Local service work
Prepare a question sheet for a first site visit
List what you need to learn before you arrive, grouped by customer goal, site condition, access and constraints. Mark which answers the customer can give by phone and which you can only judge by looking. Bring the sheet and write answers down as you hear them.
A text to start with
I'm preparing for a first visit to a customer who wants [type of work] at [type of property]. What I know so far: [notes from the first contact]. Draft a question sheet grouped by customer goal, site condition, access, constraints and open items. Mark each question as one the customer can answer or one I must check in person. Do not suggest prices.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.First visit question sheet
Customer name and contact: [ ] Customer goal in their words: [ ] Work requested: [ ] Site condition noted by customer: [ ] Site condition observed on arrival: [ ] Areas to inspect in person: [ ] Access: entry point [ ], hours [ ], parking [ ], who admits me [ ] Constraints: pets [ ], occupants [ ], noise limits [ ], other [ ] Fixed dates or deadlines: [ ] Questions for the customer: [ ] Questions only an on-site professional can assess: [ ] Unanswered after the visit: [ ] Owner of each unanswered item: [ ]
Questions that need someone on site
Some questions cannot be settled by the customer or by a drafted list. What is behind a wall, the condition of a structure, or whether a system meets a safety standard needs a qualified person to inspect it. If the sheet asks the customer to describe those things, a guess can later be treated as fact. Check that the sheet separates what the customer reports from what you observe. Look for questions that assume details nobody supplied, such as who owns the space, whether a permit is involved or who must be present. Turn each assumption into an open question.
Ask another agent to check the result
Read this question sheet and flag every question that needs an on-site professional assessment because asking the customer cannot settle it. Also flag any question that treats a customer's description as verified fact. Do not answer the questions or estimate cost. List each flagged item with a one-line reason.
Use the sheet at the visit
Send the customer-answerable questions ahead if the customer is willing to reply, and keep the rest for the walkthrough. Fill in the sheet as you go instead of from memory afterward. After the visit, list each unanswered question and name who will resolve it. Attach those open items to any quote you prepare so the customer can see what remains unconfirmed.