GarageDoorBossPro Blog — Technician App

Good, Needs Attention or Repair Recommended: Writing Up Condition and Recommendations

A checklist and a page of readings are great for a garage door pro. A homeowner wants the short version: is my door okay? The condition rating and the written recommendations are that short version. They are also where a tune-up turns into the next job.

The Summary at the End of the Inspection

The numbers behind the rating are covered in Readings in the Garage Door Tech App: Door Size, Spring Turns, Balance and Ages. Once the checklist and readings are filled in, the tech picks one of three conditions and writes recommendations.

• Good. Nothing that needs doing right now.
• Needs attention. Something is wearing or out of adjustment and should be dealt with, but it is not urgent.
• Repair recommended. Something should be repaired.

Three choices are enough. More would turn the rating into a debate. Fewer would lump a worn seal in with a failed safety test.

Choosing the Rating

Every company should agree on what each rating means for them, so two techs looking at the same door pick the same one. A simple house rule might be:

• Any safety item that did not pass, such as the auto-reverse test, means Repair recommended.
• Wear that the tech would mention to a friend, such as fraying cables or noisy rollers, means Needs attention or Repair recommended, depending on how far along it is.
• Small upkeep items, like a seal starting to crack, can sit under Good with a note, or Needs attention if the customer should act soon.

Write your version down and go over it with every new tech. Consistent ratings make the reports believable and make the office's follow-up list trustworthy.

Writing Recommendations Homeowners Understand

Recommendations are written in plain words and end up on the printed report. Write them for someone who has never looked closely at their garage door:

• Say what, where and why. “Rollers on the right side are worn and noisy. Recommend replacing all rollers.”
• Skip the jargon or explain it. “Photo-eye sensors (the small units at the bottom of the tracks) are out of line.”
• Be honest about urgency. If it can wait until next year, say so. Customers trust techs who tell them when something does not need doing yet.
• Be clear on springs and cables. If they need work, say it is a job for a trained tech. Never suggest a homeowner adjust them.

Recommendations are not the place for prices. The office can turn a recommendation into an estimate with your own prices from your service list. That keeps the inspection about the door, and the estimate about the money.

From Recommendation to Estimate

This is where the rating starts paying for itself. In the office, completed jobs show the condition and recommendations alongside the checklist and photos. A tune-up rated Repair recommended is a warm lead.

The office builds an estimate from your service list, say a $295 torsion spring replacement or new rollers, fills in the equipment details, and sends it. The customer approves online, and the approved estimate becomes the scheduled job. Estimate follow-up emails handle the customers who don't answer right away.

None of that requires the tech to sell on the driveway. They record what they found honestly, and the system makes sure it gets followed up.

When the Customer Is Right There

Sometimes the homeowner is standing in the garage and says, “If it needs rollers, just do it.” The tech notes the request on the job, does the work if they have the parts and your company allows it, and the office makes sure the invoice has the right line items before the card is charged. A before photo of the worn rollers backs up the extra line. Photos are covered in Before-and-After Photos From the Garage Door Tech's Phone.

Either way, the recommendation is on record. If the customer says no today, next year's tech can see it was offered.

Ratings also help the office sort its follow-up list. A completed tune-up rated Good needs nothing but next year's visit. Needs attention is worth a friendly text in a few months. Repair recommended deserves an estimate this week. With the rating on every job, the office can work through recommendations in order of importance instead of rereading every note, and nothing important slips because it was buried in a long paragraph.

Finally, keep the tone even. A recommendation is not a scare tactic. Homeowners can tell the difference between a tech who is honestly flagging worn cables and one who is padding the ticket, and honest recommendations are the ones that get approved and bring customers back.

Next: The Printed Report

The rating and recommendations are the top of the page on the Garage Door Safety Inspection report the office can print for the homeowner. That report is the next guide. For the full feature list of the tech app, visit the GarageDoorBossPro garage door technician app page.