Painter quote visits: settling colours before the job starts

Let customers book the quote visit online, and use it for two things: measuring and checking the walls, and starting the colour decision. Leave sample pots or swatches, and set a deadline for the final colour choice, a week before the job for example, written in the quote. Colours changed on the first morning cost a trip to the supplier and half a day; colours decided at the quote stage let you order paint in advance and start on time.

A painting quote depends on things you can only see on site: the surface to paint, the state of the walls and ceilings, cracks to fill, old wallpaper to strip, woodwork, furniture to move, access and height. A quote given over the phone from rough measurements either leaves you short or scares the customer with a safety margin.

The visit is also where the customer starts thinking about colours, often for the first time. Customers who see a colour on a small card and then on four walls are sometimes surprised. Starting the discussion at the visit gives them time to test before the job.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Each slot belongs to one service, with its own start and end. Customers pick a service, then a free slot. With one place per slot, a booked slot is full and disappears from your page.

Lengths and prices are examples: set your own, and leave travel time between visits. The paid colour consultation is optional; some customers want advice on colours beyond a quote, and it can be deducted from the job.

Ask for the basics in the booking note, so you arrive prepared. The public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note that you read in your new-booking email: address, rooms to paint, approximate surface, and whether they already have colours in mind.

Leave samples or suggest the customer buy test pots, and advise testing on two walls with different light, at different times of day. Write in the quote the date by which colours must be final. If the customer needs a second meeting to decide, book it with them from your calendar: create the slot and enter their name; email and phone are optional, and with the email they get a confirmation and a calendar file.

Once colours are final, order the paint and plan the job days. A job over several days is one slot per day on Book, since a slot sits within one day: create the working days and book the customer into each one from your calendar, with the rooms planned for each day in the note.

Customers can't move bookings online: they contact you, and you reschedule or cancel from your bookings list. Book doesn't email them about changes, so confirm the new date yourself. Book doesn't take payments, so state your deposit and payment terms in the quote. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.