Delivery is the most important part of a survey.

Rule 15: For clients, delivery is the most important part of a survey.

Always remember that you are selling something invisible - a service. Clients generally have no idea whether you are providing a good survey or a bad survey - they don’t know the difference. While you may think they are buying your expertise, that’s not really true, because your expertise is assumed. You are, after all, a licensed professional, and the presumption is that your work will be satisfactory. That presumption is necessary because clients have no way of evaluating your work. It’s also the fundamental underlying proposition underlying the laws of licensure.

Sure, a nice looking map may be impressive, and a well monumented property line looks good, but what really counts is the relationship you build with that client.

Clients may not know the difference between a good and bad survey, but they sure know whether it was delivered on time. That’s why delivery is so important. It is perhaps the best way most clients can evaluate your service. Beyond that, they know if they are treated respectfully, calls are returned, they are kept informed of the status of their project, and if you appear to care about your work and your relationship with them.

After you negotiate a contract with a client, all that is left is to do the work. Do your work well, of course, but remember that in your clients’ eyes, delivery is more important than a technically correct survey.

Get the job done on time.

The Collapse of Customer Service

Dan Beardslee wrote these words in 2002. That was a much simpler time, but I think the advice is even more true today in the age of declining customer service.

I think many of us sense that something is wrong, that the services we rely on are no longer functioning properly, which is causing increasing distrust and frustration in our lives.

Do any of these sound familiar?

• Your insurance broker isn’t calling you back, and you’re not really sure they made the changes they were supposed to.
• The plumber said they would arrive at noon but they didn’t show up. They didn’t even bother to call you.
• The legal assistant isn’t replying to your emails, and you have time-sensitive questions that need to be answered.
• Your payment processor isn’t taking a client’s credit card, and the outsourced support can’t tell you what’s wrong.
• A subcontractor hasn’t sent you the work they promised, and their phone goes straight to voicemail. You have a weird feeling they are on a beach in Mexico.

I think the problem is so bad now, that any amount of poor communication makes people extremely nervous and unsure if things are on track.

The flip side to this, and good news for you, is that it’s really easy to have happy and loyal clients that will refer you every chance they get.

3 Easy Steps to Happier Clients and a Stronger Competitive Edge

1. Pick up the phone when your client calls, and return any calls and emails as soon as you can.
   • If you’re too busy to properly answer a certain email, a simple reply confirming that you’ve received their email and you’re working on it can buy you time, and go a long way to put your client at ease.
2. Deliver when you said you would, and keep your promises to the best of your ability.
3. If you don’t think you’ll be able to deliver on time, notify your client as soon as possible.

When we consider how we like to be treated ourselves, it’s clear that this is what most people truly want — and they’re often willing to pay a premium if you can provide it!

Job Tracking Techniques

The only challenge is that you need to be able to talk about the status of a job when a client calls.

The best way to stay on top of your jobs is to have a system that tracks tasks and job progress. Technology like Cyanic Job Book is perfect for this, as it gives Project Managers and Administrators access to all relevant job information, so anyone can handle customer support calls.

Job Book also offers crew scheduling and task planning which allows you to schedule tasks and see them get completed in real time, so there should be no more guessing about what’s going on in the field or how far along a job is.

Learn More

PS: We pick up the phone when you call! ❤️