Permits - Page 2 - Electrician Talk - Professional Electrical Contractors Forum

electrictim510 · 04-08-2012, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yrman

Will you be adding a dispatch person to your company or outsourcing this? I didn't know that was possible but if it is, would love to hear more about it.

Kind of both. We are outsourcing it to another company that we work closely with that has a dispatch office already. they have down-sized a bit and we are growing. So we are splitting the cost of their dispatchers. There are companies that do outsourced dispatching, but unless you have at least a half dozen service techs that are being kept busy then the numbers won't match up well. Well worth the headaches you will save yourself though. It is giving my boss more time to be a salesman (which he is better at than dispatching) and less of a phone answerer.

MrsElectric · 04-10-2012, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by electrictim510

I just love customers who think we will fully troubleshoot their circuit for the service fee. Sometimes we have service fees that are waived and I have had customers think that 'free estimate' means we will troubleshoot the circuit and then give a 'free estimate for the cost of repairs! Sure Ill spend an hour or so in your circuit for you to tell me thanks for the $50 estimate to repair bad connections to a plug but you will do it yourself! Some people boy!

We have been struggling with this. One commercial company in town calls often for estimates and exacly as you said once we diagnose the issue their handy man or someone else fixes it?!

We get some work but I would rather them aggrivate someone else!

Just got a call yesterday, parking lot lights not working. They want a bid?
I know they have already called other ECs to look at it.

Going to tell them that is service work T&M.

I would love to tell them where to go but they just merged with another company who is great to work for and I don't want to loose them. Grrr.

electrictim510 · 04-10-2012, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsElectric

We have been struggling with this. One commercial company in town calls often for estimates and exacly as you said once we diagnose the issue their handy man or someone else fixes it?!

We get some work but I would rather them aggrivate someone else!

Just got a call yesterday, parking lot lights not working. They want a bid?
I know they have already called other ECs to look at it.

Going to tell them that is service work T&M.

I would love to tell them where to go but they just merged with another company who is great to work for and I don't want to loose them. Grrr.

I quote bulb/ballast kit for each fixture out and submit a change order for anything outside of that scope that may need to be done since it is typically bulbs and ballasts that is the problem.

Just make sure your estimate is written well enough so that you cover your ass but does not look like you are excluding everything (even though you pretty much are

).

MrsElectric · 04-11-2012, 07:17 AM

At this property it is usually a bad contactor or photo eye.

I want to fix it on the spot since we have the material needed on the truck. At one point we were allowed to do this, now with new management they want us (and probably 3 other electricians) to figure out the problem, submit a bid and then thay have to get approval!?

Bidding war on something that will cost $125 or so. Really?

Well they are cheap but this is a waste of time!