In-Home Estimate or Virtual Survey: Which is best for you?

Whether you’re moving in-town or cross-country, creating a complete evaluation of your items is crucial for a successful relocation. In recent years, many Toledo moving companies have augmented their up-front estimate process to also include virtual visits. However, Corrigan has offered virtual surveys for over four years? Since 2018, we’ve integrated technology and best practices to perfect the virtual estimation process. When other moving companies were figuring out best practices, Corrigan was on the ball when it came to serving our customers and offering a straightforward, safe option for the initial move consultation. Although many customers are more comfortable welcoming us into their homes, having an optional survey performed virtually is here to stay. So, which option is best for your situation?

What is a Virtual Survey, anyway?

Prior to setting up a relocation with a moving company, will want a move consultation so they can discuss their price and services. It is common that many moving companies offer the option of completing the initial consultation either virtually or in-home. Although other movers have different approaches, here is what you can expect when scheduling a virtual survey with Corrigan Moving.

Corrigan Moving is a leading agent for United Van Lines, who built their own proprietary virtual platform pairing with AWS from Amazon. This results in a platform that is so secure that many government agencies use it! Ahead of your appointment, all you’ll need to do is download the Virtual Survey App from your phone or tablet’s app store. After downloading, you’ll be set for your appointment!

The day of your appointment, you will get a text and email message from your move consultant to start your survey. This message will contain a link that opens in your Virtual Survey App. Voila – your consultant is right there in your home! Your consultant will spend as much time as you need to talk with you about the specifics of your move and find out what’s most important to you with respect to your relocation. After that, you’ll use your phone to walk through your home, narrating and showing the consultant what items you’d like to move, the layout of your home and property. When you have discussed and recorded everything, your consultant will use that video to 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. That said, most moving companies have decided to integrate virtual surveys. Why? Because they work!

“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 Ashley Walsh, Head of the Virtual Survey Team for Corrigan.

“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.”

Those who aren’t used to virtual surveys may also fear that crucial information, like whether or not a semi-truck can access the home, will be missed with a survey virtually.

“This really isn’t the case,” said 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’s faster”. This isn’t really true! Corrigan move consultants do both in-home and virtual appointments during business hours, so choosing a virtual appointment doesn’t free up time for you to be seen quicker. If you have to have an appointment after regular hours, a virtual survey does provide more flexible available appointment times.

When is an in-home survey better?

There are some times when having a consultant come to your home is preferred. Here are some circumstances to plan on an in-home move consultation:

 

• You have poor, spotty or unreliable internet connection
• If you have several breakable works of art, collectibles, statues, or glass tops that need exact measurements for crating (this can be done virtually, but you’d be the one responsible for collecting these measurements)
• If you do not have a smartphone or tablet device

 

Which is best for me?

At the end of the day, the choice between an in-home or virtual survey when speaking to a Toledo moving company comes down to personal preference. All Corrigan consultants offer the option between both and we’ve been very successful.

“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 one is right for you? Contact Corrigan Moving today to set up your free, no-obligation, in-home or virtual estimate!