks can be solved on the spot. You find the error by asking the customer observing and using your technical knowledge: is it the battery a flat tyre fuel a fuse or something more serious? Sometimes the solution is jump-starting replacing a wheel or a small repair so the customer can drive on. Other times troubleshooting shows that the car cannot drive and it must be transported.

• 01Ask the customer what happened and what they experienced.
• 02Check simple things first: battery, fuel, tires, fuses
• 03Use fault codes and your technical knowledge with electronic faults.
• 04Determine whether the car can continue or needs to be towed.

§Recovery and transport

If the car needs to go choose the right method. A car that has driven off the road may need to be salvaged with a winch and crane before it can be loaded. The transport itself typically happens on a flatbed or behind a recovery crane and the car is tied down securely so it does not move during transport. It is important to know the type of car — four-wheel drive automatic transmission and electric cars each have their own requirements for how they can be towed and transported.

§Customer service in a stressful situation

The customer is often stressed, maybe with children in the car, and your calm, friendly demeanor matters a lot. You explain what you do and why, and you ensure the customer moves on — to the workshop, home or to safety. Good customer service is a big part of the trade: people remember how they were treated when they were in a fix.

§Completion and documentation

Finally you complete the task: tidy up, remove markings, make sure nothing is left on the road, and document what was done. Good documentation is important both for the customer, for the workshop that may take over the car, and for your own company. A task is not finished until the place is tidy and the customer is helped forward.