Fix the Plumbing Before Adding AI
Greetings Community 👋🏿 A concept I’ve thought about a lot: automating a broken workflow doesn’t save time, it just makes the mess move faster. A lot of teams jump straight to automation and the newest AI tools while the systems underneath are already disconnected: scattered user records, inconsistent permissions, duplicate data, and no clear source of truth. Identity is one of the best places to start. A well-managed IdP gives you a central place to manage users, access, and the SaaS applications your business depends on. It makes implementing SSO, provisioning, and deprovisioning across applications cleaner while establishing clear ownership of identity and access. Now you have a cleaner foundation to connect systems and build automations that actually make sense. Otherwise, you’re just automating the mess.Should owners still work in the field once they have employees?
I think there’s a balance. An owner who never touches the field can lose sight of what the team is actually dealing with. Long drive times. Bad notes. Locked gates. Difficult yards. Awkward customer requests. Routes that look fine on the calendar but feel rough in real life. Getting back in the field occasionally keeps you connected to the work and helps you spot problems you won’t see from behind a screen. But there’s a danger too. If the business only survives because the owner jumps in every time there’s a gap, the owner may still be the safety net holding everything together. I’ve had seasons where covering routes was necessary. Employees were out, someone was leaving, or the schedule had to get done. That’s part of ownership. But if it becomes the normal plan, burnout creeps in fast. The field can teach you what needs to be fixed. It shouldn’t become the place you hide from fixing it. Do you still work in the field, or have you fully removed yourself from production?Is “the customer is always right” hurting service businesses?
I don’t think the customer is always right. Customers deserve respect. They deserve clear communication, fair treatment, and a business that fixes mistakes when they happen. But that doesn’t mean every request is reasonable. A customer may ask for an exact arrival time your route can’t support. Or someone expects free work outside the agreed scope. Another client talks down to your team because they think paying the invoice gives them permission. Those situations affect the whole business. The owner starts making exceptions that turn into expectations. Good service needs boundaries. For us, that means clear policies around service windows, locked gates, aggressive dogs, weather, skipped visits, and what’s included in a visit. When we mess up, we make it right. When a customer ignores the policy or creates an unsafe situation, I can’t treat that the same way. That line matters. Where do you draw the line between taking care of the customer and letting the customer run the business?How early is too early to start servicing a customer?
This came up for me because summer routes can get brutal. When temperatures are pushing 95 to 100 degrees, I don’t want my team out in the hottest part of the day if it can be avoided. In our line of work, the job is outside. It’s physical. There’s no shade in a lot of backyards. The heat wears people down fast. So my general opinion is this: If the sun is up, visibility is good, and the technician can clearly see the yard, then it’s reasonable to start service. For pet waste removal, that means we can see the ground, see the waste, safely walk the property, check gates, read yard conditions, and do the job to our standard. I don’t think the clock alone should decide whether it’s “too early.” The bigger question is whether the customer has been properly prepared for how your service operates. If a customer thinks you’re coming between 10 AM and noon, and you show up at 6:30 AM, that’s going to feel wrong to them. If your onboarding explains that service may begin early during summer months, especially to protect technicians from extreme heat, then the expectation is different. Communication is what makes the difference. For us, this is why customer expectations matter so much. You can’t surprise people with an early arrival and then act like they should have known. They need to know upfront: what your service window is whether you give exact arrival times how much notice they get before arrival what happens if dogs are outside what happens if gates are locked why summer routes may start earlier how you handle extreme heat days I’m a big believer in the on-the-way message. If the customer gets a reasonable heads-up before arrival, they can bring dogs inside, unlock the gate, or prepare for the visit. That message matters even more when service starts early. The goal is not to sneak onto a property before people are awake. It is to run the route safely, protect the team, and still give customers enough communication to feel respected. There’s also a real operations side to this. If you wait until late morning to start every summer route, the team may end up doing the hardest part of the day in the worst heat. That can affect: speed morale safety quality callbacks employee retention A customer may prefer a later visit. But the business also has to protect the people doing the work. If we can safely complete a yard at 7 AM instead of 2 PM on a 100-degree day, that’s usually better for the technician and the route. The key is making sure your policy is clear before it becomes a problem. For example: “During summer months, our team may begin routes earlier in the day to avoid extreme heat. You’ll still receive an on-the-way message before arrival so dogs can be secured and gates can be accessible.” That one line can prevent a lot of confusion. This is another example of something that feels small until the business grows. When you’re solo, you can adjust everything manually. Once you have a team, policies matter more. You need a standard that protects the customer, the technician, and the route. How early is too early for your team to start work? And do your customers know your summer service window before the appointment happens?What Do You Do To Minimize Workers Comp Claim Exposure?
I had an employee that was with me for maybe 5 weeks that I was going to let go (wasn't meshing well with the team, not very coachable) and then he "pulled his back" on a job site picking something up incorrectly. He even said he went to pick up a heavy object sideways and with one arm. He's been on workers comp 10 months and between treatment and his compensation, the claim is over $100k! My company is in California so we probably have the least favorable laws for companies. My insurance guy said we did everything right. Sent him to a facility right away to be evaluated, called workers comp. Since then we have implemented a "buddy lifting" training. My insurance guy also told me that even if we documented that he has a history of doing things incorrectly, that he would still be in the workers comp system. So my question to you guys - what measures do you take to prevent something like this from happening? Do you have regular safety meetings? Trainings? What do those look like?How do you handle aggressive dogs on a property?
This is one of those policies I think every home service business should have clearly defined. In our business, if we arrive to service a yard and an aggressive dog is outside, we leave the yard immediately. We do not try to “see if the dog is friendly.” We do not try to finish quickly. We do not assume the customer knows the dog is out. The process is simple: Exit the yard Secure the gate if possible Knock or ring the doorbell Call and text the customer Wait for a response if the schedule allows Leave if there is no answer Some dogs are just excited or curious. That’s different. But if a dog is showing aggressive behavior, the job stops. For certain properties with a history of aggressive dogs, we also require written confirmation from the customer before entering the yard. That protects the technician, the customer, and the business. I know some customers may feel like we are being overly cautious, but a dog bite can turn into a serious issue very quickly. It can affect: Employee safety Workers’ comp Insurance Customer relationships Route timing Future service decisions I’d rather explain a skipped visit than have a technician get hurt trying to complete a job that was not safe. This also has to be communicated clearly during onboarding. Customers need to know that service depends on safe access to the property. If the dog is aggressive or cannot be safely secured, we cannot complete the job. What is your policy when there is an aggressive dog, unsafe access, or a customer-controlled issue that prevents service?How to start an in house training center for painting?
I am looking for feedback on starting a training center for residential painting. We have a shop but it is kind of small for what I am looking at doing. Is there any creative ways I could go about purchasing, or leasing a building that is specifically for training and education? My goal would be to hire on young men and women who are interested in the painting trade and have a facility to train them in before they every step foot on a job. For example, there would be a class room to learn about products and applications. Then there would be actually rooms built out and small exterior walls build out with different substrates to actually train applications. I would hire some of my current employees to be paid extra to run classes and training. What do you think? Am I dreaming too big or is this something I could accomplish? How could I go about making this happen?
