Opening Scripts
Setting tone, qualifying caller type, and creating immediate engagement.
The Opening Sequence
Every call follows a similar pattern in the first 30 seconds:
- Identify yourself - Clear, professional
- Qualify caller type - Self vs. loved one
- Open engagement - Let them tell their story
Step 1: Identification
"Recovery. This is Jake."
Professional without barriers; lets caller drive conversation
"Tennessee detox center. This is Tyler."
Clear facility ID + direct engagement path
Step 2: Qualify Caller Type
This is CRITICAL. Ask before problem discovery:
Used successfully with both self-callers (7 times) and loved-ones (5+ times) in our data. Immediately routes to appropriate questioning strategy.
Step 3: Open Engagement
Reserve this for AFTER you've confirmed caller type:
Frequency: 8-9 uses; consistently high impact
Why it works: Completely open-ended, empathetic, generates full story
Variations by Caller Type
| Self-Caller | Loved-One |
|---|---|
| Can use slightly more casual opener ("How's it going?") | Stick with professional facility ID |
| Self-qualifiers will answer "what's going on" directly | May need more scaffolding before open question |
| Peer language acceptable ("man," "dude") | More formal tone initially, warm up with empathy |
Complete Opening Example
Self-Caller
Agent: "Recovery. This is Jake."
Caller: "Hi, um, I'm looking for help..."
Agent: "Are you calling for yourself or someone else?"
Caller: "For myself."
Agent: "Okay. What's going on with you?"
Loved-One
Agent: "Tennessee detox center. This is Tyler."
Caller: "Hi, I'm calling about my son..."
Agent: "Okay, so you're calling for someone else. What's going on with him exactly?"