Been a minute.
Over the holidays I improved our template. Reaching into January, I continued to review templates of other companies around the country using Spectora. The thing that sets us apart most is our team. However, our reports are also unlike any other.
My one complaint with Spectora is they all look the same. Working with and having participated in a Podcast with Kevin Wagstaff, a Founder of Spectora, we have built a relationship where I have been involved closely with future improvements. I strongly desire the ability to make our reports stand out to the naked eye.
With that said, we already standout in our language, content, and format. We use far more pictures in the report than other companies. Painting a picture for the Buyer is our single greatest desire. Our 360’s have proven time and time again to have significant value. Thus far, it’s protected us from three (3) claims of a missed ceiling moisture stains and protected five (5) Buyers who had items removed from the home that should not have been. Each of these instances have solidified our commitment to both our Clients and made their Realtors look like rock stars.
We also get countless compliments of how first-time home buyers share our reports with family so they can see interior aspects of the home through our 360 photos. Yes, there are Zillow and MLS tours as well, however, ours aren’t dressed up or filtered in anyway. At least that’s the feedback we’ve heard.
On March 22, 2021 we will celebrate 5 years in business. There have been many times I wasn’t sure we’d get there. There were days I could only hope the light at the end of the tunnel was a train. Many of you have been with us since your first inspection with us. Others have come and gone because of my missteps or differences in opinion. However, the most common reason a Realtor has left us is because they say we are too thorough. I can live with that frankly, as we are educating and informing. In fact, I’ve always found that alarming and concerning from a Client perspective. As we enter our fifth year of business, we’ve got several things in the pipeline.
Currently, we are entertaining four (4) new inspectors and considering which we think would be a great fit for our team. One is already licensed, and two more are about to be.
We have implemented a Management team to better respond to immediate needs, to execute internal policies we have built around our past mistakes and feedback. I, Stuart, Jacki, and Frieda are working as a unit to make sure we maintain the quality of service and reporting you have come to expect. We have also added quarterly team meetings for communication, improvement, training, and technology discussions. We are creating annual themes and goals, and quarterly themes and goals tied to specific celebrations for our families.
We have built an infrastructure for our systems and scheduling that is based on a remote workforce to better enable us to respond from the field and deliver on our promise of being different. Utilizing many lessons learned from other industries in our current COVID environment, we have engaged service providers to leverage new technologies and remain on the cutting edge as an early adopter. Of course, security of Client data and redundancy to ensure our systems are always available to us and you have also been built in.
We’ve built our own IT infrastructure to secure files, data, and photos. We’ve implemented improved communications technology and phones for improved photo capabilities. We’ve added services and brought things in house to control the quality, consistency, and service. One of the things I am seriously considering and currently trailing is the implementation of a full Apple eco-system to improve security, decrease equipment cost over the long term, and further speed report writing through sharing of photos across devices. We are also looking at implementing some unique text features that we could benefit from internally with report writing and time savings that means quicker delivery of reports to the Client. The implementation of Spectora alone has significantly increased how quickly we get reports out each day. Prior to Spectora, our average delivery time was 11:36 PM. Currently, our average report is delivered by 7:12 PM, an improvement of 4 hours and 24 minutes!
We’ve implemented quarterly team meetings for communication, improvement, training, and technology discussions.
In 2021, we will continue to improve on our promise of being different. Currently, we are acquiring the materials and technology to build an Operations Center for our daily production. Utilizing GPS, cloud services, and emerging technologies we will be tracking Inspectors location for safety and service delivery. Allowing us to also respond immediately based upon real time location and availability if a last-minute need arises just before closing.
A part of this will also be a new approach to reinspection’s whereby we will have a Part-Time Inspector dedicated to this service alone for better availability and quality of life for all. Frieda will continue to assist with radon pick-ups and drop offs, as well as water and IAQ sampling. As a result, we will be deciding soon between hiring another admin staff or utilizing the VA trend that is rapidly growing in our industry.
2021 will be another year of double-digit growth in all key performance areas. And while I’m a data guy (as you can likely tell), I’m also a listener. The loudest voice is that our Clients and Realtors. We as a team continue to listen to you and seek to always be better, smarter, faster – yet, to also always deliver the quality and thoroughness you’ve come to expect.
Dave