What makes a great attempt note?

Quite possibly the most frequent inquiry, concern or complaint from customers of InfoTrack Exchange relates to insufficient attempt notes. Great Trackers are great story tellers in their notes, they are descriptive and make the reader feel immersed, as if they were on location.

1) Physical descriptions are very powerful, whether describing cars, people, houses, apartments, etc. Paint a picture with your description.

2) Was the property gated or fenced, how or why was access limited? In addition to your photo your description can be enlightening.

3) Did you get the feeling people were there and evading or were they not home?

4) Did you notice any packages or mail or anything that indicates people are coming and going on a regular basis?

5) Did you ring and knock? Was there a video doorbell present?

6) Were there any neighbors to speak with? What did they say?

7) State your opinion, your ideas....you are the professional, what do you think? See below for a couple of scenarios.

"Knocked, no answer, no lights, no movement"

"I reached the residence, the address is easily visible and found easily with navigation. No activity or people present as I approached. A video doorbell was present, rang no answer. I knocked, no answer. No lights or movement inside. No packages or personal belongings on the porch. Given the time of evening I elected to not speak with neighbors on this visit. In my opinion I was not able to obtain enough information on this visit and I will be returning."

"Personal served, white male, approx 40 years of age"

"Personal served, white male, approx 40 years of age, 3 dogs barking in the background. I smelled ribs on the barbecue. The subject was wearing a Houston Astros jersey."

These scenarios say the same things but they instill far more confidence in the reader. They are professional. Neither took more than 20 seconds longer to write. The busiest of process servers, working hundreds of jobs a month, would only spend roughly 30 hours of their time extra over an entire year to produce better content. In so doing, you will save yourself countless return trips, chat messages, emails and phone calls. Most importantly, you might save yourself a trip to court to prove up a serve.

Updated on: 20/01/2023