Should you fire customers who only want the bare minimum service?
This is a hard one because those customers are still paying you. And when you’re growing, it feels wrong to turn away money. I’ve had to think about this a lot in my own business because the bare minimum customer can quietly become one of the hardest customers to serve profitably. In pet waste removal, this usually shows up with frequency. Someone has 3 or 4 dogs and wants every-other-week service. Or they want monthly service. From the customer’s point of view, they’re trying to save money. I get that. But from the operations side, that yard can become a completely different job. A weekly yard may take 10-15 minutes. That same customer on every-other-week or monthly service may turn into a 30, 40, or 45-minute cleanup. Now the technician is behind. The route gets pushed and is harder on the body. The customer is still expecting it to look great. Plus your business is making less money per hour. That’s where the bare minimum becomes a problem. They may technically be a paying customer, but the job no longer fits the way the business needs to operate. I used to be more flexible with this. I wanted to help people or to lose the sale. And assumed a lower frequency was better than no customer at all. Then I started paying attention to what those jobs were doing to the route. They were taking too long and wearing out the techs. At least from my experience, these types of accounts created more room for complaints. They were lowering the quality of the day for better-fit customers. Eventually, we made the decision to remove monthly service. We also made every-other-week service available only for customers with fewer than 2 dogs. If someone has 3 or more dogs, weekly service makes more sense for the customer, the yard, the technician, and the business. That boundary protects the operation. It also protects the customer experience. Because if the service frequency is too low for the amount of waste being produced, the customer may still blame the company when the yard doesn’t feel as clean as they expected. That creates a bad situation for everyone. And this can show up in other industries too. A customer wants the cheapest maintenance plan but expects premium response time. Or they want the smallest cleanup package but expects the full deep clean. Maybe they'll ask to skip recommended work and then gets upset when the result doesn’t hold up. A customer wants the lowest level of service but still wants the highest level of outcome. That mismatch creates tension. I don’t think every customer who wants a lower option is a bad customer. Some people truly need a temporary down-sell because of finances, travel, life changes, or seasonality. I’m willing to work with that when it still makes sense. But there’s a difference between a temporary adjustment and a customer who consistently wants the cheapest version of the service while expecting the business to absorb the consequences. Those customers can cost more than they pay. Sometimes the best move is to explain the standard clearly: “Based on the number of dogs and the amount of waste, weekly service is the lowest frequency we can offer and still provide the level of service we’re comfortable putting our name on.” That kind of policy may lose some customers. But it can also protect your route, your team, your quality, and your profit. Do you allow customers to choose the bare minimum service, even when you know it may create problems later? Or have you created minimum standards for who you will and won’t serve?Phase 3 Preparation Tips for Jobber Grant Applicants
To everyone who may be advancing to Phase 3 of the Jobber Grants competition, congratulations on making it this far. The work you put in now can help your business long after this competition. Here are a few things I’d recommend focusing on: Review your full application and be ready to speak confidently about everything you submitted. Practice explaining your business in 30–60 seconds. Keep it simple, clear, and memorable. Know exactly how you would use the grant and the impact it would have on your business. Update your website, LinkedIn, and social media so your online presence reflects your business professionally. Refresh your business plan and make sure it reflects your latest progress and goals. Know your numbers—customers, revenue (if applicable), milestones, growth, and future goals. Practice answering questions out loud. Confidence comes from preparation and repetition. Be ready to explain what makes your business unique and why now is the right time for it. Organize your financial information and important business documents in case they’re needed. Create a simple one-page overview of your business that clearly explains your mission and vision. Gather testimonials, reviews, or customer feedback if you have them. Social proof adds credibility. Stay informed about your industry so you can confidently discuss current trends and opportunities. Build relationships with other founders. Networking often creates opportunities beyond this competition. Don’t memorize answers. Know your story well enough that your passion comes through naturally. Take care of yourself. Get enough rest, stay focused, and walk into every opportunity with confidence. Most importantly, act like you’ve already made it to Phase 3. Use this time to strengthen your business, improve your brand, and prepare for every opportunity ahead. Wishing everyone the best of luck. No matter who moves forward, keep building, keep learning, and keep believing in what you’re creating. Your next breakthrough could be closer than you think.What's the #1 Jobber feature that saved your sanity this season?
When you're running a home service business, every minute saved on admin is a minute you get back in the field—or with your family. If you had to pick just one tool in Jobber that changed the game for your business, what is it? Automatic Follow-ups: (No more chasing down unpaid invoices) The Client Hub: (Letting clients approve quotes 24/7) On-My-Way Texts: (Keeping customers happy and informed) GPS Routing: (Saving fuel and tight scheduling) Tell us your pick and how much time it actually saves you every week!How do you handle the "While you're here, can you just..." clients without awkwardness?
It happens on almost every job—you quote a specific scope of work, show up, and the homeowner asks for a "quick favor" that adds 20 minutes to your day. How do you guys politely pivot them into a paid add-on without killing the customer experience?How Fast Do You Pick Up a Phone Call or Call Someone Back After a Missed Call?
Curious how everyone here handles this, because a new Jobber survey of recent homebuyers turned up a stat that stuck with me: 15% had to follow up repeatedly just to get a response from a contractor 9% never heard back at all Losing potential business due to something that is not a pricing problem or a skill problem should be a wake up call. In a world where 75% of new homeowners hire a pro within their first two years of buying, being the one who calls back first might be the easiest job you win all week! So, what's your business standard? Do you answer within a certain time frame or let it go to voicemail and call back same day? Are there systems set up so nothing slips through the cracks? 👉 Recent Homebuyer Report: It's got homeowner quotes on what made them trust (or ditch) a contractor, plus a breakdown of how each generation actually finds a pro.Let’s Support Each Other - Introduce Yourself Below!
We’re all working hard to grow our businesses, and one of the greatest strengths of this community is the opportunity to support one another. If you see a member who could benefit from a referral, make the connection. If someone asks a question and you have experience, share what you’ve learned. Celebrate each other’s wins, encourage one another through challenges, and help create opportunities whenever you can. A single referral, recommendation, or connection could make a real difference for someone’s business. Let’s build a community where we don’t just grow our own businesses—we help each other grow too. 👇 Introduce yourself below: Business name Service(s) you offer City & State (or Country) One way the community can support your businessWhat's one Jobber feature you wish you had started using sooner?
I've been exploring how different home service businesses use Jobber, and it's interesting that two companies can use the same software in completely different ways. What's one feature, workflow, or habit that made you think: "I wish I'd known about this six months ago." Whether it's scheduling, quoting, invoicing, client communication, reminders, or something else, I'd love to hear what's made the biggest difference for your business. Hopefully this thread helps newer members discover some hidden gems too.Should customers get credits when service is skipped for weather, holidays, or access issues?
This is always an interesting debate for recurring service businesses. I think a lot of the confusion comes from how customers view recurring billing versus how route-based businesses have to operate. A customer may think: “I pay monthly, so if you skipped one visit, I should get a credit.” From their perspective, that makes sense. But from the business side, monthly pricing is usually averaged out over the year. Some months have 5 service days. Some months have 4. Some weeks take longer because of weather, extra growth, heavier debris, snow melt, backed-up yards, or delayed access. For us, the monthly price is built around keeping the service consistent over time, not charging each individual visit like a separate transaction. Weather makes this more complicated. If there’s heavy snow, lightning, unsafe roads, extreme heat, or conditions that make the job unsafe, we may have to skip or adjust routes. Access issues are another one. If a gate is locked, an aggressive dog is outside, or the yard is not safely accessible, the technician still drove there, lost time on the route, and may have to communicate with the customer before moving on. That skipped service still costs the business something. Holidays can create the same problem. If you try to reschedule every skipped holiday visit, the rest of the week can get overloaded fast. Then one holiday affects: route timing employee hours customer communication payroll job quality the next day’s schedule This is why I think the policy matters more than the individual situation. Customers should know upfront: what happens when weather prevents service what happens when the gate is locked what happens when a dog is out which holidays are observed whether skipped visits are credited, rescheduled, or built into averaged pricing how communication will be handled In our business, I don’t want technicians making case-by-case judgment calls in the field while the customer is upset. That creates inconsistency. The policy needs to be clear enough that the customer understands it before the issue happens. That said, I also think there’s room for judgment. If we make a mistake, that’s different. If we miss a yard because of something on our end, we need to make it right. But if service is skipped because the yard is inaccessible, unsafe, or affected by a policy the customer already agreed to, that should be handled differently than a company error. Do you give credits when service is skipped for weather, holidays, or access issues? Or do you build those situations into your monthly pricing and service terms from the start?
