What’s your process for estimating job duration accurately—especially for new clients?

Question

Hi everyone!&nbsp;I’d love to hear how other service providers are improving accuracy when estimating job duration for first-time or new clients.In our business, one of the biggest challenges is avoiding time overruns or inconsistent job lengths—especially when the client’s description doesn’t quite match the actual condition of the home or site. We’re trying to streamline our scheduling so our team isn’t rushed, and the rest of the day stays on track.How do you all handle this?Do you rely on on-site walkthroughs?Do you use Jobber checklists or custom fields to help scope the job?Do you add buffer time for new clients?Any tips or red flags you look for before setting a time estimate?Thanks in advance! Always appreciate learning from this community.&nbsp;

coclean · Answer

It really depends on what your service is as to how to quote effectively.&nbsp; I do window cleaning and we price per pane but when I time the job for scheduling, I do it by the $/HR because I know what each of my employees can do on average.&nbsp; You can create buffers but keep them relatively small, no more than 30min per property.&nbsp; Your quoting style will help determine your efficiency, so you have to decide if onsite quoting helps you be more productive, or if customer pictures and online pictures are enough.&nbsp; The final best help is to train your employees to be cognisant of time, they can usually speed up if necessary.

brandensewell · Answer

When I price jobs I just try to add a buffer. And at the end of the day you will win big on some and not on others. I feel like that is just part of the game. I think trying to make it consistent is good but give yourself grace for when things don't work out perfectly as planned.

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What’s your process for estimating job duration accurately—especially for new clients?

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