The problem
Every quote starts with a home survey, and a survey visit takes about an hour and a half once you count the drive. Plenty of the people you survey book someone else. A firm doing 12 surveys a month for flats and small houses spends 18 hours a month in other people's living rooms and in traffic.
What the AI does
HomeSurvey.ai sends the customer a text link. They film each room on their phone, saying what's going and what's staying, and answer a few questions you set (stairs, parking, loft, packing). The AI returns an inventory with volume, weight and carton estimates, which the vendor says takes under 10 minutes. Your estimator checks it, adds anything missed and prices the move, without leaving the office.
A worked example
A removal company in Leeds with two vans moves a mix of flats and three-bedroom houses. They switch surveys for flats and small houses, about 12 a month, to HomeSurvey.ai and keep home visits for large houses, antiques and pianos.
Before
12 survey visits a month at 1.5 hours each including travel, 18 hours
After
12 phone surveys checked in the office at about 15 minutes each, 3 hours
What it's worth
About $599£450€536A$864C$846 a month in time saved, against about $239£180€214A$346C$338 for the surveys. That is 15 hours a month (18 hours of visits down to 3 hours of checking), at an assumed $40£30€36A$58C$56 an hour, with fuel on top. The cost is 12 surveys at $20 each from a 25-survey pack, $240 (about $239£180€214A$346C$338) a month.
How to set it up
- Sign up and use the 10 free surveys on real inquiries before buying a pack.
- Set your questions for each type of move, such as flights of stairs, parking at each end, loft and garage contents and whether you're packing.
- Send the link to customers with flats and smaller houses; keep in-person surveys for large or complicated moves.
- Check every inventory before quoting: open the videos for anything flagged, and ring the customer about loft, shed and garage contents.
- On the first 10 moves, compare the survey with what actually went on the van and adjust your pricing per cubic foot.
What goes wrong
- The tool is built in the US: volumes come out in cubic feet and weights in pounds. Check the cube sheet fits the way you price before relying on it.
- Videos of the inside of someone's home are personal data under UK GDPR. Check the vendor's data processing terms and where videos are stored before you start.
- Survey credits are bought in packs in dollars and expire 12 months after purchase, so don't buy more than a year's worth.
- Some customers, often older ones, won't film their home. Offer a home visit to anyone who prefers it.