How do I keep a call log for an estate?

How does a family keep an estate call log?

A family keeps it in a note, a spreadsheet or a paper notebook that stays beside the phone, and fills in one row for each call. The steps work for the first calls and for the follow-ups.

The June's Help call notes checklist

1. Open a note, a spreadsheet or a notebook, and keep it where the phone is.
2. Add one column for each item in the template below.
3. Before a call, write the company, the number from its own papers and the question to ask.
4. Open the call with the one-line script further down this page.
5. During the call, write the name of the person who answered, and ask for a reference number.
6. Ask what the company needs, and write the answer in its words.
7. Ask what happens next and when, and write down a date to check back.
8. Say the answer back in a sentence, so both sides hear the same plan.
9. After the call, send one text to the family with the company, the result and the next step.
10. On the follow-up date, check back, and add a new row for the new call.

See also: How to organize a loved one's papers after a death, Which accounts do I cancel after a death?

What columns does an estate call log need?

An estate call log needs ten columns, one for each item below, and each line is short enough to paste into a text or an email. Here is an example row, filled in as a family might: [date and time], [card company], [number from the back of the card], [a representative named Alex], [reference number], [asked what is needed to close the account], [they asked for a copy of the death certificate by mail], [send the copy and check back in two weeks], [follow-up date], [Denise]. Copy the columns into the first row of a spreadsheet, or use them as the lines of a note:

• Date and time: [date and time of the call]
• Company or office: [name]
• Number called: [from its own papers, not from a text or an email]
• Person who answered: [name and role]
• Reference number: [number or none given]
• What was asked: [your question]
• What they said: [their answer in their words]
• What happens next: [who does what]
• Follow-up date: [date]
• Who called: [name of the relative]

See also: How do I track estate bills and expenses?

What should be said at the start of each call?

A one-line opening keeps the start of each call short, and the same line works with every company. Copy these three lines to the top of the note, and change the name and the date:

• Opening: I am calling about the account of [Name], who died on [date]. Could you tell me what the family needs to send?
• Middle: Could I have your name and a reference number for this call?
• Closing: What happens next, and when should I check back?

See also: How do I tell the credit bureaus someone died?

How do call notes help later?

Notes turn a call into a record, and a record can be read by someone who was not on the phone. A brother in another state can see what was said without calling the company again, and a lawyer or an accountant can read the rows.

Notes also show what is waiting. A row with a follow-up date and no reply is the next call. When a company writes back, the reply goes beside the row it answers.

Who else should see the call notes?

The relatives who share the work should see them, and a shared note or spreadsheet does that. Each person adds their own rows with their own name in the last column.

A lawyer or an accountant can be sent the file or the printout before a meeting. The family decides who sees it, and a note kept in one place is easier to hand over than a pile of papers.

See also: How to share the work of an estate with family

Does June's Help keep an estate call log?

No. The family keeps the log by hand, and June's Help makes no calls. With the assistant plan, June's Help can email a reminder to check back when a notice the family marked as sent on its list of who has been told has had no reply for two weeks.

When a company writes back, a photo of the letter can be added. June reads a letter from a bank, a life insurer, a pension or Social Security in plain words and lists the dates printed on it, and with the assistant plan a reminder email comes before a due date that a letter prints.

See also: Which accounts do I cancel after a death?