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Cell phone squabble pits contractors against city

brudgers said:
there is an expectation of tipping which accompanies concierge service on the one hand and an expectation of quid pro quo which accompanies favors.
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The fact that brudgers associates good customer service with illicit reward is all the proof we need that he is a Cum Laude graduate of the John Gotti School of Building Inspection.

It is no wonder he didn't last in the public sector, and is there any doubt that his private endeavors are just as tainted? Is there any doubt why his plans get looked at just a little bit more closely by building departments? In his case, legal exposure to the city is most certainly a reason for caution.

And in his case, the reward comes from NOT providing the service...
 
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All inspector's have been issued cell phones here, with numbers placed on business cards (non-optional). We don't have office extensions at all. Cell numbers are freely given out by office staff if requested. If we're busy, we don't answer and simply return the call when we get a chance. It han't been so bad. I, for one, don't like making it all the way back to the office and finding I've missed an opportunity to spend 10 minutes resolving an issue I could have taken care of while I was still out.

If they don't know what types of issues are inappropriate to call us for, they learn quite quickly. Management has never had a problem with us giving contractors who try to abuse the privelege a polite but firm reminder of our rules.
 
I have a govt issued phone and it gets used maybe 6 times a month. Secretary can get me if she has to. All calls go through the office so requests for inspection can be entered in the computer. I have voicemail at the office, leave a message if you don't want to talk to secretary. Like others, I will not answer a phone when I am doing an inspection, and I will not even look at a phone when I'm in my work vehicle.

On the flip side I freely give my personal email to the contractors and they can email me any question about any job.. anywhere. My one condition is that when I send you a response, I will send the code section, not a plain english answer. If you don't understand a section, give me the section number and I'll try and explain. I try to check email before work, at lunch and after work.

So, maybe you can't get an immediate response, but I do the best I can.
 
I couldn't do business without my company issued cell phone as my main office is on wheels. If we're running late, we call the contractor; if the contractor realizes he's not ready, he can cancel the inspection without incurring an inspection charge.

I even carry a blackberry now.. I don't necessarily like being constantly connected, but I can read e-mails as well as being available to our clients (not always contractors). I'm a firm believer if we always do what we've always done, we'll always have what we've always had. For my team, that's not really acceptable as we are trying to grow.

Jurisdictions looking to pinching pennies should look elsewhere; while laying people off is not a happy option, it reduces much more cost than the cell phone ever will. Retraining a person to take more responsibility (rather than answering the phone and contacting the inspector by radio) is a better option than getting rid of cell phones.
 
Laying off people is the last option. I'll give up my phone, my work vehicle and my lunch break if I can save a coworkers job. Luckily we're not in that bad shape.. yet.

If you have a large area to cover maybe the cel phone is a necessity.. But my office is in... my office. My jurisdiction is not big enough for it to really make a difference.
 
I'm not saying it's necessarily a good option, but watch what the clerical/reception staff people do from time to time.

Ignore people at the counter because the phone is ringing and they "must get in touch with the inspector".. or

Ignore the phone ringing, because it will go to voice mail OR be routed to someone else to answer and tend only to customers at the desk... then never return the voice mail (this happened to me this week).. OR

sit at the reception desk doing nothing most of the time.. looking at catalogs or searching the internet...

Need to find a smarter, better use of the clerical staff; use technology that's available to encourage these frequently underused staff for a better purpose.

I've seen it all.. my current part time clerk doesn't have time to search the internet or shop on line... as he masters one task, I shed another of mine and make sure he understands priorities. And I thank him every day for what he does.. it frees my time up... to keep him.. well, busier.
 
Started a fire system upgrade today. The woman who was pretending to be the GC did not know she was to schedule the gas man before I could finish my work. I called the inspectors office and cancelled my inspection. The inspector showed up anyway. While we were looking at my project,his wife called twice as did his daughter. Not only was the inspector's time wasted, so was my time. This also delays the opening of the resturant.
 
Forgot to mention last week the memo came down not to use a cell phone while driving a city vehicle. Don't know if it is because of safety or preception. We can still use the radios
 
radios.. cell phones.. both are dangerous to use when driving (even using a bluetooth while driving doesn't help too much.. the discussion itself can be distracting).
 
our inspectors and supervisors have county issued cell phones with numbers freely passed out website/business cards. we did away with inspector office phones to save money.

I will answer mine at all times although may whisper if on deer stand.
 
Same as Frank. Our numbers are posted on the web and customers are frequently transfered to us to answer questions. The boss says that we should never miss a chance to educate. Oh....go to bed Frank.....I am. Happy Easter everyone.
 
Happy Easter.. have a blessed day.

Need to look to the future, and it'll be cell phones (maybe even.. *gasp* blackberries)... not two way radios.
 
I rarely answer my cell phone when out in the field performing inspections. I am either driving down the road or doing the inspection. If you just happen to call at the moment I am getting in or out of the truck, I may pick up. But for the most part, I let all incoming calls roll over to voice-mail. I will always return the call the same day, but when it is safe and appropriate for me, not the caller. That's my policy...
 
me too.. although I frequently make that decision when sitting in traffic... glance at who's calling before I make the decision. I NEVER answer the phone during an inspection (it's just rude for one thing).... unless it's one of my inspectors who has also recently called and I let go to voice mail.. then I excuse myself "it's important" and get out of earshot of those present for the inspection. Most of my business is not the business of other clients.
 
As a whole, if contractors had a choice, they would choose inspectors that are accessible. I think the folks paying the bills, through permit fees, deserve timely access to the inspector. This can be facilitated in numerous ways, including direct access by cell.
 
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