Are repeat customer messages the same enquiry or different jobs?

Compare the request before joining the records

Look for a shared reference first. If there is none, compare the work described, the affected site and the sequence of the conversation. A phone number can help you find a record, but it should not replace checking what the contact is about.

Use records you are authorised to access for your own business. If a reply could reveal another person’s job details, ask a neutral clarification rather than sending those details to establish a match.

• Reference: did the customer quote an existing enquiry number?
• Work: do both contacts describe the same service and issue?
• Site: is this the same property or a different location?
• Sequence: is the later message adding information, requesting progress or starting new work?
• Uncertainty: what one question would resolve the difference without disclosing unrelated details?

Three examples that lead to different decisions

Fictional example A: a caller leaves a message about a kitchen tap, then sends a form saying “following my call about the kitchen tap”. The same site and request are described. A useful reply acknowledges both contacts and asks only the missing question. Keep the connection in your existing work record.

Fictional example B: a property manager uses one number to ask for cleaning at two flats. Similar contact details do not make these duplicates. Keep the sites and requested work separate so the response to one does not appear to arrange the other.

Fictional example C: a previous customer writes “could you also look at the garden gate?” after discussing a garden tidy-up. Ask whether this is an addition they want considered with the first request or a separate job. Do not silently add it to an agreed scope.

Use a clarification that does not restart the enquiry

Same request appears likely: “Thank you for the form after your call. I have the [brief work description] request. Is this message adding to that request, or is there another job you would like to discuss?”

Two sites appear possible: “Are both messages about the same property? Please quote the enquiry reference if you have it.” Avoid including a full address or somebody else’s description just to invite a yes/no answer.

Once the relationship is clear, agree who owns the next response. A colleague should not make a second callback simply because the same request arrived through two channels.

Keep a record of the decision, not another copy of everything

In your existing secure work tool, note the related references, why you consider them connected and the next action. Keep original messages available under your normal process; this checklist is not an instruction to delete records or overwrite their history.

For a simple activity review, distinguish contacts received from distinct requests. One customer calling and then submitting a form can be two contacts concerning one request. Explain that distinction when comparing your own figures rather than claiming that one message equals one new job.

Know where the software stops

Enquiry Fox stores each accepted enquiry with its reference. The contact links open your chosen communication app. Connecting an external call or message to that enquiry, confirming the scope and coordinating colleagues remain your team’s work.

Do not mark work booked or completed merely because you identified two related messages. Record the outcome of the actual conversation and leave any further action with a named person in the tool your team already uses.