Sometimes knowing what not to do can be the most valuable information a person or in this case a business can have in their toolbox.
Like when you are driving on a road for the first time at night and you see a sign that says “warning sharp curve ahead”. About the middle of that curve in the road you are pretty grateful that someone thought to put up a sign warning you to slow down.
When I packed out my first contents job there were definitely some warning signs that I wish someone had posted for me. Let me tell you it would have made the job a whole lot smoother. I managed to complete the job with few issues and my client was ecstatic in the end giving me a raving testimonial. But the packout itself was harder and way more stressful than it needed to be because I didn’t know what not to do.
That was 16 years ago and after more jobs than I can count, I’ve come up with some “what not to do” information that I feel is valuable to know before packing out a clients personal belongings.
Don’t Use Unprofessional Equipment And Supplies
This means do not go to a big box store and buy off the shelf boxes that are not standard in size and flimsy in construction.
Purchase your packing supplies from a professional supplier that carries good quality professional items ie moving blankets, packing paper and moving labels.
Use an appliance dolly to move appliances. Use moving straps to tie down large furniture. Even your tape guns should be professional tape guns and not just something off the shelf from the grocery store.
Not only will using professional quality supplies and equipment make your job easier but it will instill confidence in your client that you know how to handle moving their belongings.
And with confidence comes less concern which translates to less stress for you.
Skipping Steps Is A Bad Plan
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to over simplify a job.
You can get yourself into trouble really fast handling and moving contents if you are not meticulous about your systems and procedures being done exactly the same way on every single job no matter how big or how small.
It is very important to be organized and thorough on a packout. In order to do this you have to procedures that you follow on every job. Thinking you can skip steps because a job is small or easy can often lead to problems down the road.
The magic is in the details.
Give Your Client Control
What?? Yes thats right. Give them control or at least give them the feeling that they are in control.
Can you imagine someone you don’t know coming into your house and telling you to step back while they pack up all of your valuables, personal items, memories and take them to a warehouse somewhere and give you no timeline as to when they will be returned to you?? I certainly can’t.
There is never a time during a contents restoration job and especially during the packout process that a homeowner should feel not in control of their items. If this is the case your job is potentially setup for failure right from the start and you could wind up with an upset stressed out client on your hands.
We need to have the control to do our job as we are the trained professionals however that doesn’t mean that our client should ever feel like they don’t have a voice or a say in what is happening with their belongings.
There are a myriad of decisions that need to be made during a packout and some of those you need to let the homeowner make. Some decisions are just what they are but if you can help your homeowner choose if you will the process that is in front of them your life and job will go oh so much smoother.
There are decisions that they can be a part of i.e. laundry processing, disposal authorizations, etc. Give them something to do and make them a part of the process.
If you avoid these three scenarios you will be well on your to packout success.