What should I look for in a septic company’s customer service route records?

Ask for the route sheets and the service tickets behind them. Each stop should show the property, the date, what was done, the tank condition and any follow-up. Check whether the routes are tidy clusters or scattered stops that waste driving time. Scattered routes cost more to run and are harder to hand to a new driver.

Then test the records against reality. Pick a few addresses and ask whether the visit really happened and was billed. Look for stops with long gaps, customers who called twice about the same issue and notes that say "no access". Those point to weak spots in service or in the records.

Finally, ask who holds the knowledge. If one driver carries gate codes, dog warnings and tank locations in his head, you are buying something that can leave on a Friday. See whether the notes are written down well enough that a stranger could run the route. Your accountant can compare the ticket totals to the revenue in the statements. Also ask how the records are kept. Paper tickets in a truck cab are easy to lose, while a searchable system lets a new owner answer a customer’s question about the last visit within minutes.

Key takeaways

• Check that tickets, routes and invoices line up for sampled addresses.
• Watch for scattered routes and repeated complaints on the same property.
• Find out which knowledge sits only in one driver’s head.