resqman Posted June 22, 2015 Report Posted June 22, 2015 I started writing reports using MSWord. Used it for 7 years. Could complete what I thought was a good report in 2-4 hrs. Had a template with saved comments. Made a copy of the template, deleted all the comments that did not apply to that specific inspection, and then added new comments pertinent to that days home. Added a photo in the doc for every defect. Joined a multi-inspector firm. Used HIP. The firm had shuffled around the location of specific elements that was confusing to me. For instance, AC compressors are outside the home so go into the exterior section. The AC coil is inside the home so goes in the HVAC section. Anyway, used HIP. Took about 2 hours to write a report once I figured out the crazy layout. Moved to a different multi-inspector firm. Use HomeGauge. Takes about 2 hours to write a report. The time consuming part of writing a report is not all the mundane problems that we see at 2 outta 3 homes that we already have canned statements we can just drop in. It is writing a new statement that fits the specific weirdness of todays inspection. They has been discussion about being a better typist. I took typing in high school and sat in front of a computer keyboard for 25 years prior to becoming an HI. I can type using a real keyboard. Handheld devices not so much. Typing a defect statement on a phone seems ludicrous. But I am not a millennial. It has more to do with Kurt's viewpoint of how to say "Something is broken at this location, Fix it or someone will get hurt/die or the house will fall apart". Being able to convey enough information that a first time buyer with no previous understanding of how a house works can make an informed decision on whether to buy this specific house with this set of problems and yet at the same time be brief and succinct. That is the challenging part. It also has to do with Data Collection vs. Report Writing. With phone and tablet interfaces, the general idea is to do the data collection during the inspection directly into the report writing software. The report writing system should make data collection easy and collect data in the format we find data in a home inspection. In other words, we collect data in a non-linear method. We find electrical, hvac, plumbing all in a single room. So the collection tool should be able to collect data for all the various systems easily at the same time. Then the Reporting system should shuffle the data around and generate a report in a manner that makes more logical sense to most people, which is by systems. And then there is the inclusion of photos. Lordy. I have never understood why photo insertion is such a confusing quagmire to home inspectors. But for some reason it seems that many inspectors really struggle with downloading of photos, sizing of photos, placement of photos, editing of photos, annotating photos, etc. But a reporting system should be able to easily download, organize, edit and place photos in a report. Then we can argue how many and where they should be placed. With the use of phones and tablets, the photo taken on the device should automagically be connected to the comment and placed in the correct section of the report. The second part of the business is managing all the other information. So people want schedulers; email reminders to clients, agents, lawyers, etc., billing systems, accounting systems, etc. all rolled into a single system so that you enter the client data once and all the various other components get the data. So when some inspectors talk about Reporting software they are lumping a business management system in with report generation. While others are speaking strictly about a document that is delivered to the client. Keep in mind that there is no one perfect report model. Most of the existing report generation systems allow the output to be narrative, checkbox, or some hybrid of both. And of course there is the inclusion of photos with arrows and other notations. I would question Scottb1978 if he had even looked at the size of his potential marketplace. 1000 inspectors per US state times 50 states is a maximum of 50,000 clients assuming 100% penetration. 1000 inspectors per state is way too high for Montana and other low population states. 33 states have licensing so he should be able to determine how many inspectors there are in those states and then WAG the other states. So lets say he gets 10% penetration. 5000 copies of his software. Average price for existing packages is $800-$1000. How often to home inspectors throw away a reporting system they have invested years tweaking? Lots of comments on these and other msg boards that people are using software running on obsolete operating systems with no support for either the report or operating system. Home inspectors tend to come from the trades and be a little less tech savy. Almost every US citizen has a PC of some flavor and most people have some basic computer skills. But there are still lots of people who have very low knowledge regarding software installation, setup and maintenance. Most inspectors know the system they using is not as effective as they want it to be. But at the same time, spending money and learning a new system knowing it will take months to get it to a point where you are spending the same amount of time writing a report is a big hurdle. Data collection and partial report generation on site seems to be the movement underfoot now. If I can add 15-30 minutes onsite but save 1 hr. offsite, then that is a good tradeoff. If I can integrate data collection as part of the inspection not a separate process that takes away from the client interaction, that is good. But it also means that I will have to have a another tool/device in my hand to collect this data. I will have to alter my inspection process. Is the camera in my phone/tablet sufficiently good to take close ups of serial numbers and distant photos of rotting soffits from the ground? If I did not have to write a report, that would make it more fun and productive. If I could spend not more than 1hr per inspection writing a report that would make it more profitable.
Marc Posted June 22, 2015 Report Posted June 22, 2015 I started writing reports using MSWord. Used it for 7 years. Could complete what I thought was a good report in 2-4 hrs. Had a template with saved comments. Made a copy of the template, deleted all the comments that did not apply to that specific inspection, and then added new comments pertinent to that days home. Added a photo in the doc for every defect. Joined a multi-inspector firm. Used HIP. The firm had shuffled around the location of specific elements that was confusing to me. For instance, AC compressors are outside the home so go into the exterior section. The AC coil is inside the home so goes in the HVAC section. Anyway, used HIP. Took about 2 hours to write a report once I figured out the crazy layout. Moved to a different multi-inspector firm. Use HomeGauge. Takes about 2 hours to write a report. The time consuming part of writing a report is not all the mundane problems that we see at 2 outta 3 homes that we already have canned statements we can just drop in. It is writing a new statement that fits the specific weirdness of todays inspection. They has been discussion about being a better typist. I took typing in high school and sat in front of a computer keyboard for 25 years prior to becoming an HI. I can type using a real keyboard. Handheld devices not so much. Typing a defect statement on a phone seems ludicrous. But I am not a millennial. It has more to do with Kurt's viewpoint of how to say "Something is broken at this location, Fix it or someone will get hurt/die or the house will fall apart". Being able to convey enough information that a first time buyer with no previous understanding of how a house works can make an informed decision on whether to buy this specific house with this set of problems and yet at the same time be brief and succinct. That is the challenging part. It also has to do with Data Collection vs. Report Writing. With phone and tablet interfaces, the general idea is to do the data collection during the inspection directly into the report writing software. The report writing system should make data collection easy and collect data in the format we find data in a home inspection. In other words, we collect data in a non-linear method. We find electrical, hvac, plumbing all in a single room. So the collection tool should be able to collect data for all the various systems easily at the same time. Then the Reporting system should shuffle the data around and generate a report in a manner that makes more logical sense to most people, which is by systems. And then there is the inclusion of photos. Lordy. I have never understood why photo insertion is such a confusing quagmire to home inspectors. But for some reason it seems that many inspectors really struggle with downloading of photos, sizing of photos, placement of photos, editing of photos, annotating photos, etc. But a reporting system should be able to easily download, organize, edit and place photos in a report. Then we can argue how many and where they should be placed. With the use of phones and tablets, the photo taken on the device should automagically be connected to the comment and placed in the correct section of the report. The second part of the business is managing all the other information. So people want schedulers; email reminders to clients, agents, lawyers, etc., billing systems, accounting systems, etc. all rolled into a single system so that you enter the client data once and all the various other components get the data. So when some inspectors talk about Reporting software they are lumping a business management system in with report generation. While others are speaking strictly about a document that is delivered to the client. Keep in mind that there is no one perfect report model. Most of the existing report generation systems allow the output to be narrative, checkbox, or some hybrid of both. And of course there is the inclusion of photos with arrows and other notations. I would question Scottb1978 if he had even looked at the size of his potential marketplace. 1000 inspectors per US state times 50 states is a maximum of 50,000 clients assuming 100% penetration. 1000 inspectors per state is way too high for Montana and other low population states. 33 states have licensing so he should be able to determine how many inspectors there are in those states and then WAG the other states. So lets say he gets 10% penetration. 5000 copies of his software. Average price for existing packages is $800-$1000. How often to home inspectors throw away a reporting system they have invested years tweaking? Lots of comments on these and other msg boards that people are using software running on obsolete operating systems with no support for either the report or operating system. Home inspectors tend to come from the trades and be a little less tech savy. Almost every US citizen has a PC of some flavor and most people have some basic computer skills. But there are still lots of people who have very low knowledge regarding software installation, setup and maintenance. Most inspectors know the system they using is not as effective as they want it to be. But at the same time, spending money and learning a new system knowing it will take months to get it to a point where you are spending the same amount of time writing a report is a big hurdle. Data collection and partial report generation on site seems to be the movement underfoot now. If I can add 15-30 minutes onsite but save 1 hr. offsite, then that is a good tradeoff. If I can integrate data collection as part of the inspection not a separate process that takes away from the client interaction, that is good. But it also means that I will have to have a another tool/device in my hand to collect this data. I will have to alter my inspection process. Is the camera in my phone/tablet sufficiently good to take close ups of serial numbers and distant photos of rotting soffits from the ground? If I did not have to write a report, that would make it more fun and productive. If I could spend not more than 1hr per inspection writing a report that would make it more profitable. Best post yet. I'm pretty much in the same spot as Bruce. Couldn't have described it better. Marc
kurt Posted June 22, 2015 Report Posted June 22, 2015 Yes, absolutely best post. He gets it. I get grumpy trying to explain this shit. Now I don't have to. My system does all this stuff. Easily. It doesn't do all the other stuff folks want but haven't figured out they don't need yet. We built a scheduling module but don't use it....don't need it for my pipsqueak operation. We use it a little on the construction end. It's very simple and basic relational DB stuff. I don't try to sell it because some mope would want it to do one more thing or another couple things that are unnecessary. HI's want what they don't need. It's a cultural problem. I dread the move to HI videos. It's coming, and it will further cloud the water. If anyone thinks they can put together a competent video without also having advanced storyboarding skills, they are badly mistaken.
Marc Posted June 22, 2015 Report Posted June 22, 2015 Please, don't mention HI video reports again, it's making me sick. Marc
John Kogel Posted June 22, 2015 Report Posted June 22, 2015 . . . HomeGauge will do that. One of my partners uses HomeGauge. They have what amounts to a database and a scheduler. If they can do the other stuff, they don't seem to want anyone to know about it. Maybe check out Horizon. They do a decent job of scheduling for multiple inspectors and anyone that knows the PWs can access any of the data and the reports in the cloud. Pics are stored in the cloud as well but they are resized to large icon size. We really aren't looking for a new reporting system at all. And the scheduling isn't the problem. We have a perfectly adequate system for storing information and scheduling. The problem is that it doesn't automate all of the little tasks that have to happened prior to and after each inspection. We'd like that stuff to become automatic - with a minimum of human input. For instance, when our office manager schedules an inspection, she enters all of the information into a database. If she sets up the inspection with "Jim" and the customer wants a sewer scope and radon screening, then the office manager has to look up the fee, send out a contract to the customer, a notice to me, a home inspection notice to the agent, a notice about radon to the agent, a scheduling request to the radon guy, and a scheduling request to the sewer scope guy. If the inspection is in Washington, the contract has to be a WA contract, so that slightly alters the sequence. If the customer wants radon and not sewer (or sewer and not radon - or neither) then that alters the things that have to go out. Since there are 5 of us, there's a set of permutations like this for each inspector. On a busy day, (most Mondays) she might have to do this for 20-25 inspections. Since she's fantastic at what she does, she can deal with this, but she occasionally goes on vacation and there's no way in hell that we can find someone else to do this for a few weeks a year, so we attempt it ourselves - and it invariably turns into a disaster. What we hope to do with ISN is have her enter the necessary information and then have the system take over all of the emailing of the various contracts and notices. Can Horizon do that if we're not using their reporting system? No, it is still just software, not the same as hiring a cyborg. []
John Kogel Posted June 22, 2015 Report Posted June 22, 2015 Thanks, Bruce. The data collection part is not so hard. Tablets are coming out as the inspector?s life saver but just another device to jerk around with. I have used handheld devices for recoding info and find they slow one down and distract from the job as much as they save. So you can sync to a laptop, but you just spent an extra hour tapping the stuff in. The lack of a flash means poor pics in the darkest corners where the hidden problems are. Then when the screen goes blank, you start over, nice one. Better to collect the data in your mind and camera, or like I said, a little notebook if the house is loaded with crap.
kurt Posted June 23, 2015 Report Posted June 23, 2015 The stuff Katen wants his software to do could be set up in FM Pro and scripted. Someone would have to launch the script, but that could be done remotely. Maybe AppleScripted to totally automate it.
Robert Jones Posted June 23, 2015 Report Posted June 23, 2015 I have been using ISN and love it. I hired an inspector last year, and it sends out information for each of us as needed. The agreement goes out once the inspection is booked. Clients initial and sign on computer and phone, agreement get's emailed back to me and stored in ISN. Reminders go out to both the buyer and buyer's agent. I have mine setup to do a follow-up email 24 hours after I send the report, and again 2 months and one year later. Pretty hassle free.
kurt Posted June 23, 2015 Report Posted June 23, 2015 So, does anyone think we scared away the OP? Seems like a nice guy, but has no idea what he's getting into. Can you imagine developing software for the HI biz? Wretched, horrible business. Resqman is right. Given market size, what's the point? Is there any HI software biz that's hung around for a long time? They all seem to surge then fade away. HomeGauge seems like it's got some penetration, same with HIP. But, I wonder how long they can take it.
Marc Posted June 23, 2015 Report Posted June 23, 2015 Resqman has what Scott B is looking for but maybe Scott has realized that his endeavor is much further away than he thought. He's high tailed it. Marc
scottb1978 Posted June 23, 2015 Author Report Posted June 23, 2015 I really appreciate all the great feedback & discussion but did I mention that good software is a collaborative process and that I need to talk to people to be able go any further! I'd be interested in talking to people and mocking up ideas around two separate systems: o) Data capture & report generation o) Business management & automation If I go quiet it's not because I'm scared, it's because there isn't much more I can do on this forum if people don't want to talk to me and get involved. Feel free to send me an email via my profile. Thanks again.
mlparham Posted June 23, 2015 Report Posted June 23, 2015 It just hit me. Everyone is thinking of HomeGauge as a stand alone report preparation software. It is so, so much more. If you subscribe to HomeGauge Services you get automatic time released messaging, cloud backup of your templates, cloud storage of your reports, electric signature for agreements with time stamp and IP address, notification when agreements are signed and reports are viewed with time stamp and IP address and credit card processing (credit card fees apply of course). You have one click delivery of the report to the customer, agent and any third parties. The customer and agent can forward a link to the report to the seller, builder etc. and save and print the report. In any event the report is stored on the cloud. You have what I call "click and forget". Only one click is needed to upload the report and you can block viewing of the report until the agreement is signed and payment is made. Unblocking of report viewing is automatic. Your agreement is inserted into the report software so that you only have to enter the customer's information and email address once. When you send the report or agreement from the HomeGauge cloud you set up your narrative for your email once, the customer name and address are automatically inserted and a username and and password are automatically included. If you send the inspection agreement before the inspection (and you should) the agreement signature and report are linked. Report creation is via your browser. Customers also view the report in their browser, no download, fast loading and no adobe reader needed and is mobile friendly. The standard software comes with hundreds of report template and color combinations. However, the program is browser based so if you know HTML your report customization options are endless. That's the highlights. Much, much more is available.
Erby Posted June 23, 2015 Report Posted June 23, 2015 It just hit me. Everyone is thinking of HomeGauge as a stand alone report preparation software. It is so, so much more. Report creation is via your browser. Customers also view the report in their browser, no download, fast loading and no adobe reader needed and is mobile friendly. I agree with the customers viewing the report in their browser, with a button right there to print or save as PDF capability. But report creation via the browser? My HomeGauge report creation is in the software, not a browser. Looks like the picture below (From a screen grab using the snipping tool.) Click to Enlarge 46 KB My choice of what the customer sees in their browser: (While the check boxes, etc in report creation make it easy to prepare the report, I don't really care for a bunch of check marks in boxes for the customer report, so I use a narrative template.) (From a screen grab using the snipping tool.) Click to Enlarge 56.75 KB
mlparham Posted June 23, 2015 Report Posted June 23, 2015 It just hit me. Everyone is thinking of HomeGauge as a stand alone report preparation software. It is so, so much more. Report creation is via your browser. Customers also view the report in their browser, no download, fast loading and no adobe reader needed and is mobile friendly. I agree with the customers viewing the report in their browser, with a button right there to print or save as PDF capability. But report creation via the browser? My HomeGauge report creation is in the software, not a browser. Looks like the picture below (From a screen grab using the snipping tool.) Click to Enlarge 46 KB My choice of what the customer sees in their browser: (While the check boxes, etc in report creation make it easy to prepare the report, I don't really care for a bunch of check marks in boxes for the customer report, so I use a narrative template.) (From a screen grab using the snipping tool.) Click to Enlarge 56.75 KB Looks like a browser to me. The code is written so that it looks stand alone but it is in your browser. The following is from the HomeGauge website: Why is the HomeGauge report created in HTML code instead of Microsoft Word or ".doc " program like most inspection software? HTML is a code that the internet or web can read. Unlike Word, HTML is ready to view as soon as you upload it to the web. Your report is just like a web page which means it is a lot easier to view.Your buyer or agent does not have to use a PDF viewer in order to view the report. This separates HomeGauge from the rest alone. It is not complicated and does not require waiting time for your buyers or agents to get their report. The most used feature of Word is the spell checker and HomeGauge has one built in.
kurt Posted June 24, 2015 Report Posted June 24, 2015 HomeGauge is the only system that even starts to make sense to me. It's amazing. It's also software bloat/creep, i.e., piles of stuff that don't seem to really matter in this biz. That said, why does anyone want or need more than a .pdf?
resqman Posted June 24, 2015 Report Posted June 24, 2015 I really appreciate all the great feedback & discussion but did I mention that good software is a collaborative process and that I need to talk to people to be able go any further! I'd be interested in talking to people and mocking up ideas around two separate systems: o) Data capture & report generation o) Business management & automation If I go quiet it's not because I'm scared, it's because there isn't much more I can do on this forum if people don't want to talk to me and get involved. Feel free to send me an email via my profile. Thanks again. You might be missing the point of a Forum. We discuss things online in the forum. Develop your questionnaire. Post here. Forums users will post replies. My needs and wants are significantly different from what many of the TIJ regulars want. I ran my own business for a while. Did ok with a paper calendar and MSWord report generation. Joined a multi-inspector firm and we have an office manger that does the emailing to all the interested parties, scheduling, price negotiating, upselling services, marketing, chasing down CBS codes, etc. Basically everything except the inspection and report writing. What I want is a report writing system that is easy, intuitive, and really, really fast. I don't care if it interacts with a business management system but the boss probably does. We use ISN which does a bunch of all the business stuff really well. At least I think it does it well because basically I upload my report and magic happens. I use a camera for data collection. I just take a picture of everything I have to put in the report. Gotta include the type and materials for a bunch of stuff. Snap a pic of the supply and waste pipes. Snap a pic of the serial number. Snap a pic of the roof vents. After the inspection, scroll thru my pics and click the boxes in HomeGauge to indicate type and materials. Then I go back and click on my stored comments for todays defects. Then I go through and write new comments for goofy stuff du jure. I tried onsite data collection by opening a laptop in the kitchen. Run off to some part of the house, take some pics, remember some stuff, run back to the kitchen and enter data. Run off and gather more data. I found I was filling out the report instead of inspecting. Lots of what I consider wasted steps running back and forth. Does not work for me. I followed around an inspector who carried a tablet. Set it down at the door frame, go in the room and inspect. As he left the room he picked up the tablet and entered the data. Moved to the next room and do it again. He had been at it a while and had a rather extensive library of defect comments. Comments were pretty generic and I felt did not provide enough detail for the client but made it easier for the home inspector. Good news lots less typing by using the stored comments. Bad news finding/scrolling/searching thru his list to find the comment. Software package needed to search better or store the comments in a better organization manner to increase ease of finding the comment. I wear reading glasses. It is a bitch to walk around with reading glasses on because it messes with depth perception. But if I have to use as a phone/tablet, then I have to have my reading glasses on. So then I gotta take the glasses off on off on off on. Arrrgh! So you walk up to the electrical panel. Pull out the screwdriver and start removing screws. One hand on the screwdriver, one hand to catch the screws. One hand to hold the panel cover and one hand to hold the phone/tablet. Wait, not enough hands. So you gotta put down the phone/tablet, or in a pouch or on a cord around your neck or ??? One more thing to keep track of. Ok so you add a holster/pouch to store the phone/tablet on your tool belt. Ridiculous 24" wide doorways are too small to start with and my 250lb 6'2" frame wearing a tool belt has been known to crash into the door frame on occasion. Not sure how many jolts from a door frame a phone or tablet could withstand. As already mentioned, ask 10 inspectors the same question and get 9 answers. Home inspecting is still up to the guy in the house, even if part of a multi inspector firm. I know a guy who uses a voice recorder and listens to himself to write the report. I am a visual person and that would drive me crazy. Marc is deaf. I doubt a voice recorder would work well for him. Somebody said they carry around a pad of paper to take notes. Tried that. Hated it. Tried checklists. Hated flipping through 12 pages to find a box to check and then not enough space to write a note for the one off goofy thing that day. There is a fella on another forum who was a military flight mechanic. He is used to years of having every single thing laid out in a step by step manual. One way, the only way. He is trying to write a home inspection manual so he can become a multi inspector firm and feel confident his employees are doing it right and not missing anything. Planes are built in a factory and are assembled in a single manner. Houses are built in the field and no two are assembled in the same manner. His book is going to work fine until he has to use it to an inspection. Some days I go through the house clockwise and some days counter clockwise. Just because I am bored. Usually start outside and then top to bottom. Sometimes weather suggests I wait and do the outside later and I have been known to ping pong around the inside helter skelter. My data collection system doesn't care. The data collection software should allow data collection in a totally different and random manner for each and every inspection but still spit out a report in a consistent template that each and every home inspector gets to customize. This talks to Kurt's viewpoint that it is really a database behind the scene that cobbles the data together into what appears to be a narrative document.
kurt Posted June 24, 2015 Report Posted June 24, 2015 Where have you been all my life? The only thing I disagree with is if you ask 10 inspectors a question, you don't get 9 answers. You get 37.
kurt Posted June 24, 2015 Report Posted June 24, 2015 Let me propose an end to the idea we have to provide a narrative laid out like a book with all the materials and defects all jumbled together, and then pull out the salient comments into a summary the customer can understand. A list of narrative comments is simple and easy, and comprises both the body of a report and a summary. Put the SOP and materials descriptions in the back somewhere where it doesn't get in the way of understanding. The report is a summary, is the report, is a summary. With pictures, it's quite useful, concise, and easy to understand. And it goes together quickly. I sit down and in one blast put all the mundane stuff in the computer in about 5 minutes, tops. Then, I run down the filmstrip and write the report. You would love my comment library and search options. Fast.
scottb1978 Posted June 24, 2015 Author Report Posted June 24, 2015 Let me propose an end to the idea we have to provide a narrative laid out like a book with all the materials and defects all jumbled together, and then pull out the salient comments into a summary the customer can understand. A list of narrative comments is simple and easy, and comprises both the body of a report and a summary. Put the SOP and materials descriptions in the back somewhere where it doesn't get in the way of understanding. The report is a summary, is the report, is a summary. With pictures, it's quite useful, concise, and easy to understand. And it goes together quickly. I sit down and in one blast put all the mundane stuff in the computer in about 5 minutes, tops. Then, I run down the filmstrip and write the report. You would love my comment library and search options. Fast. Is there a way I can take a look at what you use Kurt? I am in the process of putting together some mockups and would love to incorporate some of your ideas into them
scottb1978 Posted June 24, 2015 Author Report Posted June 24, 2015 You might be missing the point of a Forum. We discuss things online in the forum. Develop your questionnaire. Post here. Forums users will post replies. Ok cool, let's crack on Alot of the discussion has been focused on the capturing of data & the report so I'm interested to find out all the other little things that happens from the inspection being ordered through to the report sent and you are finished with that customer. Ordering for Inspections o) Who & where do most of your investigations requests come from Is it customers over the phone, via the web, real estate agents o) What do you do with them when you get them ie. do you enter their details into a system, many systems, email etc. o) Are there any other things that need to happen Do you have send things like emails, contracts, book other specialists o) When do you agree on the inspection date o) What other information do you need to capture about the inspection before the inspection. When and how do you get this. o) How are the agreements signed Inspection Payments o) When is the payment made o) How do people pay o) Do they pay a deposit or instalments Doing the Inspection o) Is there anything that happens before or after the inspection Reminder emails, sms', confirmation phone calls o) Does the customer attend and do you do anything differently when they do Doing the Report o) Do your customers ask for the report in a specific format o) Do you have to wait for anything before you can start or finish your report After the Inspection o) Does anything else get sent with the inspection report eg environmental reports? And where do these come from o) Does the report go to the client only or also other people o) Do you follow up weeks or month with the client afterwards o) What does the client usually do next with your information (eg. get stuff fixed) o) Do they ever ask for advice or assistance about getting things fixed after Measuring o) Do you send a survey your clients and ask them for feedback o) What are the most important measurements you use to track your business General o) What type of mobile devices do you own (iphone, android, tablets) o) What do you feel consumes the most most time/money in your business o) Are there things that you do that are repetitive, time consuming or tedious o) Do you have to provide other business' with information or do you need to get information from them o) Does the process ever get delayed because you are waiting for something or someone o) Are you ever having to repeat anything that you have already done o) What other systems or software do you depend on
kurt Posted June 24, 2015 Report Posted June 24, 2015 Is there a way I can take a look at what you use Kurt? I am in the process of putting together some mockups and would love to incorporate some of your ideas into them Probably not, as I built it in FM Pro and I'd have to give you a sample, which I won't do. It's basic DB storage fields and query sets for the Comment and Graphic Libraries; find it, click it, it goes in the report. All the data collection is in portals to keep the size the file extremely small. It looks real simple because it is, but making it that way requires a lot of relational stuff going on under the hood. That's the trick.
scottb1978 Posted June 24, 2015 Author Report Posted June 24, 2015 Is there a way I can take a look at what you use Kurt? I am in the process of putting together some mockups and would love to incorporate some of your ideas into them Probably not, as I built it in FM Pro and I'd have to give you a sample, which I won't do. It's basic DB storage fields and query sets for the Comment and Graphic Libraries; find it, click it, it goes in the report. All the data collection is in portals to keep the size the file extremely small. It looks real simple because it is, but making it that way requires a lot of relational stuff going on under the hood. That's the trick. I don't need much.... all I've seen are the ones that have all the bloat so I would love a look at something that is scaled right back and works for you. What about a few screenshots or a screencast
Marc Posted June 24, 2015 Report Posted June 24, 2015 You might be missing the point of a Forum. We discuss things online in the forum. Develop your questionnaire. Post here. Forums users will post replies. Ok cool, let's crack on Alot of the discussion has been focused on the capturing of data & the report so I'm interested to find out all the other little things that happens from the inspection being ordered through to the report sent and you are finished with that customer. Ordering for Inspections o) Who & where do most of your investigations requests come from Is it customers over the phone, via the web, real estate agents o) What do you do with them when you get them ie. do you enter their details into a system, many systems, email etc. o) Are there any other things that need to happen Do you have send things like emails, contracts, book other specialists o) When do you agree on the inspection date o) What other information do you need to capture about the inspection before the inspection. When and how do you get this. o) How are the agreements signed Inspection Payments o) When is the payment made o) How do people pay o) Do they pay a deposit or instalments Doing the Inspection o) Is there anything that happens before or after the inspection Reminder emails, sms', confirmation phone calls o) Does the customer attend and do you do anything differently when they do Doing the Report o) Do your customers ask for the report in a specific format o) Do you have to wait for anything before you can start or finish your report After the Inspection o) Does anything else get sent with the inspection report eg environmental reports? And where do these come from o) Does the report go to the client only or also other people o) Do you follow up weeks or month with the client afterwards o) What does the client usually do next with your information (eg. get stuff fixed) o) Do they ever ask for advice or assistance about getting things fixed after Measuring o) Do you send a survey your clients and ask them for feedback o) What are the most important measurements you use to track your business General o) What type of mobile devices do you own (iphone, android, tablets) o) What do you feel consumes the most most time/money in your business o) Are there things that you do that are repetitive, time consuming or tedious o) Do you have to provide other business' with information or do you need to get information from them o) Does the process ever get delayed because you are waiting for something or someone o) Are you ever having to repeat anything that you have already done o) What other systems or software do you depend on Sounds like a perfect candidate for a poll but I don't know how to do it. Marc
Jim Baird Posted June 24, 2015 Report Posted June 24, 2015 I appreciate Bruce and Kurt's comments. I tried the audio notes/transcription and could not stand the sound of my voice. I was so boring. Clue: both refer to a hidden data base. Where is it? It is the individual mind, which has unlimited storage space for free on the "cloud".
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