PI's: Deciding to Take a Case

Being able to devote adequate time is often the biggest pitfall.

As Private Investigations is a business that relies on making money to be successful, it is easy for a Private Investigator to fall into traps, primarily, failing to adequately evaluate a case before accepting it. Private investigators, when deciding whether to take a case, or not, must carefully weigh their decision before proceeding. 

• Why would a private investigator not take a case? There are many reasons why a private investigator would not take a case: 
  • Lack of expertise in the specific case being presented - Not all investigators have the necessary skills, abilities, and knowledge to take on all cases. Some obvious areas might be computer intrusion investigations. This is a highly technical field requiring not only specific knowledge but often software and/or equipment. 
  • Inability to meet client demands - Some client's may have unrealistic expectations as to the timeline required to complete the case, expectations of how evidence might be collected, or other reasons that may place the investigation out of reach of the investigator. Some of these expectations may violate state and federal laws. 
  • Current case load may also be a determining factor - A firm with several active cases may not be able to take on another case. Investigators have to carefully review their current load and determine if they have are able to absorb another case.  

From observation and experience there are some pitfalls that private investigators have to work hard to avoid. The opportunity to increase the bottom line can result in negative consequences if not carefully considered. 

• Damage to reputation - The worse situation is where an investigator is not able to effectively investigate a case for a client based on the reasons above. This is disastrous. One failed investigation can result in a dramatic loss of revenue for an investigative firm. Word-of-mouth can reduce business opportunities for the firm. With the use of social media, one dissatisfied client can severely impact business opportunities for the firm, short and long term. Protecting the firm's reputation is critical to ongoing business success.
• Loss of revenue - Often when taking on a case where the investigator does not have the necessary skills or experience the bottom line can be greatly impacted. Additional costs to get the job done right quickly add up. Hiring additional investigators, or technicians, even having to purchase additional equipment endangers the profitability of an investigation. 
• Poorly executed investigation - Being unable to devote the necessary time, or expertise can result in an investigation that is not helpful to the client, or even worse, fail to the point that the client may incur liabilities. This not only fails the client, but damages the reputation of the firm, and possibly allowing violators to go unpunished. 

When deciding to take a case, investigators should consider the T.A.S.K.E.R. thought process...

• Time - the time required to complete the investigation based on the scope provided by the client. Time must be considered in comparison to existing workload, and staffing to effectively meet the client's timeline. 
• Abilities - Considering the abilities of the firm in meeting the clients expectations is critical. Short deadlines, and/or unrealistic expectations of the client great decreases the ability of the firm to complete the investigation in a satisfactory manner.  
• Skills - Toughest part of any decision is admitting to a client that the firm does not possess the necessary skills to complete an investigation. Having an inventory of colleagues with the necessary specialties can go a long way to off-setting the challenges in meeting a clients expectations. 
• Knowledge - Some investigations require a specific knowledge base. Employment investigations, internal employee investigations, all have specific rules and laws that need to be followed. Without the necessary knowledge, a lot of time, not to mention the case, can be lost. Experience is something we also throw in to this category. Having experience in a specific investigation is critical to being successful.
• Equipment - There are times when purchasing special equipment from GPS, surveillance camera's, computer processing software, etc, have to be made to allow the firm to expand their service offerings. Considering the initial investment in equipment to complete the investigation has to be compared to the potential return. In addition, impacts on the timeline of the investigation will have to be carefully considered from purchasing, learning how to use the equipment, as well as gaining the required knowledge in it's proper operation and use.  
• Risk - Overall, an investigator has to weigh the risks of financial impacts, and potential risks to the firms reputation when deciding to take a case. Considering the aspects mentioned above will allow the firm to make a better decision when deciding whether to take a case. One investigator shared, "If I have concerns about the investigation that make pause on making a decision for more than 24 hours I pass on it [investigation]. I will try to help the client find a firm to assist them." 

There are other obvious reasons not to take on a case such as;  the clients' motivation may not be ethical, the investigation can not be successful, or the investigator realizes the client will be difficult to work with in completing the investigation. Although there may be a missed opportunity for financial gain, when the risks are present, understand that long-term business opportunities can be negatively impacted, potentially threatening the existence of the firm. 

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