Effective communication is difficult, and it becomes even more difficult when we must describe something we don’t understand. People often call me asking about how much this or that service will cost and I respond asking details about what products I will be interacting with. A good example is whether somebody wants me to unlock their door. The cost depends on how difficult it is to unlock the lock or locks that are on the door. What can you tell me about the locks on your door? If it says Medeco it will likely be more difficult and costly than a lock that says Kwikset or Defiant.
More importantly these details allow me to give the customer an accurate cost breakdown. Contrast this with people who are unable to effectively describe their locks. When asked what kind of locks they want rekeyed, fixed, or replaced some people tell me that the lock is “just a standard lock”. There are many different types of standard locks! Deadbolts, doorknobs, levers, cam locks, etc. That is to say, there is no “standard lock”. We’re no better off finding out what your lock is at this point than when the conversation began!
