First impressions are everything. You have definitely heard that before and that’s why being prepared before meeting a potential client at their space is imperative. Walkthroughs allow you to begin building a relationship with a client and build a solid foundation with them for the future. To win their business you have to be attentive, detailed, and engaging. A Walkthrough is the ultimate opportunity to demonstrate to your prospective customer that you will meet all of their requirements and needs. Creating a detailed Walkthrough Checklist to guide you during Walkthroughs can ensure that you are collecting the vital information that you need to create accurate bids and an accurate scope of work for your teams. This article covers helpful tips to improve your Walkthrough process so you can create a strong checklist.
Preparing For A Walkthrough
You should thoroughly inspect every room that the client shows you. For each room you go through you should be recording detailed notes that you can refer to when it is time to create your bid. For each room you should be recording the square footage of the area, the breakdown of the floor type (carpet, VCT, hardwood, etc.), and add notes about areas of concern. For example, if the client mentions that the soap dispensers in the bathrooms always have fingerprints on them, then make a note about that. Smooth out any details in regards to personal items left on desks or building security.
Get A Feel For The Prospect’s Expectations, And The Current Service Provider
Ask the client about any problems that they are experiencing with their current contractor. Get as many details as possible in regards to high traffic areas and focus on the client’s expectations and what they consider clean. This is also an opportune time to upsell any additional services you provide such as floor care or window cleaning. If your notes are organized and specific then you can properly address them in your proposal.
Incorporate Technology
Initially, this sounds like a lot of information to be collecting while at the same time engaging with the customer. Walkthroughs are an art and becoming a Walkthrough expert takes time. However, organizing your checklist beforehand and following a standard process will get your skills up to speed much quicker. A powerful way to improve capturing all the data is to modernize how you are collecting it. It is time to move away from pen and paper. Investing in technology to improve your Walkthrough process increases your team’s efficiency. Digitally capturing and organizing your Walkthrough notes can be performed with various mobile apps on your phone. One way to impress clients and show that you sincerely care about providing them the best service is methodically taking photos of pain points they have called out and attaching notes to them all on your smartphone. This makes them feel like their specific needs will be addressed. Having pictures of the client’s space assists with the proposal creation as well since you can visually reference key areas (and not to mention it’ll help cut down on having to go back to the client’s space if they ask for additional services).
New technology is having a large impact on production, time, and costs. We asked Building Service Providers to send new clients an optional questionnaire after winning a job and one of the questions directly asks “Was the use of mobile software during the Walkthrough a factor in selecting our company to service your location?” 78% of the responses came back with a defiant “yes”. Implementing technology to streamline and digitize Walkthroughs has helped improve sales while simultaneously making their internal operations more efficient. Create a great first impression with a client while also making your daily operations easier by embracing a tech-forward approach.