Call-back script

General information, not legal or financial advice.

Before you dial

• Do not use the phone number in the request. Use the number you recorded before the request arrived.
• If you have no earlier number, look for one in the signed contract, an older invoice, or the vendor's website reached by typing the address yourself. Write down where you got it.
• Have the request in front of you, with the new account written on it.

Script

1. Introduce. “Hello, this is [name] from [business]. I am calling about your invoices with us. Am I speaking with someone who handles your accounts?”
2. State the reason. “We received a request to change the bank account we pay you into. I want to confirm it with you directly before we use it.”
3. Ask, do not tell. “Did you ask us to change your bank details?” Do not read the new account out yourself.
4. If yes: “Please read me the last four digits of the new account number.” Compare them with the request while they speak.
5. Ask for the effective date. “From which invoice should we use the new account?”
6. Close. “Thank you. I will note this call. If anything changes before we pay, please tell us on this number.”

If the answer is no, or you reach no one

• “No, we did not ask”: do not use the new details. Record it. Tell the owner.
• No answer or voicemail: leave only your name and number, not the account details. Do not pay to the new account until you have spoken to someone.
• The vendor cannot read the last four digits, or they do not match: treat the check as failed.

Write down

Date and time, the number you called and where it came from, who you spoke to, what they said, and the result. Use the change-request log or the ledger tool.