Job photos that never leave the phone
Good work, recorded, and never used.
Crews take photos of good work every week, and many of them never leave the phones they were taken on.
Not every business has this problem, and some should leave it alone.
Most of these can be handled better. Whether it's worth doing is a separate question. What follows is one common form of the problem, described in general terms, because your version will differ. These are possible challenges, not a description of your business, and some should be left exactly as they are. If it sounds like your week, that's worth a conversation.
Sound familiar?
- The best photos of your work are on crew phones.
- Somebody asks for before-and-after photos, and nobody can find them.
- Photos that could settle a dispute cannot be found.
- When a phone is replaced, the photos are gone.
What it looks like
On site, crews take photos: before, during, and after. Some are for the customer, some are for the record, some are because the work turned out well.
They stay on the phone they were taken on. The office rarely sees them, and when a photo is needed later, somebody has to ask around.
What it costs
Proof is lost. A photo that shows the work was done right can matter later, if it can be found.
Examples go unused. The business's best work is never shown.
Phones take the history with them. A lost or replaced phone can take its photos with it, unless they were backed up.
Where it goes wrong
- Photos stay on personal phones. There is no shared place.
- They are not tied to the job. Finding one means knowing who took it and when.
- Nobody asks for them. Sending photos to the office is not part of the job.
- Permission is unclear. Whether a photo can be shown publicly is not asked.
What a better version looks like
Job photos go to a shared place, attached to the job, as part of closing it out. The office can find any job's photos in one step. A person picks the ones worth showing, and asks permission where needed.
What still needs a person
A person decides which photos to use and asks the customer before showing their property. A person uses the photos when a question about the work comes up.
Questions worth asking about your own operation
- Where are the photos of last month's jobs?
- Could you find a photo from a job a year ago?
- What happens to photos when a crew member's phone is replaced?
- Do you ask customers before showing photos of their work?
If this sounds familiar
Bring me the version you actually have. I'll learn how the process really works before I suggest anything. If it isn't worth changing, or isn't a fit for me, I'll say so. Talk through a problem