Fitting days for fitted furniture: access, timing, snagging

Agree fitting days directly with the client once the pieces are made, book them yourself in your calendar as one slot per day, and send a short checklist: who will be there to open, where you can park and unload, which room must be cleared, and whether dust is a concern. Plan a short adjustment visit a few weeks later, once doors have settled and the client has used the piece. Fitting then runs to plan, and the job ends with a check, not a phone call about a door that won't close.

The workshop part is under your control; the client's home isn't. A van can't park, the lift is booked for someone else's move, the room is still full of boxes, the client is at work and nobody can open the door. Each of these costs you a morning. They're avoidable when both sides know in advance what the day needs.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Slots sit within one day, so a fitting that takes two days is two slots, one per day. Rather than opening fitting days to the public, agree the dates with the client and book them from your calendar: first and last name are required, email and phone optional. Add the client's email so they receive a confirmation with a calendar file for each day. With one place, each booked slot is full and doesn't appear on your page.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own. If the fitting price is part of your quote, say in the description that it's included in the quoted price, or show the day rate you use.

Send the list with the fitting dates, and check it with the client a few days before. It takes ten minutes and saves a wasted morning.

Protect floors and door frames before carrying anything in. Fit, scribe, fix, then adjust doors and drawers. Before you leave, walk the client through the piece: how to adjust hinges, how to care for the finish, what to avoid in the first weeks if paint or oil is still curing. Take photos of the finished work; they help if a question comes up later.

A late delivery of panels, a paint finish that needs another day to cure, a client whose building work isn't finished: fitting dates sometimes move. Call the client as soon as you know, agree a new date, and reschedule the booking from your bookings list; you can move it to any slot with a free place. If the fitting spans two days and only one moves, move just that booking. Update the checklist if anything changes, such as a different person opening the door, and confirm the new date in writing.

Wood moves with the seasons and heating, and doors settle once they're used. A short visit a few weeks after fitting lets you realign doors, tighten fixings and fix anything the client noticed. Book it with the client at the end of the fitting day, from your calendar, so it isn't forgotten. It also shows the client you stand behind the work.

Clients can't move bookings online: they contact you, you reschedule or cancel from your bookings list and let them know, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. With calendar sync (Google, iPhone, Mac), fitting days sit next to your workshop schedule. Book doesn't take payments; it handles appointments. It costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.