We know calling someone for the first time could seem a little bit daunting so we’ve got some FAQs here to help you! 📞
How do I start the call?
Simply click the number in the app to call. Your number is not displayed to the person you are calling. This ensures that, if you help lots of people, they don't all start calling you directly.
You can say something along the lines of “Hello is that *name of resident*? My name is *your name*. I’m a volunteer with onHand.”
...The next bit depends on what the task is. You could just say ‘How are you?” to break the ice first! Then, ‘would you like some help with *insert task here*?’ The task could be shopping, prescription pick up or another kind of errand.
If you’re doing a check in phone call, check out our check in info here
Occasionally the person you're helping might not remember or know who onHand are (despite having spoken to us before). You might want to remind them that they were referred to onHand, the volunteering service, by someone who thought they could do with a phone call and a chat every now and then.
What should I expect the phone call to be like?
Honestly, they’re all different. Everyone we help is a unique snowflake. The key is to be open and confident and you’ll be fine. The aim of the phone call is to introduce yourself, find out when they need your help and maybe build a little bit of rapport with them 💘
Be patient! A lot of our customers might not hear the phone ring the first time, or they might have heard it but can't get to it in time to answer on the first ring. So don't feel weird about trying two or three calls before they answer!
The length of the call can really vary too. It’s best not to call them just before you’re about to do something else, though. Leave a half an hour window of time just in case they’d like to chat.
How much of what is discussed on the call should I feed back to you?
We’re pretty easy, but we do ask that sensitive information is kept to your discretion. There’s an element of confidentiality to the volunteer role so use your common sense and only let us know things you think we really need to know.
What happens if they don’t answer the phone?
Leave a voicemail saying something along the lines of ‘Hi, this is a message for *name of older adult*. This is *your name* calling, I’m a volunteer with onHand and I wanted to see if you’d like some help with your shopping/prescription pick up/running some errands this week? I’ll give you another call later. Then try again in a few hours. If they don’t answer again, let us know!
What if I call and they don't want or need the help?
We know it’s a little disheartening when you’re ready to do a mission, you call someone and they say they don’t need it. In case it helps - please know that although you haven’t actually completed the task and fulfilled the mission, the person who referred them (typically an overstretched NHS or Red Cross team) really appreciates the call to check in to see if they’re OK - to know someone has checked in on them really does makes a difference!
Whilst we do call every referral back before we put their request on the app, unfortunately, we can not completely avoid calls where the person does not want the help anymore or has found an alternative. The people we help are aware of this and we do encourage them to get in touch with us if they don't need the assistance anymore, but 9/10 times they won’t.
Our hope is that volunteers could help us out here and let us know if people weren’t needing the help anymore - please do let us know who you have been in touch with that did not need help and we will follow up.
Should I leave my phone number with them?
No! Not until you’ve helped them a couple of times anyway. We think it’s best that the ball is in your court when it comes to phoning them at the beginning.