We make sure to let everyone know that our average turnaround time is 10 business days.
It seems that no matter what we do, there will always be unreasonable expectations when it comes to permit issuance.
We recently made a form for owner/builders(mainly for new sfd or manufactured homes). This has helped a lot, and explains to the owner what it means/references code.
If the contractor applied for the permit, then a new permit will need to be applied for either by the owner or the contractor.
If the owner applied for the permit, then they can submit a change with the new contractors' information.