Yes please, once the kitchen is in
The customer accepted your quote for the kitchen diner and hallway in April. The kitchen fitter was due in May, then June. The ceiling needed replastering after the new lights went in. You meant to ring in July. In September, the customer mentions to a neighbour that they are still waiting for a decorator, and the neighbour recommends someone who can start on Monday.
Your diary had a gap in August. You filled it with a job that came in later.
Why these jobs drift
Decorators are often the last trade in. Customers accept a quote while other work is still going on, and the start depends on something you do not control. These jobs sit outside the diary, so there is nothing to prompt anyone to follow up.
- Accepted jobs waiting on other trades are not in the diary.
- What the job is waiting for is not recorded.
- Nobody checks in with the customer.
- Gaps in the diary are filled with newer jobs first.
- Plaster drying time before decorating is not considered when a start is agreed.
What forgotten yeses cost
Accepted jobs are the easiest work you will ever win, and losing them because of silence is a waste. Customers who wait months without contact assume you have lost interest. Diary gaps get filled with less suitable work. And when several waiting jobs all become ready at once, customers wait longer and some go elsewhere.
There is also a cost to the relationship with the other trades. Plasterers and kitchen fitters often recommend decorators to their customers. If their customers tell them you went quiet, the recommendations stop. Being the decorator who is ready the week the room is ready is a reputation worth having.
The waiting list we build
- When a quote is accepted but cannot be booked, it goes on a waiting list with the reason: waiting for plastering, kitchen, electrics, flooring, or the customer's own timing.
- The customer receives a check-in at intervals you set, asking whether the other work is done, with simple replies such as ready, not yet, or need to talk.
- When plastering is the blocker, the list records when it was finished, so new plaster has drying time before decorating by your rule.
- A ready reply moves the job into scheduling, and the customer is offered start dates from gaps in your diary.
- The owner sees the list with how long each job has been waiting and when each customer last replied.
- Jobs that go quiet are flagged for a personal call rather than being left.
| Waiting for | Check-in | When ready |
|---|---|---|
| Plasterer | Asks when plastering finished | Drying time added, then dates offered |
| Kitchen fitter | Asks when fitting is complete | Dates offered |
| Electrician | Asks when second fix is done | Dates offered |
| Customer's timing | Asks when they want to start | Dates offered |
A diary that fills with the right jobs
Customers who said yes hear from you regularly and stay with you. When their room is ready, they are offered dates straight away. Diary gaps are filled from the waiting list first. And the owner can see how much accepted work is waiting, which helps plan when to take on another painter.
Is your waiting list in your head?
- Accepted jobs are not in the diary because the room is not ready.
- Customers have booked someone else while waiting.
- Nobody checks in with waiting customers.
- Diary gaps are filled with new enquiries first.
- You cannot say how much accepted work is waiting.