CJ,
All I was trying to do was qualify your question to help get answers. If you took offense to anything I posted I apologize as that was never the intent.
I agree with your comment that the more trips you make the less money you keep, in most situations. My point concerning speed is about doing sloppy work that needs redone which means more trips. I can pick on myself and say that there is more than one job I wish I would have done differently because I went too fast or should have stopped because of being tired.
To answer your question on being more efficient, it will depend on what you're hired for. When I teach bat exclusion work, it is common for me to say that my system requires an average of 15 - 20 hours time invested (start to finish) for a 1200 sq ft ranch. There are others that can do it faster and we can argue for hours just on the pros and cons of using foam, cheap caulk, and application methods.
For me, it is never about how long the project takes as I'm getting paid for my time (and personally I'd rather work for 10 clients at $10,000 each than 1000 clients at $100 each). What matters is not having to go back. If that criteria is met, then I've done an efficient job.
Time saving steps for bat and bird jobs include having the correct equipment, knowing how to use that equipment, easy access to the necessary materials on-site and taking the time to do it right.
For exclusion barriers, we prefer to dig about 4 - 6 inches down instead of the 10 - 12 others do but we also like to go out 18 - 24 inches so I can't say that there is any difference in digging time unless it is dealing with concrete or tree roots.
For animal trapping, if possible catch the animal during your first visit as Paul has mentioned. One trip stops within your scheduled job time will always net you more than setting traps and having to monitor them. You have to be careful though as going over the allocated time frame can end up costing you money instead of making it. If you need to set equipment, consider using electronic monitoring equipment like TrapSmart, TrapAlert, or cellular game trail cameras. These can make you more efficient as they are always on the jobsite monitoring the situation and freeing you up to do other things if nothing is going on.
In regard to knowing when the animal is gone, start with the client and determine if they know what they have. In my service area, a call for a single coon does not tolerate multiple traps where they may have to pay for other animals than the one they are complaining about. In other service areas, that type of service is expected.
In these situations, I set a maximum of two traps. One is a positive set over the entrance point with the other usually close to the first with the door facing the opposite direction (coon in chimneys were the exception but we no longer do those). Once the animal is captured, the entrance is sealed. For clients with an unknown amount of animals, I do as many positive sets as possible with two additional traps. I usually go 3 days of empty traps after the last catch as the all clear sign to take down the traps and do repairs. Let me add that here in Ohio, we're able to have the client check traps and report in which really helps. Otherwise, I'd go with one of the products already mentioned to monitor the site.
For dormer and ledge sections where you can't get a drill in you have several choices. First, you can try a 90 degree drill or flexible cable to gain access and make the repairs if everything is still there. Second, you can use building materials like aluminum or wood and using a sealant, glue the material in place. Third, you can open everything up and redo it after making additional anchor points that you can reach. Fourth, make a solid plate that is slid into place with the anchors positioned farther away to hold it up. Fifth, you can build out the area to a place where you can use a drill.
As each situation is different with building structure and materials there are lots more than just these five I've listed.
