Time Savers for Every Contractor – Part 3 of 3: Finish A Job Well-Done
Regardless of if we belong to a specific trade or if we are a general contractor, it’s common knowledge that when our job is done it often isn’t fully complete. Whether we need to finish the clean-up process, co-ordinate with other contractors and sub-contractors, do some finishing touches, or re-do work that wasn’t done to a customer’s satisfaction, all of these factors eat away at our time. The next few tips will help to guarantee a job well-done from the start to finish. 1.) Communicate with Other Trades and Sub-Trades Once you are finished your portion of the job, make sure to let your general know so that he or she can contact all other contractors required. Always make sure that other contractors have enough notice. For example, do not call a drywall guy to come in if you don’t have the drywall. Make sure the basement is framed before you call the electrician. The logical order of a contracting job often gets left unattended when we get busy. The scary truth is that every time we make a mistake in timing with our materials and our contractors, it takes up both time and money. Make a list of what has to be done, and spend the time to call the appropriate trades in advance. 2.) Communicate with Your Customer There is nothing worse than getting to the end of your job thinking that you’ve done great work; and then giving your customer the bill and they tell you that you didn’t do what they wanted, or that your price is too high. This can be avoided by constant communication with your customers throughout the job process. The first point of communication should occur when you do the initial walk through and quote the job. Always put material costs and plans on paper, and have your customer sign for what they want done. Make sure to document everything to avoid having your customer say that something was included in your price that you never agreed on. Touch base with your customer everyday of your job if possible so that if they are unhappy with any element of the job, it can be fixed quickly and easily. If you wait until the job is finished, you might have to tear down a wall or worse. Once the job is complete, maintaining good customer service is very important so you are referred through word of mouth to their friends. This will save you money and time as your customers do a good portion of your advertising for you. 3.) Clean as You Go It can take hours to clean up a jobsite after its completion. We can save ourselves a lot of time by making sure to keep our workspace clean as we go. Not only does this make the end of our work day easier, it also shows our customers that we respect their property, and care about our trade. You can keep things clean the moment you walk onto the job site by slipping a pair of neoprene boot covers over top of your safety boots. This is a quick way to maintain the integrity of your safety boots while not tracking mud, water and snow into your customer’s home. Also, be sure to carry, rags, garbage bags and a vacuum or broom with you. Tidy up messes as they happen, so that dust particles don’t spread all over the house. Dispose of your garbage at the end of each work day by taking larger items with you and placing all other items in the trash. Never assume that your customer wants to keep old materials or equipment- always ask them before you throw it away or leave it to them to take to the dump. Make sure that your tools are organized and put away throughout your job, so you aren’t looking all over for them at the end of the workday.
