GarageDoorBossPro Blog — Technician App

Past Notes on the Card: Knowing What the Last Garage Door Tech Found

Garage door customers rarely call just once. The tune-up customer comes back every year. The homeowner who had a spring replaced calls two years later about the opener. The rental house with the off-track door calls again after the next tenant backs into it. Each time, the tech who shows up is better off knowing what happened last time.

The Last Visit, on This Visit's Card

Access notes, covered in Access Notes on Garage Door Calls: Keypad Codes, Side Doors, Dogs and Which Bay, tell the tech how to get in. Past notes tell them what they are walking into.

In the GarageDoorBossPro tech app, the job card shows notes from earlier visits to that house. The tech does not have to call the office and ask what was done last time, and the office does not have to dig through old invoices to answer. It is right there with the address, the door and the opener.

What Past Notes Tell the Tech

A good set of past notes answers the questions a tech would otherwise ask the homeowner, who often does not remember:

• What was done. “Replaced both torsion springs, new rollers.”
• What was found but not fixed. “Bottom seal worn, customer declined for now.”
• What was recommended. “Opener is original, recommend replacement in the next year or so.”
• What was odd. “Ceiling is low over Bay 2, use the short ladder.”
• What the customer cares about. “Customer wants a call before any work over the service call price.”

That last one matters. Some customers want to be asked before anything is done. Some want the tech to just take care of it. Knowing which is which keeps both kinds happy.

Past Notes Plus the Checklist

Notes are not the only history on a house. When a tech runs the door safety checklist, the results stay with that job: which items were checked, the readings, the condition rating and the written recommendations. The office can open last year's tune-up and see that it rated the door Needs attention and recommended new cables, and a tech who repeats that recommendation in the job notes makes sure the next tech sees it on the card too.

That is the start of a good conversation with the homeowner. “Last year we noted your cables were starting to fray. Let me take a look at them today.” The customer hears a company that remembers their door, not one starting from scratch every time. The checklist itself is covered in The Door Safety Checklist in the Garage Door Tech App, Item by Item.

Writing Notes the Next Tech Can Use

Past notes are only as good as what techs write. A few rules keep them useful:

• Write for a stranger. The next tech may be someone who has never been to this house. “Same as last time” helps no one.
• Lead with the work. What was done, in plain words, comes first.
• Separate done from recommended. “Replaced cables. Recommend new rollers next visit.” Two sentences, two meanings.
• Note what the customer said. “Customer declined new opener, will think about it.” That stops the next tech pitching the same thing cold.
• Skip the jokes. Notes can end up in front of the customer or the office. Keep them professional.

A note takes thirty seconds at the end of a call. It saves the next tech five minutes and a few awkward questions.

Notes Versus the Equipment List

There is a difference between what belongs in a note and what belongs in the equipment list. The equipment list is the current state of the house: this door, this opener, these springs, installed this year. A note is what happened on one visit.

So when a tech replaces an opener, the new opener goes on the equipment list, where it will show on every future card. The note says “Replaced opener, old one hauled away.” Both matter, but they do different jobs. Keeping the equipment list current is covered in New Opener, New Springs: How Changes on the Job Flow Back to the House.

Past notes also help when a customer calls in between visits. The office can open the house, read the last few notes and answer questions like “Did you guys already look at the opener?” without sending anyone out. And when the office books the next call, a quick look at past notes often tells them whether to send the repair van or the install van, and what parts the tech should bring.

Next: The Safety Checklist

Past notes set up the visit. The door safety checklist records what the tech does on this one, item by item. That is the next guide. To see how past notes fit with the rest of the tech app, visit the GarageDoorBossPro garage door technician app page.