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Scheduling

2K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  mklawnman 
#1 ·
This is my first year doing more landscape work than just the usual maintenance part. Considering I've been doing maintenance work for the past 3yrs now and slowly getting into landscaping, but have gotten a few calls for landscaping. I'm this person that feels that I need to get at this stuff ASAP, but considering the time constraints I cant get everything done at once. So do most of you guys get with the potential customer, walk over the property and see what needs to get done, then get your prices for materials and drawing and get back to them ASAP?? Cause I have a drawing that I'm suppose to revise for a customer for a new lawn/landscape install and its been over a week and I havent gotten to it yet, been so busy with cleanups and also school. I want to be on top of things but right now I'm not, and worried that the customers will get upset because I havent gotten back to them yet on their designs and estimate. Though I told them I wouldnt be able to start any work till the end of May.
Maybe this is something I have to learn as I move about this business of scheduling mowing along with the landscaping aspect. Luckily I have the rest of my life ahead of me to working on creating a efficent scheduling plan.
Any thoughts or opinions are always nice:cool:
Matt
 
#2 ·
i would at least call them and tell them the situation of your schedule just so that they do not feel that you have abandoned them. these call keep both parties informed, they may have thought of other things that they want done, or the WORST gone with another company. making a customer wait is bad, but making the wait without notice is even worse.

just my .02
 
#5 ·
Matt,

As others have said, call the clients and tell them your working on it. People just want to know they haven't been abandoned. We are always about 6 weeks out. Some people want things right now! I tell them we are a realistic 6-weeks out while always adding the disclaimer "depending on the weather". I tell them we are worth the wait. We don't rush through someones job to get to yours. Because, you wouldn't't want us to rush through your job would you?

I call clients a couple days ahead before we show up to start. Let's them make any arrangements they need to if they want to be there when we start. I call when we can't start on the date we were supposed to. It is how any professional business is or should be run.

Peace,

Rex
 
#6 ·
I disagree with the comment of doing things in the order they come in. In my opinion larger landscaping projects can wait until the end of may (all mine do - i am also in school). It is much more important to get all your cleanups and regular mowing done on time, unless you are willing to lose that portion of your business for this landscaping contract. Priority rests in the profit margin of this contract rather than the order in which they are received.

On the other hand i consider all my contracted maintenance to be priority according to the date the contract is received, if that makes any sense with the other comments i have made.
 
#7 ·
Yeah well from what I've been hearing is that basically what I should do is tell the clients that to do the work it wont be till June when i can get at the major landscaping stuff, like putting lawns in or putting new beds in. The smaller stuff I can handle, but the bigger stuff Id rather wait till my brother is out of school to have him as another worker for doing landscaping. Yeah calling is a good idea just to let them know that I'm working on it. Its been so tough to sit down and work on it when its so nice outside and I have mowing to do. But by the end of the week Ill have a good idea of how things will play out for the summer. Patients is the key I guess, and that same thing should be done by my customers as well.
Matt
 
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