The problem
Small snags spotted after you've packed up mean a return trip: missed cutting-in behind a radiator, paint on a switch plate, a door that sticks. Each return visit takes about 2.5 hours including travel. At 3 a month and $40£30€36A$58C$56 an hour, that's $299£225€268A$432C$423 of time, and the final payment often waits until they're done.
What the AI does
ServiceM8's smart checklists and tasks sit on each job, so the last task on every job is a snagging walk-round with the customer: cutting-in lines, switch plates, radiators, doors, windows and floors. Before and after photos taken in the app are saved to the job, which also helps when a customer says a mark was caused by you. Both features are on every ServiceM8 plan.
A worked example
A sole-trader decorator in Norwich does about 10 jobs a month, quoted and invoiced in ServiceM8 Starter ($33£25€30A$48C$47 a month excluding VAT). Every job ends with a 10-minute snagging checklist done with the customer, and each room is photographed before starting and after finishing.
Before
3 return trips a month for snags, about 2.5 hours each
After
1 return trip a month, and fewer arguments about existing damage
What it's worth
About $133£100€119A$192C$188 a month of time saved, at $40£30€36A$58C$56 an hour: 2 fewer return trips (5 hours) less about 1.7 hours of 10-minute walk-rounds on 10 jobs. That is against $33£25€30A$48C$47 a month for ServiceM8 Starter.
How to set it up
- Write one snagging checklist for every job: cutting-in lines, switch plates and sockets, radiators, door edges and handles, windows, floors and skirting.
- Add it as the last task on each job in ServiceM8.
- Photograph each room before you start, including any existing damage, and again when you finish.
- Do the walk-round with the customer on the last day and fix what you find before packing up.
- Send the final invoice once the checklist is done, while the customer is pleased with the work.
What goes wrong
- A checklist done alone at 5pm misses what the customer will notice. Do it with them, in daylight if you can.
- Photos of customers' homes are personal data under UK GDPR. Keep them to the work, and tell customers you take them.
- Each new quote or job uses one of the plan's job credits. Starter covers 50 a month; the free plan covers 30.