#Movechat Digest: Third Party Services

Every Tuesday at 1PM Central Time, Portage Cartage moderates a Twitter-based "movechat" for movers and consumers looking for information on moving.  The topic of today's movechat was Third Party Services.  Below is the abridged transcript of the questions and the responses.

Q1 - What are some of the common third party services you need along with a move?
LocateLance     Q1: Appliances, crates.
HolmanMoving     Pet relocation is a big one for a lot of people, which is completely understandable of course!
PortageCartage     We'll add vehicle transport, house cleaning, pet transportation, pool tables... any others?
HolmanMoving     Pianos require a special touch and usually require third party support.
PortageCartage     Yep - I wonder if @petrelocation would be interested in this movechat?
HolmanMoving     I would think so!
movertim     wow you covered allmost all 3rd party, how about Piano svc
PortageCartage     @LHFAUTO If you've got a few minutes we'd love to have your thoughts on 3rd party services used during moving. Watch for hashtag #movechat
HolmanMoving     We had to get a customer's turtle to China once. They require a special veterinary certification to travel - not many vets do it!


Q2 - As a mover, what frustrates you about 3rd party providers?
HolmanMoving     The quality of third party services can make or break a mover. They have to be punctual, professional and great with the customer.
MovePoint     Not being on time
PortageCartage     Agreed - often customers take a day off to meet providers and if the provider doesn't show... #badmojo
HolmanMoving     Grounds for dismissal.
movinggal     3rd party vendors have value- they can offer ur cust. more srvs. However, u must choose well because u have ur rep on the line.
HolmanMoving     Being late is one of my biggest pet peeves.
PortageCartage     Proactive communication is important. I want to know when they'll be on site & how it went without tracking them down.
HolmanMoving     Very good point.
AJStephensonRem     Q2 your promise must be carried out and not compromised

Q3 - What lessons have you learned when selecting a provider?
HolmanMoving     References are ALWAYS a good idea :-)
MovePoint     A3: - Get referrals
movinggal     Clear contractual terms up front with your vendor help to clarify the relationship. Also, good contract management helps.
PortageCartage     We get our providers to sign a Service Agreement form, detailing expectations on communication, billing, service, etc.
PortageCartage     Let's expand on Q3: Have you ever been burned by a 3rd party provider? Describe.
movinggal     Agree with @MovePoint. So important to get referrals and feedback from customers when available.
PortageCartage     Here's one: We had preapproved costs for one provider, but he phoned client to say he didn't have approval and didn't show.
MovePoint     ouch
PortageCartage     It was a series of communication failures within the provider's co, but it still made us look bad. Probably not using them again.
xpressmovers     Oh, who hasn't been? Just recently in December we got burned bad on a job we couldn't do because of weather.
PortageCartage     Was that weather one a preventable problem?
xpressmovers     Nope, weather and driving conditions in Chicago didn't allow us to load the customer within the time frame.
xpressmovers     Finding good service providers is not easy. There are so many bad apples that can ruin your day.
movinggal     I have been burned by a 3rd prty vendor on my own move. He did not show up and crate my antique hutch & it broke in storage.
PortageCartage     Yikes! Did they accept responsibility?
movinggal     The moving company had to bail them out but it still did not cover the replacement value. Lots of drama...
   
Q4 - Do you always get multiple quotes, or do you pick a provider and stick with them?
MovePoint     One or two quotes at the most, But, once we find a reliable provider we will usually stick with them.
xpressmovers     RT @MovePoint: One or two quotes at the most, But, once we find a reliable provider we will usually stick with them.
PortageCartage     We're the same way. The moving process happens too quickly to get multiple quotes all the time.
HolmanMoving     We are pretty loyal so if we have a reliable provider that we like, we'll stick with them.
PortageCartage     Any providers listening should definitely take note: treat movers well, and we'll never go to tender.
HolmanMoving     I think cuz we know what it's like to be a service provider - if we do great work, we want clients to be loyal!
PortageCartage     Great point!
   
Get out your Rolodex for Q5 - Who are some of your favorite service providers? Drop names & Twitter IDs if you got 'em.
PortageCartage     We love using KeeWest for auto transport in Canada; great rates, house-2-house service, and fast.
PortageCartage     We're also very happy with Lyon Petmobile Services, for anywhere in North America.
xpressmovers     Q5: We use Victory Van Lines out of Rockville, MD for over 1 year now and so far I can't say 1 bad word about their service.
PortageCartage     Within Winnipeg I prefer Clean & Tidy for any carpet cleaning needed after the move.
HolmanMoving     Shout out to MSS (Movers Specialty Service)! They are fantastic.
PortageCartage     Let's build up a few of our favorite vendors here and reward them for their great service! No ad revenue required. :)
MovePoint     Agreed!!
PortageCartage     As we close out the chat, I challenge each of you to Tweet positive things today about companies you love for 3rd party work.

PortageCartage     Thanks to all who participated! We'll post a digest of the chat shortly. Next week's topic will be "Creating Repeat Business."