Starting your own business can be tricky, especially a business in the green industry. Whether you are a snow removal business, a landscaper, or a lawn maintenance business, today’s society can be rough on you. There are many things that can kill a green industry business and one of them is scheduling. When you start a business that revolves around contracts, documentation, and scheduled appointments, the inability to easily and quickly schedule times for clients can snuff you out. Here are 5 easy ways that your green industry business can make scheduling quicker and easier for everyone involved.
Get Organized
When trying to run a business that relies on clients claiming time slots, organization is a big deal. Disorganization can lead to lost documents and the inability for appointments to actually make it onto the master schedule. When this happens clients become angry and upset and are more likely to bad mouth you to their friends and neighbors. You can create a master schedule of appointments and open time slots both on paper or online; online is recommended as it is easier and better for the environment. Make sure that every appointment immediately makes it onto the schedule and then keep all proper documentation for the client organized for easy access. This will make finding open time slots easier, taking a lot of hassle and frustration away from you.
Communication
Communication with your employees as well as your clients is critical. Make sure you are not trying to schedule employees for too many jobs in a short amount of time. Make sure you take feedback about scheduling from your field team; find out what is and is not working form the people who are servicing clients. Also make sure that you listen to your clients needs and wants; giving them a time slot that’s long enough for the project that is going to be done. Good communication involves talking and listening, this way everyone gets what they want: you payment and the client quality services.
Plan For the Worst
The best thing you can do for scheduling is to plan ahead for a catastrophe. Leave time slots open so that you can move projects or extend projects. You will eventually run into a problem and you want to have time to fix it. If you assume that everything will always go according to plan you, your clients, and your employees will be frustrated, stressed, and flustered when something does go wrong. Worse yet, a problem or mistake could cause your employees to work more carelessly in an effort to get done quickly in order to stay on schedule. Budget for mistakes or problems; it happens and it is best to be prepared.
Hire A Staff Member
As your green industry business grows, scheduling may no longer be a one person job. You may want to look into hiring someone who could take responsibility for all daily tasks like scheduling, if you don't already have this person on staff. It is ok to admit that you can’t do it all and bringing in another person can make your life easier and will mean that the task will receive guaranteed attention.
Invest In Software
Go online and invest in a software program that acts like an office manager. These programs will do your schedule, draw up contracts, and keep a full client history. It makes scheduling a breeze by making scheduling completely paperless and therefore organized, quick, and extremely efficient. Whether you're looking for snow, maintenance or lawn care scheduling software, it's bound to ease your scheduling pains.
In some ways, scheduling can make or break your business. Schedule smart and schedule well. Be organized, timely, and professional and your business will thank you.
A lot of thought goes into purchasing software, if you'd like a guide, download our lawn maintenance buyers guide for free!
