A Handover Note for the Hour When Admin Goes Home

A part-time office person takes a lot off your plate, but the phone keeps ringing after they leave. Calls arrive at half past six, on the days nobody is in, and while you're on a roof with both hands full.

A written handover note won't answer those calls for you. What it does is make sure everyone knows what's outstanding, what the voicemail says, and who deals with what in the morning.

What the note is for

The note does three jobs:

• It tells whoever is out on site what the office has already dealt with and what is still open.
• It confirms the voicemail and any text-back message, so callers hear something accurate.
• It gives the next person in the office a ready-made list, so the first job of the day is clearing overnight messages rather than working out where things stand.

Keep it to one page and keep the layout the same every day. A note that changes shape daily is harder to read quickly.

A template you can copy

Put this in a shared document, a notes app or a sheet by the phone, whatever your team will actually use.

1. Who's reachable tonight Name the person answering urgent calls and the number to use. If nobody is, write "nobody" and make sure the voicemail says so.

2. Voicemail and text-back wording Note whether the greeting needs changing, for instance if the team is away or the firm is closed for a holiday. The greeting should say who you are and what you do, tell callers when to expect a reply, and ask for name, number, postcode and a one-line description of the job.

3. Urgent items open Anything involving a leak, storm damage or something unsafe. Write down the customer, the problem, what's been promised and who has it.

4. New enquiries waiting Caller name, number, postcode and the job in a line. Mark each as "texted", "called" or "not yet".

5. Promises made today Callbacks, quotes, deliveries, "we'll let you know tomorrow". Anything you've told a customer or supplier belongs here, because promises are what get forgotten.

6. Existing customers and suppliers Messages that can wait for the morning, plus what each person was told about when they'd hear back.

7. First calls tomorrow Pick them tonight, so there's no decision to make at the start of the day.

Sort before you write

The note is easier to write if every missed call goes into one of three groups as it comes in:

• Urgent: needs a person quickly.
• New enquiry: needs a prompt, friendly reply and the right details collected.
• Existing customer or supplier: can usually wait for the morning, provided they've had a clear message saying so.

Use the same three headings in the note so nobody has to decode your shorthand.

Make the morning routine match

A handover only works if the other end uses it. Add one line to the opening checklist: read the note, then clear overnight messages before anything else.

Do new enquiries first. Someone looking for a builder will often ring more than one firm, and the one that responds first has the advantage.

If you've told callers "we'll call you back first thing", the note is where that promise lives. Whoever opens the office should be able to see exactly which calls it applies to.

Keep it small

A few habits stop the note turning into paperwork:

• Write it as you go. Jot entries during the day rather than rebuilding the whole picture at closing time.
• Delete what's done. Close items so the list doesn't grow.
• Text anyone you missed. A short message such as "Sorry we missed you, we're on site. What do you need and where's the job?" tells the caller you've seen the call. Record in the note that it was sent.
• Check the basics. Opening hours and the area you cover should be right on your website and Google profile, so the note isn't covering for wrong information.

Find out where the gaps are first

If you're not sure which hours the note needs to cover, look at your phone's call log. Write down every unanswered call for two weeks, with the day, the time and whether the caller left a message or tried again. Early mornings, lunchtimes, your admin's days off and the hour after you finish on site are common windows to check.

There's a fuller walk-through in this piece on covering calls after your admin goes home, including how to sort calls by urgency and tighten up your voicemail greeting. Use it to decide which windows deserve attention, then let the handover note carry the day-to-day detail.

Try it for a week

Print the template and use it every working day for a week. Notice which sections stay empty, cut those, and keep the rest. If a section is never read, remove it; a shorter note that your team opens is better than a longer one they skip.