Just hit 500 service calls without a single callback for a bad install

I was looking over my work log from the past year and saw the number. It kind of shocked me, honestly. I've been doing this for about eight years now, and for a long time, a callback here and there for a loose wire or a sensor I missed felt normal. The big change came when I started taking an extra ten minutes at the end of every job, no matter how tired I was, to walk the whole system with the customer. I'd have them open every door and window while I watched the panel, and then I'd do a full walk test with them following me. It sounds simple, but that extra check caught so many little things, like a sticky contact on an old basement window in a house I did in Riverside. It's not about being perfect, it's about that final check. What's one small step you guys added to your routine that cut down on your callbacks?

3 comments

3 Comments

carter.laura18d ago

My old foreman used to say the walk test was just for the customer's peace of mind. He was wrong, it's for finding the one contact you swore you checked. That final walk saved me from a few long drives back to a job.

grace_gonzalez4618d ago

Exactly. It's like that last look around the house before a trip. You know you locked the door, but checking again finds your keys on the counter. That final pass catches the small thing your brain filtered out.

scott.drew13d ago

Your old foreman sounds like the kind of guy who'd skip checking his oil because the car was running fine. That final walk isn't a show, it's the last line of defense. My version is making the customer point to every single sensor while I watch the panel light up. They always find the one you blanked on.