Last week, by looking at post-inspection survey data, we discussed how TrendSource’s OnSite Inspectors leave positive, lasting first impressions on the contacts they meet in the field. These first impressions reflect positively on our clients, who are associated with our Inspectors and Inspections despite the fact that we are an unbiased, third-party provider.
We said it last week and we will say it again: First impressions matter. They set the tone for a business relationship, and we are proud that our Inspectors so consistently set a professional and accountable tone. If you go to a restaurant and the first thing they serve you is a moldy loaf of bread with flies in the butter, it’s not going to matter what comes next. The restaurant had their chance and blew it before you even got your appetizer.
Today, however, we are going to talk about the main course. Because however good that bread and butter can be at the start of the meal, restaurants must deliver on the meat and potatoes—the entrée is, after all, the entire reason restaurants exist.
The same is true with OnSite Inspections. It’s a huge deal for clients that our Inspectors make a favorable first impression. But it is even more important that the meat and potatoes, the Inspection itself, is on point.
After each OnSite Inspection, TrendSource surveys the point of contact about their impressions of the Inspector and their overall Inspection experience.
We used this same survey data last week to discuss the first impressions Inspectors make. This week, we see that even after this first impression, our Inspectors set the industry standard for professionalism and knowledge.
Indeed, when asked this year to rate the assigned Inspector’s knowledge of the Inspection process, contacts rated our Inspectors an average 4.74 out of 5. Last year, when Inspections were stopped and started and turned on their head, and TrendSource quickly rolled out Virtual Inspections, ratings for our Inspector’s overall knowledge dipped a bit, but only to 4.66 out of 5.
Over the last four years, since 2018, contacts have rated our Inspector’s overall knowledge of the Inspection process at an average of 4.69 out of 5.
Think about that. Over thousands upon thousands of Inspections performed by thousands of Inspectors over the last four years, the overall average score for our Inspectors’ knowledge of the process is 4.69/5.
This is what our clients pay for. For the certainty that when we assign an Inspector, they will be knowledgeable and professional, and get the job done.
And then there is the survey question that matters most of all to our clients, the one that asks contacts about their overall Inspection experience.
If first impressions are like the bread and butter and Inspector’s overall knowledge is the meat and potatoes, then the overall experience rating is like a Yelp score. It’s the one number that tells you everything you need to know before you drill into the details.
When people leave a restaurant, or finish an OnSite Inspection, they do so with an overall impression of it. Our survey asks them to quantify that overall impression.
This year, contacts rate their overall Inspection experience at an average 4.71 out of 5. Last year, amidst the turmoil and tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic, that score dipped down to 4.60. This means that at our most confused and complicated moments during the pandemic, our service standards did not waver; in the worst possible situation—an overall lockdown—contacts continued their overall Inspection experience at 4.60, or 92%.
Today, the four-year average (2018-2021) rating for overall Inspection experience is 4.66.
TrendSource’s clients want us to ensure their customers complete their Inspection experience fully satisfied, from first introduction to completed report. Every stage of the meal needs to be on point, from bread and butter to meat and potatoes, for the customer to leave truly satisfied.
The data from TrendSource’s post-Inspection surveys show that we are doing just that, leaving contacts impressed by our Inspectors’ overall knowledge and satisfied with the total experience.
It’s what our clients have come to expect from us, and what their customers continue to report back. When it comes to knowledge and overall experience, TrendSource remains the industry standard for OnSite Inspections.