When the Unexpected Happens at a Signing Appointment

Mobile notary work rarely goes exactly as planned. Over the years, I have encountered difficult pets, health emergencies, technical failures, and tight deadlines. Recently, I experienced two appointments that perfectly illustrate why flexibility, calm decision making, and schedule padding are essential for every mobile notary.

Emergency Pauses an Important Transaction

Over the course of my career as a mobile notary signing agent, I feel like I have seen it all, the good and the bad. I have blogged about encounters with not so friendly pets and with people in the midst of a health crisis. Recently, however, I experienced a signing appointment that combined both of these challenges.

The signing was taking place at a home, and the happy signer was eager to complete the paperwork in preparation for closing on an out of state investment property. The family dog came into the room to check on me since I was a stranger in the home. Although the dog was a larger breed and looked a little intimidating, he was a gentle pup and went to his bed once we were properly introduced by his owner.

We were only a few pages into the documents when the dog came up behind me and suddenly began having convulsions on the floor. The poor thing was having a seizure. The signer jumped up and began panicking over the dog. They had never seen this behavior from their beloved pet before and needed to seek care immediately.

I completely understood and assured the signer that I would take the paperwork with me and notify the signing service of the delay. I made sure the signer had my contact information and asked them to keep me informed about rescheduling.

Thankfully, the signer was able to speak with an emergency veterinarian and get the dog stabilized. We were able to meet again a couple of hours later to complete the appointment. I was relieved to hear that the dog was doing well and would be undergoing further testing later that day.

The lesson: Life happens. A professional notary adapts.

When Technical Problems Derail the Day

Scheduling mobile notary appointments while serving multiple clients and platforms can be hectic. Add computer problems and misplaced identification documents, and you have a day that can quickly spiral out of control.

When signers and document recipients are under strict deadlines, the mobile notary is also responsible for helping keep everything on track. Normally, these time crunch situations are few and far between. However, I recently had a day when it felt like everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

I always remind signers during confirmation calls to have their identification ready. I also confirm with the hiring clients how documents will be delivered to the appointment if I am not handling the printing myself.

The first appointment of the day was at a client’s home. The signer had just returned from travel the night before and could not locate their wallet. To make matters worse, their computer and printer would not power on, which prevented them from preparing the documents for signing. With another nearby appointment scheduled for the next hour, we agreed to reconvene that afternoon at the signer’s office, where others could assist if technical problems continued.

Unfortunately, the very next appointment presented its own challenges. The courier had not delivered the documents to the signer’s residence, and their home computer email system kept denying secure access to the files. Staying calm and collected, I contacted my client and had the documents emailed directly to my phone. Once connected to the signer’s WiFi, I was able to access and print the documents. I kept the client on speakerphone with the signer to ensure the process remained secure and successful.

After a short delay and a few heated words between the two signers, we completed the signing and I prepared to deliver the documents to the client’s office later that afternoon.

Following a smoother series of midday appointments, I returned to the first signer at their office. We now had proper identification, but encountered the same issue with the work computer denying secure access to the documents. As luck would have it, the hiring company was the same as the earlier appointment, just a different team. We used the same solution, and once again, it worked.

By the end of the day, I felt like the hero. I had not only solved multiple problems, but also made my hiring client look good. With all signed documents in hand and a thank you from the signers, I headed back to my client’s office just in time to meet their deadline.

Why Padding Your Schedule Matters

As I have said in previous blog posts, the importance of keeping a timely schedule is crucial, especially for mobile notaries. Padding your schedule with just a little extra time can really make the difference when unexpected delays occur. When you know your schedule has that extra time between clients already built in, it can mean the most to keep clients and signers on good terms. Which makes good business sense for the notary. Excellent customer service is crucial for keeping all parties happy and strengthening the notary’s reputation for superior work.

When you allow extra time between appointments, you:

• Reduce stress

• Protect client deadlines

• Maintain professionalism

• Strengthen your reputation

• Deliver better customer service

Professionalism is not about having a perfect day. It is about how you respond when the day is far from perfect.

For mobile notaries, preparation and flexibility are just as important as stamps and signatures.

Image by freepik