Choosing scheduling software: questions to ask any vendor
Every demo looks good. These questions help you find out how a product handles your real week, your data and your bill, before you commit.
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Guides for running a service company’s schedule.
Plain-language articles for owners and office managers of window cleaning, HVAC and other field-service companies: recurring work, crews and routes, customers, the office, and California’s new remote inspections.
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A house cleaning schedule customers can count on
Regular cleaning customers stay for the consistency: the same people, the same day, a home that looks the same every time. Here is how to keep that promise as you grow.
A lawn mowing schedule for the whole season
Mowing is weekly for most of the year and nothing for the rest. Here is how to plan the season, keep crews on routes, and handle the rain without losing a week.
Choosing scheduling software: questions to ask any vendor
Every demo looks good. These questions help you find out how a product handles your real week, your data and your bill, before you commit.
Pool route scheduling: weekly stops, readings on every visit
A pool company lives on its route. Here is how to keep weekly pools on the right day, record the water at every stop, and fit repair calls in without breaking the week.
Appointment reminder emails that cut wasted trips
A locked gate or a customer who forgot costs you a trip and a slot. Here is a simple reminder routine any service company can run, and how Sentra Scheduler sends it for you.
Arrival windows: promise a time customers can count on
“Sometime Tuesday” isn’t an answer customers accept anymore. Here is how to choose arrival windows that work for both sides, and how Sentra Scheduler keeps them honest.
Weekly service routes: set them once, keep them steady
Pools, lawns, homes and offices that get you every week are the backbone of many service companies. Here is how to lay out weekly service routes that hold, and how weekly and every-2-weeks jobs work in Sentra Scheduler.
Technician calendar sync: the schedule in the phone’s own calendar
Technicians already live in their phone’s calendar. A subscribe link puts their visits there, next to the dentist and the school pickup, without anyone retyping the schedule.
A turnover cleaning schedule that fits between move-out and move-in
Turnovers don’t repeat on a calendar. They arrive when a lease ends or a guest checks out, and they have to be done before the next person walks in. Here is how to keep them from colliding with your regular work.
Bringing customers in from QuickBooks Desktop, two ways
Plenty of service companies still run QuickBooks Desktop on one office PC. Here is how to get its customer list into a scheduling system cleanly, and what to tidy first.
Customer self-inspections: let customers show you before you roll a truck
A lot of truck rolls start with “I can’t tell from the phone call.” Guided photo and video steps let customers show you instead, in a form your office can act on.
Solar install scheduling: crews, equipment and the inspection
An install is a few days, a crew, a lift and an inspection at the end. Here’s how to keep all four lined up, and where California’s AB 1738 changes the last step.
AB 1738 for contractors: getting ready for remote inspections
California’s Remote Virtual Inspection Act changes how many home energy jobs get their permit inspections. Here is what it means for the contractor doing the work, in plain language.
A rental unit inspection checklist that holds up later
A move-out dispute is usually won or lost on the move-in record. Here’s what a good checklist covers and how to make the evidence hard to argue with.
Spanish customer communication without a bilingual office
Many service companies have Spanish-speaking customers and an office that mostly works in English. Here’s how to serve both well, from the request form to the last email.
Floor care scheduling across every building you clean
The nightly clean is routine. The periodic work, like floors, carpets and glass, is where buildings get missed. Here’s how to keep it on the calendar.
Service response times: set promises your office can keep
A response time is a promise. Here’s how to pick targets per job type, count them fairly, and see which jobs are slipping while there’s still time to act.
Rain day rescheduling without losing the week
A wet morning shouldn’t cost you the rest of the week. Here’s how to decide, move a day’s work in one go and keep customers informed without a phone marathon.
Plumbing service calls: answer fast, promise honestly, close with proof
A burst pipe and a slow drain both start as a phone call. Here’s how to sort them, schedule them and close them without the day falling apart.
Drive time between jobs: the hours your schedule forgets
A day that looks full on paper often runs late because the schedule never counted the driving. Here is how to plan for it, and how Sentra Scheduler does the math as you schedule.
Window cleaning route planning: a practical guide
A window cleaning crew earns money on the glass, not in the truck. Here is how to plan routes that keep crews working, and how Sentra Scheduler builds them from the schedule.
Pest control service plans that run themselves
Monthly restaurants, quarterly homes and a yearly termite check all live on the same calendar. Here’s how to keep each plan on time and each visit on record.
Crew scheduling with trucks, equipment and time off
Most scheduling mistakes aren’t about the job. They’re about the truck that’s already out, the lift on another crew or the technician who’s off on Thursday.
Scheduling HVAC maintenance agreements so no visit slips
Maintenance agreements are steady revenue and loyal customers, as long as the visits actually happen. Here’s how to keep spring and fall tune-ups from falling through the cracks.
Crew capacity planning: will next spring fit?
The busy season is rarely a surprise; how far over capacity it runs usually is. A simple comparison of work needed against days available shows the problem months early.
An online service request form that gets you a usable job
A contact form gets you “please call me”. A request form built around your services gets you an address, the right questions answered and photos, before anyone in the office picks up the phone.
Proof of service photos: what to require and why
A photo taken at the end of a visit is the cheapest insurance a service company can buy. Here’s how to require the right ones without slowing anyone down.
Getting a customer signature on completion, every time
A signed ticket answers “Did you actually come?” before anyone asks. Here’s how to make sign-off routine without slowing crews down.
Moving from a spreadsheet to scheduling software without losing a year
The workbook you plan the year in already holds most of what a scheduling system needs. Here is how to tidy it, bring it over safely and switch without a gap.
Recurring service scheduling without the spreadsheet
Most service companies live on repeat work. Here is how to set it up so visits never slip, and how Sentra Scheduler turns each job into visits in the week they’re due.