In-Home Estimate or Virtual Survey: Which is best for you?
Whether or not you’re moving in-town or cross-country, ensuring a complete documenting of your household goods is vital to setting your relocation up for success. In recent years, some moving companies have augmented their up-front estimate process to also include virtual visits. But Corrigan has been a leader in virtual surveys for more than four years? Since 2018, we’ve integrated best practices and technology to perfect the virtual estimation process. While some moving companies were figuring out best practices, Corrigan didn’t miss a beat regarding serving our customers and giving them an easy, safe option for your initial move consultation. Although a lot of customers would rather welcome us into their homes, having an optional survey performed virtually is here to stay. So, which option is ideal for you?
What is a Virtual Survey, anyway?
Before confirming your move with any moving company, ’ll need to have a move consultation so you can find out their available services and price. It is common that many moving companies give you the option of doing your initial consultation either virtually or in-home. Though other movers have different ways of performing their surveys, here is what to expect when scheduling a virtual survey with Corrigan Moving.
United Van Lines (who we are a leading agent for), developed their own proprietary virtual platform that pairs with AWS from Amazon. This platform is so secure it’s used by many government agencies! Before your appointment, all you will need to do is download our unique Virtual Survey App from your device’s app store. Once downloaded, you are set for your appointment!
At the time of your appointment, your move consultant will send a text and email message to begin. This message will contain a link, which opens the Virtual Survey App. And voila – your move consultant is now ”standing” in your home! They will spend as much time as needed to discuss the details of your move and figure out what’s most important to you when it comes to your move. Once that’s done, you’ll use your phone to walk through your home, talking and showing what items you’d like to move, the logistics of your home and property. When you have discussed and recorded everything, your consultant will create a detailed inventory and move plan just for you.
Fact vs. Fiction
Are Virtual Surveys Accurate?
New technology and learning a new way to do something takes time. However, a lot of moving companies have integrated virtual surveys. Why? Because it works!
“When a move consultant is in a customer’s home, they’re talking with the customer along with creating the inventory. Virtual surveys allow our consultants the chance to review survey videos, think through the best solutions, ensuring accuracy. Being able to rely on that video throughout the move process, to allow the move coordinator to see it, sharing images from the videos with crew members and drivers can really eliminate surprises on the day of the move,” said the head of the Virtual Survey Team for Corrigan, Ashley Walsh.
“I worked exclusively in-home for about 7 years before transitioning to virtual surveys 100%,” Walsh continued. “I personally feel I am more accurate and thorough when working with a customer virtually. It allows me to focus on one thing at a time, which also allows the customer to focus on one thing at a time. They’re more likely to slow down, remember and relay all the details that are important to them, so nothing gets missed.”
People unfamiliar with virtual surveys may also be afraid that crucial information, such as whether a semi-truck can park at the home, may be missed with a survey virtually.
“This really isn’t the case,” responded Walsh. “When a move consultant drives to a customer’s home, they’re making notes before they knock on the door. How long the driveway is, where the truck should park, the best access into a neighborhood, are all things that are important for a moving company. When doing a survey virtually, we have several tools we use to get the same information. We most commonly use Google Maps, Zillow and Google Street View before starting the appointment. We can even measure the exact length of a road or driveway from satellite images. That allows us to know what we’re about to see, and tailor our questions and dialogue accordingly. Essentially, we’re capturing the exact same information as in-home consultants.”
Are virtual surveys faster?
We often hear customers chose a virtual survey appointment “because it is faster”. This isn’t necessarily true! Corrigan move consultants handle both virtual and in-home appointments during the business day, so scheduling a virtual appointment does not free up time for them to see you any sooner. If you need an appointment after-hours, a virtual survey does offer more flexibility with what appointment times may be available.
When is an in-home survey better?
There are some occasions when having a consultant come to your home is preferred. Here are some circumstances to consider an in-home relocation consultation:
- You have spotty, poor or unreliable internet connection
- If you own any delicate pieces of artwork, glass tops, collectibles or statues that require exact measurements for crating which can be done virtually, but you’ll be responsible for collecting these measurements)
- You do not own a smartphone or tablet device
Which one is right for me?
In the end, the debate of an in-home or virtual survey when talking with a moving company is really all personal preference. All of our consultants will give you both options and both methods have been incredibly successful for us.
“Virtual surveys are an accurate, convenient option that we’re happy to permanently offer. Allowing our customers to choose which consultation method fits their needs is just another demonstration of how Corrigan Moving Systems prioritizes the customer experience,” said Walsh.
Which will you choose? Contact Corrigan Moving today for your free, no-obligation, in-home or virtual estimate!