Dodge the Dreaded Customer "Magnifying Glass — Use the “Running Inspection”!
Avoid complaints by doing inspections early in the job. Show issues early, stay honest, and keep control—no surprises means happier customers.
KickStart: 100% satisfaction is a tough mark to reach on every job. Get numbers on your side by improving your customer communication.
AARGH! I hated the end of a job when I’d ask the up-till-the-sweet homeowner, “So, how’s everything look?” and they transformed into a persnickety drill sergeant! Yep, they hauled out ...
“The Customer’s Magnifying Glass.”
Once this intense scrutiny started, it was all over. Even if my work was rock-solid, they immediately started nitpicking! Have you been there? Me too and I got sick of it!
So, I started doing a deep dive into the “why” was I getting the old “Jekyll and Hyde” routine at the end of far too many of our residential jobs. Here’s what I discovered...
There wasn’t anything wrong with our job quality. After all, up till I asked them, “So, how’s everything look?” the homeowner felt like everything was fine.
So I zeroed in on that “...how’s everything look?” and I had an epiphany! 🌞 Everything was fine and dandy until I invited them to find something!
Think about it. It’s just human nature. You ask someone to look closely, and guess what? They will! But here’s the good news...
This sad, discouraging, even destructive, situation is totally avoidable with a few tweaks throughout the job.
As always, let’s walk through a typical residential service. In this KickStart, just for grins, let’s all be Garage Door Installers for the day!
Don’t Wait Till the End— Divide and Conquer with a “Running Inspection”
“Say what, Steve?” It’s simple. Instead of saving your homeowner “walk-through” until the end of the project, divide the job up and check in as you go.
Think of it like “quality control in ongoing real time.” For example...
With a garage door replacement, let’s say you’ve finished replacing the springs, adjusted the tension, and tested the opener. Before you move on, grab the homeowner and say:
“Hey Mrs. Jones, mind if we take a quick look together at what I’ve finished so far? I want to make sure it’s up to your standards before I move on to the sealing and final checks.” This is where you make your...
“Preemptive Strike”
Suppose the framing for your client’s garage door is old and a bit warped. You’ve already noted this and realize at the end of the job there might be a small gap along the left rail.
🗝️ ProTIP: Proactively bring up any potential job issue before your customer even notices it:
“Just a heads-up, ma’am. Remember that spot in our pre-inspection where your wood framing is warped? (Gesture toward the area.) You’ll see I did everything I could to align the new track, but you can still see a crack of daylight in that corner. It’s sealed to keep the weather out, but structurally, we’re working with what’s there. If it ever becomes a bigger issue, I can walk you through some upgrade options down the road.”
What does Steve’s “Preemptive Strike” strategy achieve here? Let me count the benefits- I get goose bumps just writing this stuff! (Yes, I know. I need to “get a life”!) 🙄
1. You control the narrative
Instead of being put on defensive — now you’re transparent and solution-oriented. This approach builds trust with your client. This trusting relationship may come in real handy later in the job when you don’t catch something in advance!
2. You head off complaints BEFORE things get ugly
If the homeowner discovers a flaw on their own, they’ll probably feel like you were trying to hide it from them. The end result? Customer paranoia! (This is the exact opposite of the trusting relationship you want!)
But when you a) show them, b) explain it, and c) offer options suddenly their warped garage door framing becomes a shared understanding, not an ugly surprise.
There’s an old saying in our residential services industry:
💡 “If you find the problem and show the customer, it’s still THEIR problem. If they discover the issue and point it out to you, now it’s YOUR problem.” And so it is!
3. You display caring professionalism. (And don’t sound like a robot)
My suggested approach here isn’t about being perfect — instead, you’re simply showing you care. People don’t expect perfection. What they do expect is honesty and a sense that you’re on their side.
Special Note: Keep your install schedule full by Converting ‘How Much’ Callers into new customers.
One More Real-World Example – Then Apply It to Your Own Trade
OK, you finish up a full garage door replacement. Everything’s working smooth, door’s balanced, opener is synced, the safety sensors are dialed in.
Instead of just saying, “We’re all done, let me know what you think,” try this:
“Mrs. Jones, we’ve got the new door up, everything’s running great. May I walk you through what we’ve done and show you a couple things to keep an eye on?”
Then you point out:
The alignment adjustments you made
Why the door is running quieter now
That small cosmetic ding on the exterior siding that was already there, but you didn’t want it to be a surprise later. UH-OH! I feel another ProTIP coming on…
🗝️ An even better ProTIP: Why wait till the end of a job to show all them any pre-existing damage? Instead, in each Running Inspection interaction also do the old CYB as in, “Mrs. Jones, BEFORE I start removing the door I want to make sure you’re aware of this dinged area…”
This shows the homeowner that you are detail-oriented, honest, and have nothing to hide. The result? More customer confidence in your company and confidence leads to referral sales plus (even better) 5-star online reviews!
Steve’s KickStart Takeaway:
Being open, proactive, and a little ahead of the game helps you avoid awkward conversations, last-minute complaints, and the dreaded “You didn’t tell me about this” phone call two days later.
So don’t wait for the final sign-off to get the customer involved. Bring them with you along the way with a Running Inspection. Check in. Point things out with a Preemptive Strike. Ask questions.
It keeps the job running smoother, the customer feeling respected, and your reputation rock solid.
The Running Inspection + Preemptive Strike + CYB= Fewer complaints, delighted clients, and (almost) ZERO callbacks!
Now this is a smart Home Services Business!
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