Hedgemaster
03-05-2012, 10:42 PM
Let me start by saying that while this worked for me in my first season, there may be better ways of doing things. I don't claim that this is the best method, only that it worked for me when I had no other means of keeping track of my jobs since I didn't have a computer or software to do such things.
I started out with a notebook. That was a bad idea in that I had no uniform way of taking down info from incoming calls, and there was no way to organize info in any useful way. It just didn't work. I decided that I needed a sheet dedicated to taking down info from incoming calls - some sort of "form" that allowed me to fill in the blanks while talking to the person on the phone. Before doing so, I would sometimes find that I had forgotten to get information and would need to call back to get it.
I had intended these sheets to be used as estimate sheets only, but as it turned out, I found that I could keep track of things through the entire season once a client had "signed on".
I recently tweaked my form by adding a few items that I found myself writing in by hand last season. I know that there are a lot of noobs reading that are looking for any help they can get, so I thought I'd share what I put together in hopes that it may help someone. I'll add a PDF attachment below. Its a two page document - I printed it on both sides
I always have a clipboard with these sheets in my truck as well as a stack at home near my desk. When a call, or email comes in for an estimate, I fill out the sheet and take it with me on the estimate. I can conveniently take notes on the property, note client requests, etc. These notes are now available any time I need to refer to them throughout the season.
After I get the "OK" to start the job, I then keep track of the cuts/jobs performed on the lower portion. I note the date, work done (Mow, Hedges, Cleanup, etc), job price, and whether payment was received.
Once my schedule is set, I just take the sheet with the customer info and sort it by day they get cut. I have a nice binder with a pocket on the front that I keep "today's jobs" in. Inside the binder are pocket dividers for each day of the week where the rest stay.
Anyway, that's how I made it through season one. If it helps someone, great, if not, you've just lost a few minutes of your time that you'll never get back. :D
Oh, and I'm sorry, but it's not saved in a format that you can edit. I tried to do it in Word, but I just got that software recently and have never used it before, so I did it in something I was familiar with.
I started out with a notebook. That was a bad idea in that I had no uniform way of taking down info from incoming calls, and there was no way to organize info in any useful way. It just didn't work. I decided that I needed a sheet dedicated to taking down info from incoming calls - some sort of "form" that allowed me to fill in the blanks while talking to the person on the phone. Before doing so, I would sometimes find that I had forgotten to get information and would need to call back to get it.
I had intended these sheets to be used as estimate sheets only, but as it turned out, I found that I could keep track of things through the entire season once a client had "signed on".
I recently tweaked my form by adding a few items that I found myself writing in by hand last season. I know that there are a lot of noobs reading that are looking for any help they can get, so I thought I'd share what I put together in hopes that it may help someone. I'll add a PDF attachment below. Its a two page document - I printed it on both sides
I always have a clipboard with these sheets in my truck as well as a stack at home near my desk. When a call, or email comes in for an estimate, I fill out the sheet and take it with me on the estimate. I can conveniently take notes on the property, note client requests, etc. These notes are now available any time I need to refer to them throughout the season.
After I get the "OK" to start the job, I then keep track of the cuts/jobs performed on the lower portion. I note the date, work done (Mow, Hedges, Cleanup, etc), job price, and whether payment was received.
Once my schedule is set, I just take the sheet with the customer info and sort it by day they get cut. I have a nice binder with a pocket on the front that I keep "today's jobs" in. Inside the binder are pocket dividers for each day of the week where the rest stay.
Anyway, that's how I made it through season one. If it helps someone, great, if not, you've just lost a few minutes of your time that you'll never get back. :D
Oh, and I'm sorry, but it's not saved in a format that you can edit. I tried to do it in Word, but I just got that software recently and have never used it before, so I did it in something I was familiar with.