tradespeople

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his is a bit of a hive mind info seeking post.
About me- an electrician and autistic.

Information and experience I am looking for - what would make having the electrician in your house to carry out work not just tolerable but a good experience. What are all the bits of information I could give in advance of the work to help prepare well. Is preparing in emails more helpful than using the telephone.

Really happy if this thread takes of into a big shared info dumping session.

For a sparky like yourself

Phone calls, not emails. Call people back quickly when needed, call people before going to their place to make a time, and turn up on time, if you are running late, call or text to tell them.

Always dress clean and professional

Be nice and friendly

Never touch anyone's stuff in their home without asking first.

Never just walk in without knocking or being invited first.

Always clean up any mess you make

Always leave a business card

Always be polite

So basically everything an ASD person finds hard you need to teach yourself to do.

Hope this helps

For me, an electrician who is competent and professional and gets the job done is ideal. I don't need conversation, although a friendly hello and a phrase or two when you come to the house just to establish a cordial professional relationship is helpful, and then explain briefly the work that needs to be done, and get to work. Make it clear how much you think it will cost and what you are going to do, and if you have to explain that the cost might vary depending on what you find when you start working, do that. Make it clear how I should pay, before coming, so I know if I should have a check handy or other form of payment. Let me know ahead what time you think you will be coming, and call when you are on your way.

If there are house rules like "no shoes" I'll follow them even without the residents around - unless it is dirty where I have to work. Doing everything on one trip is a plus. I once re-built a deluxe stove burner switch with parts from two cheap ones we normally stocked. Recently, someone asked me for advice on getting a new ceiling fan in the city. I fixed the old one with a switch from our little hardware store. Find bargains. Try to make the new work blend with the old hardware. Talk them out of needing bizarre light bulbs, and into getting quieter fans. If they are nervous about electricity, maybe show them the UL approvals and other safety features. SHOW THEM HOW TO SAVE ENERGY.

Phone calls are good, like Vander571 says (all those points are good ), but sometimes texting works just as well. I communicated with a plumber this way not long ago. If he had rung me, I would have missed his calls because I was at work. Instead, I responded to his texts while I was on breaks. We were able to sort out when he could come to my house to work.

The number one thing I want from electricians, plumbers and other trades people is this. Please don't be too critical of me if you're called to fix my botched DIY jobs. I'm already embarrassed about it. You don't have to make me feel worse.

Clean up after yourself - and let the client know in advance that you do so. Far too many tradespeople of all sorts do their job but leave scrap material, packaging, off cuts, dirty shoe prints etc. Probably more common in new construction than service work, but it's just annoying for other tradespeople and for the client/general contractor or whoever. Irritating to have to clean up after other trades when they've been paid well enough to take a moment to clean up after themselves. If you're doing service work, be very tidy, clean up and dust/debris/off cuts/trimmings/wire casings etc and leave no trace that you were even there - and be quick about it, ofc. No need to camp out cleaning.. just tidy up and gtfo. If the floors/weather warrant it, maybe wear those slip on disposable bootie covers over your shoes.

Cleanliness is HUGE when it comes to customer satisfaction, referrals, repeat business etc in virtually every trade.

As for how to communicate it, I would say to communicate in the medium your client prefers or communicate with you in. If they email you, email them back. If they text you and don't request a phone call, text them back. If it's more convenient to speak, ask if you can give them a quick call. If they phone you, talk on the phone. If they send a message and ask for a phone call, phone them. Some things I like via email - like a quote.. but other things I prefer over the phone.. discussing options or asking questions/getting input or advice. I don't want to go back and forth via email throughout the day when I can have a 5 minute phone conversation and get to the bottom line and then have someone email me a quote with exactly what was discussed and determined over the phone. Conversational things verbal, information I need in writing for my records, email it.