The first hour of every job
The painter arrives at eight. The lounge is still full: sofa, bookshelves, pictures, a television on the wall. The customer thought the painters would move things. There is nowhere to park in the street without a permit. The dog is in the hall. The painter spends the first hour moving furniture, finding a parking space and sorting out the dog before opening a tin.
The customer is not being difficult. Nobody told them.
Why rooms are not ready
Customers do not know what a decorator needs, and each business expects something slightly different. Instructions are given at the survey, weeks earlier, or not at all.
- What the customer needs to do is not written down.
- Instructions are given at the survey and forgotten.
- Parking and permits are not raised before the start.
- Pets, alarms and access are not checked the day before.
- Which room is needed which day is not shared.
What the lost mornings cost
Painter time spent moving furniture instead of painting. Risk of damage to the customer's things. Parking fines. And a first day that starts with friction.
Moving furniture also carries risk. A painter moving a heavy bookcase or a wall-mounted television is doing something that is not really their job, and if something is damaged, it becomes a dispute before the work has started. Most businesses would rather customers moved valuable or fragile items themselves, but only if they are asked clearly and in good time.
Parking is its own problem in towns and cities. Permit zones, restricted streets and busy cul-de-sacs can mean a painter spends the first hour finding somewhere legal to leave the van, then walking kit to the house. If the customer is asked in advance, many can offer a visitor permit or their own space on the drive.
The pre-start messages we build
- When a job is booked, the customer receives a checklist built from the job: rooms to clear or furniture to move to the centre, items to take off walls, curtains and blinds, valuables, and what you will cover with dust sheets.
- Parking is asked about, with options for permits or a space on the drive, so the office can plan.
- Pets, alarms and access arrangements are confirmed.
- If the job runs room by room, the customer is told which rooms are needed which day, from the job schedule.
- The day before the start, the customer confirms they are ready, or flags a problem, with a single reply.
- Problems go to the office in time to rearrange, and the painter sees the confirmed arrangements on their phone.
| Topic | Asked or told |
|---|---|
| Rooms | Which to clear, which days |
| Walls | Pictures, shelves, TV brackets |
| Parking | Permits or space |
| Pets | Where they will be |
| Access | Keys, alarm, times |
A first morning spent painting
Customers know what to do and when. Rooms are ready. The painter parks and starts. Anything that is not ready is known the day before, not on the doorstep. And the first impression of your business is organised.
Customers also feel looked after. A clear checklist a week before the start, and a friendly check the day before, tells them the business is organised before a single tin is opened. That feeling carries through the job and into the review they leave at the end.
Are your first mornings wasted?
- Painters move furniture before starting.
- Parking is sorted on the morning.
- Pets and alarms cause delays.
- Customers say they did not know what to do.
- Rooms needed on a given day are not ready.