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A customer's offhand comment made me rethink my panel placement on Tuesday
I was finishing a retrofit on a split-level in Portland, and the homeowner watched me mount the keypad next to the front door like I always do. She said, 'we never use that door, we come through the garage every day,' and it hit me that I'd never once asked about entry habits on a swap-out job. Has anyone else had a client point out something so basic that it changed how you quote or layout a system?
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lisaf3821d ago
Ha, so I guess the front door was just for show then? That's classic. I once spent an hour hiding all the wiring for a keypad next to a door the guy told me later he'd only opened twice in five years. The funny part is he watched me do it too, probably thinking I knew something he didn't. Now I just ask right off the bat, like, "so where do the groceries actually come in?" saves me from drilling holes in a wall that just collects dust bunnies. Honestly, the customer is always right, but sometimes they need to yell it at you before you get the hint.
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Three separate times this month I've had to move a keypad or sensor because the homeowner finally mentioned the dog door or a side gate after I was already done. @lisaf38 is right about that grocery question, that's the exact one I use now, but I also toss in "who comes home first" and "what time does everyone leave" because that changes where I put the panel for arming on the way out. The wild part is people will watch you do the install thinking you're the expert, and then drop the info that would've saved you 40 minutes like it's nothing. I've started adding a quick five question checklist to my quote sheet so it looks like I'm being thorough instead of just learning from my own dumb mistakes. Now I'm genuinely curious how many of us out there have a standard "entry habits" question on our forms or if we're all just winging it until a customer calls us out.
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