Redacted client audit
Shared with client permission. Identifying details have been removed. Reclaimable hours are estimates from the audit, not measured results or a guarantee.

Electrical Contractor

Team13 people
Work mixResidential service, upgrades & light commercial
21reclaimable hours / month
Executive summary

What we found and what to do about it.

21 hrsestimated reclaimable capacity each month
31.5hours of recurring friction identified each month
7specific workflow problems identified
3quick wins that can start this week
Main finding
Most avoidable time is being lost at handoffs. Field information reaches the office incomplete, scheduling decisions depend on knowledge held by one person, and repeatable office work is still being rebuilt or handled manually.
Largest issue
Job closeout is the clearest immediate leak. Roughly seven jobs per week require office clarification before they are fully invoice-ready.
Operational risk
Scheduling logic is overly concentrated with one dispatcher. The calendar is visible to others, but the reasoning behind changes, technician fit and exceptions often is not.
Recommended decisionApprove the one-week quick wins immediately, then spend the rest of the month stabilizing scheduling and measuring what actually changed.
This week

Quick wins that can be done in 5 working days.

These are intentionally small. The goal is to produce visible improvement now, not begin a six-month project.

1

Pilot the technician closeout checklist

Catch missing job information before it reaches the office.

OwnerOffice manager + 2 technicians
Setup2–3 hours
2

Turn on customer status messages

Reduce routine ETA calls immediately.

OwnerOffice manager
Setup60–90 minutes
3

Build the first two estimate templates

Prove the template approach before building all five.

OwnerEstimator / owner
Setup2–4 hours
By the end of the week: these changes should be live, tested on real work, and producing baseline data we can compare against next month.
The Friction List

All seven findings, ranked.

The list separates the amount of friction happening today from the portion we believe can realistically be removed.

#FrictionCurrentReclaimable
01Completed jobs arrive at the office missing information7 hrs/mo5 hrs
02Scheduling depends heavily on one person6.5 hrs/mo4.5 hrs
03Common estimates still start from old estimates5 hrs/mo3.5 hrs
04Customers call for routine scheduling updates4 hrs/mo3 hrs
05Unsold estimates rely on manual follow-up3 hrs/mo2 hrs
06Permit status is tracked in too many places3.5 hrs/mo1.5 hrs
07Payroll starts with chasing technicians for hours2.5 hrs/mo1.5 hrs
Total31.5 hrs/mo21 hrs/mo

Priority matrix

Higher is more operational impact. Further right means more implementation effort.

Impact ↑
Do first
Plan carefully
Easy, lower return
Defer
1Job closeout
2Scheduling dependency
3Estimate templates
4Customer updates
5Estimate follow-up
6Permit tracking
7Payroll cleanup
Implementation effort →
Findings + fixes

What is happening, how to fix it, and how to know it worked.

01

Completed jobs arrive at the office missing information

Do first
Evidence: Job completion regularly triggers office follow-up for missing materials, photos, work details or confirmation before the job is invoice-ready.
Current 7 hrs/mo Reclaimable 5 hrs/mo Effort Low Owner Office manager + field lead
Recommended fix

Make “job complete” actually mean complete.

Job completion regularly triggers office follow-up for missing materials, photos, work details or confirmation before the job is invoice-ready.

How to fix it

  1. Define the six fields that must be complete before a service job can close.
  2. Pilot the checklist with two technicians for five working days.
  3. Review every exception at the end of the week and remove any field that is not genuinely needed.
Success measure: Jobs requiring office clarification: ~7/week → target under 2/week.
Today
Job done → office checks notes → missing detail → text/call tech → wait → update → invoice ready
→
After
Job done → required closeout fields completed → missing items caught immediately → invoice ready
02

Scheduling depends heavily on one person

High priority
Evidence: When the dispatcher is unavailable, the calendar remains visible but much of the reasoning behind changes, technician fit and exceptions does not.
Current 6.5 hrs/mo Reclaimable 4.5 hrs/mo Effort Medium Owner Dispatcher + owner
Recommended fix

Get the scheduling rules out of one person’s head.

When the dispatcher is unavailable, the calendar remains visible but much of the reasoning behind changes, technician fit and exceptions does not.

How to fix it

  1. Write down the 8–10 rules the dispatcher already uses: job type, geography, duration, emergency handling and technician fit.
  2. Create a short daily exception list for work that actually requires judgment.
  3. Have a backup person run one scheduling block using the documented rules and note what is still missing.
Success measure: Routine scheduling questions requiring the dispatcher → reduce by at least 50%.
Today
Change happens → dispatcher applies personal knowledge → team asks for guidance → decisions wait during absence
→
After
Change happens → shared rules handle standard case → exception list surfaces real decisions
03

Common estimates still start from old estimates

High priority
Evidence: Repeatable jobs are often priced by finding a similar past estimate, copying it and rebuilding the details from there.
Current 5 hrs/mo Reclaimable 3.5 hrs/mo Effort Low Owner Estimator / owner
Recommended fix

Build the first five estimates once.

Repeatable jobs are often priced by finding a similar past estimate, copying it and rebuilding the details from there.

How to fix it

  1. Identify the five most repeated job types from the last 90 days.
  2. Create a reviewed template for each with standard scope, exclusions, options and customer language.
  3. Require templates to be reviewed monthly so pricing does not drift.
Success measure: Average prep time for repeatable estimates → target 10–15 minutes less per estimate.
Today
New estimate → search old jobs → copy something similar → edit → re-check scope and language
→
After
New estimate → choose approved template → adjust scope/options → final review → send
04

Customers call for routine scheduling updates

High priority
Evidence: The office repeatedly answers ETA and appointment-status questions even though the scheduling information already exists.
Current 4 hrs/mo Reclaimable 3 hrs/mo Effort Low Owner Office manager
Recommended fix

Tell the customer before they ask.

The office repeatedly answers ETA and appointment-status questions even though the scheduling information already exists.

How to fix it

  1. Turn on booking confirmations, day-before reminders and technician-en-route messages in the existing system.
  2. Use one service category first so wording and timing can be tested safely.
  3. Count status calls for one week before and one week after.
Success measure: Routine ETA/status calls: ~3/day → target under 1/day.
Today
Customer waits → calls office → office checks schedule → gives update
→
After
Schedule status changes → customer receives update automatically
05

Unsold estimates rely on manual follow-up

Medium impact
Evidence: Estimate follow-up becomes inconsistent when the office is busy, so some open estimates receive no structured second touch.
Current 3 hrs/mo Reclaimable 2 hrs/mo Effort Low Owner Office manager / owner
Recommended fix

Let the system remember.

Estimate follow-up becomes inconsistent when the office is busy, so some open estimates receive no structured second touch.

How to fix it

  1. Create a simple day 2 / day 7 / day 21 follow-up sequence.
  2. Stop the sequence when the customer replies, accepts or declines.
  3. Keep large or unusual estimates on a personal owner follow-up list.
Success measure: Open estimates with no follow-up after 7 days → target zero.
Today
Estimate sent → reminder depends on memory → some customers hear back, some do not
→
After
Estimate sent → follow-up cadence runs → responses update status
06

Permit status is tracked in too many places

Medium impact
Evidence: Permit status is checked across municipal portals, inboxes and internal memory rather than from one shared source of truth.
Current 3.5 hrs/mo Reclaimable 1.5 hrs/mo Effort Low Owner Office admin
Recommended fix

Create one internal permit tracker.

Permit status is checked across municipal portals, inboxes and internal memory rather than from one shared source of truth.

How to fix it

  1. Track job, municipality, submitted date, status, next action, inspection date and portal link.
  2. Add saved instructions for the municipalities used most often.
  3. Review the tracker twice a week instead of checking permits ad hoc.
Success measure: Time spent locating permit status → target below 10 minutes per active permit per week.
Today
Need status → search email/portal/calendar → reconstruct what happened
→
After
Need status → open tracker → next action and link already visible
07

Payroll starts with chasing technicians for hours

Low impact
Evidence: Payroll preparation includes follow-up for missing or incomplete time entries instead of reviewing only true exceptions.
Current 2.5 hrs/mo Reclaimable 1.5 hrs/mo Effort Low Owner Office admin + field lead
Recommended fix

Make missing time the exception.

Payroll preparation includes follow-up for missing or incomplete time entries instead of reviewing only true exceptions.

How to fix it

  1. Require same-day mobile time submission tied to employee and job.
  2. Create one daily missing-time view rather than waiting until payroll day.
  3. Have the field lead own first follow-up before the office gets involved.
Success measure: Payroll-cycle time spent reconstructing hours → target under 30 minutes.
Today
Payroll day → find missing entries → text technicians → reconstruct hours
→
After
Daily exception list → missing entry fixed same day → payroll reviews clean data
30-day plan

What to do after the quick wins.

Use the first month to implement, measure and decide what deserves deeper work.

Week 1

Quick wins

Run the closeout pilot, status messages and first two estimate templates.

Week 2

Finish templates

Complete all five estimate templates and make them the default starting point.

Week 3

Scheduling rules

Document dispatch rules and test them with a backup person.

Week 4

Measure

Compare clarification jobs, status calls, estimate prep time and scheduling questions to baseline.

Estimated monthly recovery21 hours

Start with the one-week quick wins, measure the result, then work down the Friction List in priority order.