There is no question that COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work, and think about the future. The pandemic has also changed the way we plan for moves. One valuable tool that is enabling corporate employee relocations and personal moves to go on while practicing social distancing is the virtual home survey.
Traditionally, home surveys are performed in-person or over the phone, but in the past few years we’ve started to see the emergence of virtual home surveys as a way to offer more flexibility to relocating families. Surveys are important because they allow moving companies to assess the items that need to be moved in order to create accurate cost estimates and have a detailed inventory list so nothing is missed on moving day. The more thorough the survey, the better the move experience is because expectations are set from the start.
The biggest downside to surveys; time. It can take hours going through every item you plan to move over the phone. Rearranging your schedule during a hectic time for an in-person survey can be frustrating and overwhelming. With a virtual survey, it’s scheduled on your time, and you save hours by not having to detail every item you own.
HOW IT WORKS
There are several platforms used within the industry to do the virtual surveys. At CRI we utilize Virtual Moving Technologies (VMT). To use, the relocating employee just has to download the VMT app on their laptop, smartphone or tablet and from there they can schedule and complete their virtual survey. VMT surveyors are available 24/7 and available in 30 different languages. The app is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. Anyone who has used other video conferencing platforms should feel very comfortable on the VMT app.
Just like with an in-person or phone survey, an inventory will be created based on the content of the virtual video. From there, we can plan for the move and estimate packing, third party services, weight, and costs.
Here are a few tips to make the process as smooth as possible:
Have a tape measure handy just in case a particular item's dimensions are needed
Open every cabinet and closet door beforehand
Make sure all rooms are well lit
As we continue to manage the effects of the pandemic, we rely on various technologies to support us in future planning and continuing as much business as possible. Moves are still being performed and offering virtual move surveys to relocating employees can help keep the process going.
