Best Practices For Field Service Crews
It might be tempting to think that getting your service crews to start documenting their services completed with photos is easy. In theory that may be true but in practice I've found quite the opposite. You would be surprised how important spelling out the precise the requirements for photos can be. Good photos are essential to customer satisfaction and when it comes to liability the importance of photo standards is all the more critical.
The following are the four basic standards I've found most important to communicate with my field crews. I typically start by explaining the photos need to tell a story. The story is of what a property looked like before we did our work and after we did our work.
Before & After Photos
Require a set of photos for both before and after services completed. Before photos should be taken for all of the services contracted to complete. For example, the parking lot, sidewalks, drive throughs, loading docks and handicap parking. The after photos should be of the same areas and should show that work contracted is completed. It is important to explain that the photos should be taken showing the context of the property and also closeups in the case of details. For example, the before photo would show ice on sidewalks and the after photo would show ice-melt or sand applied on the sidewalks.
Number of Photos
Set a minimum number of photos required for both before and after photos. The minimum number should be based on the ability to show the full story. Typically we have found four before and four after photos for a small property works – one photo per side of property. In the case of larger or complex properties more photos may be required.
Shared Liability
Remind your crews that if they don't do a good job of taking the photos it places the business at risk either from a customer satisfaction or a liability stand point. Remind subcontractors that they are also legally accountable for work completed so taking the best possible photos is in their best interest.
Ensuring Quality
Implement a policy that any photos not meeting minimum standards will result in non-payment. Tell your crews and subcontractors that taking good photos is a requirement of the job and by not doing it you may not get paid by the customer and therefore they might not get paid for the work they've done either.
WATCH THE VIDEO: How to Take Photos That Hold Up In Court.
We created this video especially for field crews in the snow removal industry.
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