Every service business meets it: the roof has heavy lichen the photos did not show, the customer mentions the back patio too, or the fence is rotten where it was quoted as a wash. How you handle that moment decides whether the customer pays the difference happily or disputes the invoice.
Inspect before you start, not halfway through
Make a short pre-work inspection part of every job. Walk the site, compare it with what was sold, and take photos of anything that differs - before any water hits a surface. A difference found before work starts is a conversation; a difference found after is an argument.
Document what changed and why it costs more
- A clear photo of the problem, taken from far enough away to show where it is.
- One sentence describing it in plain words: "Heavy lichen on the rear roof slope, needs a second treatment."
- The extra line item and price, calculated with your normal rates - not a number invented on the spot.
Get approval before the price moves
Never change the price silently and never let a technician promise a number the owner has not seen. The owner (or whoever prices jobs) reviews the evidence, approves or adjusts the extra line, and the customer agrees to it before the extra work is done. A written, signed change is what makes the final invoice uncontestable.
If the customer says no
Do exactly what was sold, note on the job that the extra was offered and declined, and attach the photo. That note protects you if the customer later complains that the untreated area still looks bad.
How this works in Servetic
Add a photo-inspection step to the service's work checklist. When the technician uploads the inspection photo, it is compared with the sold scope. If something material is different, the owner gets a scope-change card with the photo, the detected difference and a suggested extra line - and nothing on the estimate changes until the owner approves, modifies or dismisses it.