Communication Tools
Rosa DelgadoReviewed 2026-06-183 min read
Purpose: Which channel Summit uses for what, so customer messages are trackable, internal messages reach the right person, and nothing important dies in a personal text thread. The rule underneath all of it: customer-facing communication runs through systems the company can see.
Channel map
| Channel | Used for | Runs through | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMS to leads/customers | Confirmations, reminders, follow-ups, quick updates | GHL | Default channel for anything short and time-sensitive |
| Email to leads/customers | Estimates, contracts, anything with attachments or that needs a paper trail | GHL (tracked) or Google Workspace | Anything a customer might reference later |
| Office phone line | Inbound leads, scheduling, questions | GHL call tracking | Answered live during business hours, target within three rings |
| Emergency line (24/7) | Active leaks, storm damage, urgent property issues | The answering service, after hours | Triage script decides dispatch vs. next-morning callback |
| Internal email | Anything formal or that needs a record (approvals, vendor issues) | Google Workspace | Decisions in email, not just chat |
| Crew communication | Day-of logistics, job-site updates, photo prompts | Pete's crew group threads + CompanyCam comments | Job-site condition goes in CompanyCam, not just chat |
Customer communication rules
- GHL first. Texts and emails to leads and customers go through GHL so the conversation lives on the contact record. A rep texting from a personal phone must log the substance in GHL the same day, but this is the exception path, not the norm.
- Speed-to-lead: 15 minutes during business hours for new leads; overnight leads get contacted the next morning. Emergencies are answered 24/7 through the answering service.
- Ranges only on the phone. No firm prices before a site visit or photo review, per Pricing and Estimating Rules. The phone script keeps to ranges.
- One thread per topic. Don't start a fresh text thread for a job that already has one; customers experience that as chaos.
- Tone follows the Brand Voice Guide: plain, direct, no pressure, no jargon. Read the message out loud; if it sounds like a robot or a used-car ad, rewrite it.
The answering service handoff
- After hours, the emergency line routes to the answering service with Summit's triage script.
- Dispatch criteria: active water intrusion, storm or tree damage compromising the structure, or an unsecured opening. Those page Pete (or the on-call lead) immediately. The $450 flat dispatch + tarping fee is stated up front, credited if Summit does the permanent repair.
- Everything else becomes a logged message that Rosa works next morning, entered into GHL as a New Lead or matched to an existing record.
- Rosa reviews the service's call log every morning against GHL to catch anything that slipped.
Internal communication norms
- Decisions get written down. A hallway decision that changes a price, a schedule, or a scope gets an email or a GHL note within the day.
- Pete's crews report blockers before 8:30 AM so the day can be re-planned, not autopsied.
- Escalations follow the Escalation Matrix; don't jump straight to Dave because he happens to be nearby.
- Nobody communicates with the ad agency directly except Jenna (and Dave when needed). One voice to vendors.
What not to do
- No customer commitments (price, date, warranty) by text without the backing record in GHL or the contract.
- No venting about customers in any written channel. Assume every message could be read aloud in the customer's kitchen.
- No group-text decision making that excludes the person who owns the outcome.
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