Does Anyone Else Keep Track of Customer's Panel / Breaker Types?

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480sparky

480sparky

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Iowegia
Several years ago, I started making notes of what brand breakers/panels were in the homes & businesses I worked in. It's starting to pay off now as I'm going back to those places to do other work. Makes it handy to know going in what type of breaker I may need to have on the truck.

Anyone else do this?
 
Thats a good idea. Depending on how you keep track of customer data could also extend to things like color and type for devices (ex: white, decora switches/standard receptacles)
 
Todd0x1 said:
Thats a good idea. Depending on how you keep track of customer data could also extend to things like color and type for devices (ex: white, decora switches/standard receptacles)
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I've thought about recording devices, but many of my customers have a variety of colors & styles. It's rare I get a house full of one color and one style. I've been in one house that has 6 different colors (white, light almond, ivory, brown, gray and black).
 
ptonsparky said:
We have history of sales to customers going back 20 years or more. does that count?
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Only if the information is organized so you can access it!

Quick, now! How many of your customers have a Square-D breaker panel?

Time's up! No fair flipping through all of the sales receipts!
 
PaulMmn said:
Only if the information is organized so you can access it!

Quick, now! How many of your customers have a Square-D breaker panel?

Time's up! No fair flipping through all of the sales receipts!
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Well, ask who we sold QO120s to. Depends on how many seconds we are allowed. Sorted by dates and invoice #, but not in the misc notes on the customer page. If I don’t remember, my help does.
 
It's certainly easy enough to ask the customer what brand the panel is. If I'm bringing a breaker based on a phone conversation, the odds are that they're already standing at the panel.
 
Taking pictures of everything before and after became standard in our work some time ago. Like, when everyone started carrying a camera around in their pocket, or a little before that.
 
I always kept the panel legends in the record drawings and close out files of all jobs. They included manufacturer, type, AIC ratings, all settings, (electronic breakers) arc fault info, etc...

Roger
 
I’ve done some of that with notes in my planner, etc. An online customer profile would be great for this, or even an old fashion card file, with such items noted on the card. Phone pics are icing on the cake too. I like anything that can save steps later on.

Especially helpful if customer has odd breakers or fuses that are getting harder to find.
 
Agree with using your phone camera to document job information.

I take a variety of before and after pictures and videos of jobs then I drop those into a folder labeled with the owner’s name and job reference that is stored on in the cloud. I can access it with my phone or tablet.

Whenever I get a call from a customer I can refer to my stored information to talk with them about their needs.

I don’t know how I would operate without the phone camera!
 
480sparky said:
Several years ago, I started making notes of what brand breakers/panels were in the homes & businesses I worked in. It's starting to pay off now as I'm going back to those places to do other work. Makes it handy to know going in what type of breaker I may need to have on the truck.

Anyone else do this?
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I may have responded to this already. We, specifically me, designed Excel spreadsheets that were used at the tender stage and for the buying if we were awarded the project. They were included (unpriced) in the customer manual.
 
LarryFine said:
It's certainly easy enough to ask the customer what brand the panel is. If I'm bringing a breaker based on a phone conversation, the odds are that they're already standing at the panel.
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That can be hit or miss. Some customers read the info well and some don't. I've had them tell me GE but it be a Siemens panel. GE emblem was on a disconnect switch nearby!:D
 
LarryFine said:
It's certainly easy enough to ask the customer what brand the panel is. If I'm bringing a breaker based on a phone conversation, the odds are that they're already standing at the panel.
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So they look in their GE panel and see a Square D HO that's been slapped in by a hack. Or they look at the main panel, which is QO, and I would actually need an ITE for the sub-panel in the basement.

Besides, if I already have that information saved at the office, there's no real need to ask for it.
 
If I need to know what type of panel/brand of breaker the owner has before I show up I ask them to text me a picture of the panel (specifying door open). For most service calls I don't need to know this in advance since I carry every current brand and model breaker on the truck in every size from 15 to 60 amps (including twins/wafers). Yes, that's a lot of breakers but having them has saved me many trips to the store.
 
I wish I was so organized.
If I feel I need to know the panel info I will ask for photos as well.
Most supply houses are 25 minutes away.
I used to have a utility truck that could store more than I needed. I found that I would still need to make a trip to the supply house at least half the time.
 
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