Storm-week text triage: how roofers answer everyone when the phones explode

Why ordinary replies fail in a storm

A normal-week text says "we'll get back to you by 5 p.m." That's true on a Tuesday in May. It's false the afternoon after a windstorm, when 120 people send the same request.

The maths of a surge is unforgiving. Say your office can properly handle five leads an hour. A storm brings 90 leads between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. That's 15 an hour against a capacity of 5, so the queue grows by 10 every hour. By 8 p.m., 60 homeowners are waiting with no reply, and the ones at the back won't hear from you for a day or more.

Most of them won't wait. Some will hire the first truck that knocks on their door. Triage doesn't create crew capacity, but it means all 90 know within minutes that you've heard them, and the people with water coming in reach you first.

Before the season: set up the playbook

Triage only works if it's written and approved before the weather. Do this in your quietest month.

1. Decide the trigger. For example: a weather warning covering your service area on Environment and Climate Change Canada's alerts, more than a set number of leads in two hours, or the owner's call.
2. Name the switch-holder. One person turns storm mode on and off. Name a backup.
3. Write the four category messages (below), with placeholders.
4. Decide realistic wait windows for each category, based on how many crews and estimators you actually have.
5. Rehearse. Have staff text your number as pretend homeowners and walk through every branch.

The first text: one question that sorts most leads

The surge reply has three jobs: acknowledge, sort and set expectations. A template:

[Business name] here. The storm hit [Area] hard and we're hearing from many homeowners. Is water coming inside right now? Reply 1 = yes, water inside. 2 = roof damage, no leak. 3 = not sure, want it checked. Reply STOP to opt out.

Numbered replies are faster for a stressed homeowner than typing a description, and they're easy to sort. Keep it free of links, prices and claims about insurance.

The four triage categories

Each reply goes into one of four buckets, each with its own follow-up and promise.

Category A: active water entry

Homeowners replying 1. These go to the front.

Thanks. Leaks come first. [First name] will call you by [time]. If it's safe, move valuables and put a bucket under the drip. Please stay off the roof.

Alert the person responsible for emergency calls immediately. If you offer temporary protection, this is the group that needs it.

Category B: visible damage, no leak

Missing shingles, lifted flashing, debris on the roof, but nothing coming inside yet.

Got it. No leak is good news. You're number [position] for an inspection, estimated [date range]. If water starts coming in, reply 1 and we'll move you up.

The "reply 1 if it changes" line matters. Conditions shift with the next rain.

Category C: unsure, wants a check

Often the largest group after a storm. Many will have no damage at all.

Thanks for checking. You're on our inspection list at number [position], likely [date range]. From the ground, look for missing shingles or debris and send a photo if you can. Please don't climb up.

Category D: outside your area or outside your work

Commercial roofs if you only do residential, or addresses beyond your service area.

Thanks for reaching [Business name]. We aren't able to help with [reason] this time. We'd suggest contacting another local roofer. Sorry we can't do more.

Answering this group quickly and honestly frees them to find help and protects your reputation.

Setting honest wait windows

The windows in each message must be true. Base them on capacity, not hope.

A simple way to set them: count the number of inspections your estimators can realistically do per day during a surge, then divide each category's queue by that number. If two estimators can each do 8 inspections a day and Category B has 64 homeowners, that's four working days, so the window is "4 to 6 working days", allowing for rain delays.

Update windows as the queue moves. A window that was true on Monday may be wrong by Wednesday.

Queue updates: keep people with you

Silence is what sends a waiting homeowner to someone else. Short, scheduled updates keep them.

Update from [Business name]: you're now number [position] for an inspection. Still estimating [date range]. Thanks for your patience. Reply STOP to opt out.

Every two or three days is enough. Send one immediately if the estimate changes, especially if it gets later. ISED's texting guidance suggests texting sparingly and keeping messages to important updates, and queue news qualifies.

When and how to stand down

Storm mode should end on purpose, not by being forgotten. Agree the stand-down rule in advance, for example "when new leads drop below normal levels for two business days and the inspection queue is under one week".

Then:

1. switch the first reply back to the normal-week version
2. send each remaining queued homeowner a final confirmed date
3. note what worked and what didn't while it's fresh

Mistakes that hurt roofers in storm weeks

• Switching on too late. By the time someone notices the backlog, dozens of leads are already cold.
• One wait time for everyone. It confuses people and undermines the triage.
• Encouraging homeowners onto the roof for photos. Never.
• Insurance promises. "Your insurance should cover this" isn't yours to say.
• Collecting policy numbers, card numbers or personal details by text.
• Promotional blasts to old customers. Storm weeks are not the time for a list campaign, and consent rules still apply.

Make it yours

Regional storm patterns differ: Prairie hail, coastal windstorms, post-tropical systems in Atlantic Canada, ice and freeze-thaw in Central Canada. Each region page describes what matters locally. If you'd like this playbook built and rehearsed with your team, see storm-surge mode. The companion trustworthy storm texting guide covers wording and consent in more depth, and the contact page explains how to reach us.