New: Save Time and Simplify your Inspection Business with Autopilot

April 6, 2021

There is so much more to running a home inspection company than just doing inspection reports. That is why we built Autopilot.

Autopilot is a suite of powerful features that automate job scheduling and the back office tasks of providing your home inspection services. It is our biggest update since we launched Tap Inspect over 10 years ago.

We had three goals when building Autopilot.

Reduce the hassles of providing home inspection services.
Save you the time spent doing repetitive scheduling chores.
Deliver a better inspection experience to your clients and your agents.

We translated all of the best practices that we’ve developed in our 20+ years of personal experience in the home inspection industry into building a shockingly easy-to-use system. It is simple, sleek, and efficient. Just like the Tap Inspect reporting app.

Autopilot is based on the idea that clients contact you to provide some type of service. Usually a service like a home inspection. Once you set up your services Autopilot takes care of the rest. Just set it and forget it to prevent costly mistakes and remove worry. Learn more about Services in our help center.

Have confidence that you are providing a professional experience, regardless of how busy you are. You will have happier client relationships by earning more positive reviews and referrals to grow your business.

Scheduling Made Simple

When it comes to booking new inspection jobs it usually comes down to availability and price. Scheduling jobs with Autopilot makes it simple to get to both quickly and simply. We designed the scheduling workflow based on how you already talk to potential clients on the phone.

Your Tap Inspect calendar makes it easy to find open availability at a glance, even with multiple inspectors. Connect your personal Google calendars to block out time so you don’t double book.

The simple price calculator easily lets you bid the job on the phone so you can book it on the first call. Then it’s as easy as getting the property information and the people involved.

Provide a Better Inspection Experience

The web based Client Portal provides a professional experience to your clients and agents by putting everything related to their inspection in one place. To add more of a professional touch it is branded with your Company and User information.

Clients & agents are kept notified with important updates or when they need to take action with Autopilot’s automated Messaging system.

There’s no need to manually send messages. You can also customize the messaging language across all of the automated emails.

Agreements and E-Signing

Autopilot Agreements help prevent a simple mistake from costing you thousands later. Reduce your home inspection liability by sending your agreements as soon as you schedule a new job and by requiring signatures on your agreements before anyone can access your inspection results. Your clients can electronically sign or sign in person on your device when you are at the job.

Agreements are automatically added and sent before the scheduled job to give your client plenty of time to review and ask any questions. Add one or multiple agreements for each job. You can also add or remove agreements after the job has been confirmed.

Autopilot Agreements are much cheaper than services like Docusign and easier than manually sending agreements from another service. Learn more about Agreements in our help center.

Invoicing and Price Calculators

Autopilot Invoices are created for you automatically from the services you are providing on the job. The Invoice feature lets you choose to require payment before clients can access the inspection results so you can quit chasing clients or manually sending reminders for payment.

The Invoice feature is also what lets you do near instant pricing of potential jobs while you are still on the phone with a potential client so you can respond quickly & win more jobs.

No more guesstimating because Autopilot does the math for you. The customizable price calculators work for any business and accommodate multiple variables like square feet, travel distance, age of home, crawlspace, etc They even work with optional add-on services like Radon Testing, etc Learn more about Invoicing in our help center.

Online Payments

Tap Inspect Payments is an optional feature that provides a Pay Now button on your invoices. That makes it quick and easy to get paid by your clients. You will often get paid before you even show up for the inspection.

With Tap Inspect Payments there is no more switching between payment systems or double entry job prices and contact info. You can accept payment through the mobile app at the job site, over the phone in the office, or clients can pay directly from the Client Portal.

Accept all major credit cards and the fees are competitive with other credit card processing alternatives. Learn more about Payments in our help center.

Get Started with Autopilot

Some home inspectors will only need the ability to send agreements and collect signatures. Other inspectors may also want the ability to send invoices and to enforce payment before anyone can access the inspection results. You choose what features and what restrictions you want to enforce for your clients.

The best part is that you can start today without any extra costs because all these features are included in your existing Tap Inspect subscription.

Getting started is simple. Go to your Autopilot settings page of your web account to take the Quick Tour. Then use our 4 step setup wizard that will help you set up your first Service along with a sample agreement and some default pricing to get you up and running.

Get started with Autopilot to take control of your business today!

Sync Tap Inspect With Your Google Calendar

July 18, 2020 - 3 Comments

Keeping your appointments straight and knowing when you are free gets tough for a home inspector. It is easy to double book a job or schedule a job when you have another commitment. Even worse is having to call a possible client back because you do not immediately know when you are available.

An online calendar is the easiest way to avoid those problems. They make keeping track of your availability and scheduled jobs a breeze. You can even turn on alerts to remind you of upcoming events.

Free services like Google Calendar allow you to access your calendar from multiple devices like an iPhone, a tablet, and any web browser. Google Calendar is also supported by all the other major calendars like Outlook, Apple iCloud Calendar, and dozens of other services and platforms. Including Tap Inspect.

Setup the Integration

Point your web browser to https://app.tapinspect.com/integrations (login with your email and password if needed) and click on Add Google Calendar to activate it for your account. From there it is as simple as following the prompts.

Get more details on setting up the integration from our help center.

Using the Integration

Each new job you add in Tap Inspect will be pushed to your calendar as a new event. By tapping on the the event on your calendar you can see the details of the job. There also a link that takes you to the job details on your web account.

How Past Clients Can Boost Your Home Inspection Recovery

May 14, 2020

The current real estate slowdown has been different from anything I have experienced in my 20+ years as a home inspector. The two questions on everyone’s mind are: ‘When will the recovery start?’ and ‘How fast will business ramp up to the usual seasonal busy time?’.

The recovery has already started. We are seeing an uptick in the number of home inspections going through Tap Inspect. If you are waiting for the phone to ring you are still not too late. Now is the time to be marketing and putting your name and yourself out there.

Reach Out to Your Past Clients

A master home inspector focuses on building and maintaining their client relationship since the inspection was first booked. There is great value in that relationship. They know an ongoing relationship with their client will limit complaints and prevent claims. It also builds their referral network providing more and more home inspections.

If you have ignored your relationship with your home inspection client since you delivered their report you have been losing out on a valuable resource. It is not too late but I do have a few words of caution.

Trying to reconnect with past clients that you have ignored can be a double edged sword. If you did a great job they will be happy to hear from you. But if you remind an unhappy client about a bad experience you could be in for a harsh response or two. Take the risk and start reaping the rewards.

Client marketing takes a lot more than sending a calendar or fridge magnet once a year. It is not about just getting your name in front of them. You need to provide some type of value. Here are three ideas to get you started.

Seasonal Maintenance Checklist

Most people are working or staying at home. They are looking for projects. Home maintenance projects are some of the easiest and simplest to do. Send them a spring maintenance checklist to give them some direction.

Not a graphic designer? Not a problem. Spend $20 by going to Fiverr or another online service to get it done for you. It does not have to be anything fancy. Just a list of tasks with your logo and contact information.

Home Maintenance Inspection

Usually at this time of year we are busy doing retail priced inspections. That is not the case during the current slowdown.

Some of our home inspection clients may be a bit overwhelmed with spring maintenance checklist or maybe just don’t have the time. By offering a low priced maintenance inspection you can bring in a few dollars and has very little liability.

You could even offer to connect them with contractors to do the work or to provide estimates by using a service like Repair Pricer.

Ask Your Home Inspector

Almost everyone knows how to use Facetime, Zoom, or Skype by now. Most home inspectors are already using them to Provide a Personal Touch During Social Distancing.

As our clients are spending more and more time at home they have questions. They will notice things they have never noticed before. Leverage the technology to be your home inspection clients ‘go to’ when they have a question.

Be the home inspection hero they hired and you will have a referral source for the lifetime of your business.

How to Provide a Personal Touch During Social Distancing

April 5, 2020 - 3 Comments

For over 20 years and after 10,000 jobs I have always encouraged my home inspection clients to attend the entire inspection. I explain that if they want to have the full value of the inspection they need to see what I do and they will get to learn how their particular home operates. That is not the case during COVID-19.

By now everyone should know about social distancing and be providing some type of stay safe procedure for their clients, agents, and inspections. If not, check out the InterNACHI COVID-19 Safety Guidelines for Home Inspectors and Contractors course for free. It is our job as professionals to guide them along the next steps to keep our clients, homeowners, and ourselves safe.

Set the Tone During the Booking Call

We have been surprised that almost none of our clients have asked about COVID-19 precautions while booking their home inspection. It is understandable when you keep in the mind the journey they have been on before they called us. It is stressful enough in normal times. These days it is even more stressful.

We are now telling our clients to not attend and how we intend to keep them, the occupants of the home, and ourselves safe. We also set the tone of how our process has changed and what communication they can expect from us. It has become super important to make sure the client is comfortable with a phone call, FaceTime, Zoom, or maybe Skype for their call with the inspector.

Make Contact Before the Inspection

My favorite part of most home inspections is usually the driveway meeting. It is when I get a chance to meet my client and let them meet me. In just those first few minutes you can tell what kind of client you are working with and what kind of reporting will be needed.

Many home inspection clients are downright terrified. They will likely not hear a word you say or ask a single question. Others are extremely comfortable doing their own repairs. Home inspection clients are not all the same. The driveway meeting helps us understand who we are working with.

This is not so easy during COVID-19. Since we ask our clients to not attend the inspection or to only come alone at the end, the driveway meeting is a thing of the past.

Since we have already let the client know the inspector will be reaching out before the job they are ready. We contact the client at least the night before or better yet on the day of the job for a virtual driveway meeting.

Write the Report for an Absent Client

Over my 20 years our reports have developed into something that is meant to be read. We always do our best to only report on important information. Since our clients are with us and we have been able to also talk and show them how things work and what we do it has worked incredibly well. It has let us deliver a home inspection report that our clients really want. The only complaints we get are from clients that are not at the job.

Now that our clients do not attend we now write the report for an absent client. This is not really new since we have been doing it for years once we realized that these types of clients were the source of complaints.

We still do not overwhelm them with every piece of information about the home but we are more mindful that the report is the only way they can tell what we did and did not do. We now report on much more informational items that we typically would if the client was with us. The goal is not to overwhelm them with such a long report they can not read it but just enough information that they understand the home.

Do a Virtual Report Summary

After the driveway meeting I have always enjoyed the report wrap up and report summary with my clients. Some of the best real estate agents I know also show up at this point so everyone understands what the biggest issues are that need addressing and possible ways to make that happen. It also gives everyone a chance to understand what makes a particular house unique.

These days that is no longer possible in person but it can be done virtually. The most important thing is to set up if it will be FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, or phone call with the client beforehand. That way everyone is expecting it and should have their personal technology ready. They are also prepared when they see us in full personal protection equipment (PPE) when we call for the summary.

Follow up After the Job

After the home inspection our clients move on to the repair request and the next steps of the homebuyer’s journey. They may never think of their home inspector again or even look at the home inspection report. Unless there is a problem.

The post job followup can be the most important way to maintain the personal touch with our home inspection clients. It is also an incredible way to limit complaints and generate online reviews. This has not changed much since COVID-19 has come into our lives but it is more important than ever.

We already send an email and also a text to every client three days after the home inspection asking if they need any help or have any questions during the repair request phase. Now, since we are doing everything to provide a personal touch during social distancing we are having our inspectors call as well.

Master Home Inspectors Understand the Homebuyer’s Journey

March 26, 2020 - 1 Comment

By the time the homebuyer reaches our door, they’ve been on a long journey. They’re almost to the end. They’ve already spent months looking at properties. They’re already working with some of the dozen other players in the home buying process, including the real estate agent, the loan officer, and the seller. When they meet us, the homebuyer is praying that nothing is wrong with the home. If it falls apart now, they have to start the journey all over again.

Home inspectors are in a delicate position. On one hand, we must give cold, hard, and sometimes ugly facts about the home. On the other, the homebuyer is desperate to make this purchase happen.

Our mission is to guide the homebuyer through the inspection and prepare them to confidently request and negotiate repairs. To do that, we will need to understand our client and tailor our services to their home and to their needs.

Understanding our Client

Knowing houses is only part of being a great inspector; knowing our client is the other. Homebuyers are desperate. Many have never bought a home before. Even if they have, they usually don’t know how the home works. They know that they’ve picked a property that appears to fit their needs. They don’t know if a hidden problem will turn their dream home into a nightmare of repairs.

Homebuyers also don’t know the first thing about us or what we do. Many hire a home inspector based on a recommendation from their real estate agent and our availability, but few know how our job works. Homebuyers are laying the biggest purchases they’ll ever make in the hands of a stranger and trusting us to give a clear picture of the health of their home.

Being Kind but Firm

Listen and be patient with the client. Give them good and bad news calmly and directly. Keep in mind that we are not seeing the homebuyer on a typical day in their lives. We meet them when they are stressed out. Stay strong. It is not our job to make the deal easier. It is our job to help them make an informed purchase.

Homebuyers might feel extra pressure from their real estate agent to close the deal. It’s easy to think of the real estate agent as an adversary, but remember, they’ve been the homebuyer’s closest friend through this process. Talk about the real estate agent in a professional and respectful manner. Gently correct the homebuyer if they’ve received inaccurate information from the real estate agent and explain why the information is wrong. This professionalism-first strategy builds client trust and builds business. Real estate agents who feel respected will happily send referrals your way.

The homebuyer needs a guide who can provide reliable, unbiased information about the property and can help them stay calm and make sound decisions. Confident homebuyers will enter the repair request phase armed with a clear idea of what their new home really needs.