We’ve all been there: You have an exterior job scheduled to begin Monday, but the forecast is calling for rain Tuesday and Wednesday. Your crew can get the house power-washed, but things might not dry out enough for painting until Friday. Now what?!
Scheduling problems are more likely to happen on exterior jobs, and painters can’t take the day off because the weather doesn’t cooperate. No one likes to start a job that can’t be finished, but when you wash a house or it rains, you need to allow time for the surface dry properly. Otherwise, trapped moisture can result in huge bubbles in the paint as the sun draws the moisture out. If you learn the art of juggling, you’ll be able to keep your crew busy in any weather.
Educate your clients – Explain the stages of each job (prep, drying, painting, drying, etc.) and why some stages take longer than others. Most clients prefer a job well-done to a rushed job. Explain how weather affects the various stages of the project.
Prioritize – When possible, prioritize exterior jobs for fair-weather days. Consider offering a “Rainy Day Special” to clients with small jobs who are flexible with scheduling. When your crew can’t work outside, you’ll have interior work lined up. This will help keep your crews busy no matter what the weather does.
Contingency Plan: Training – Keep your crew active and engaged (or risk them looking elsewhere for work). If you run out of interior one-day jobs or you just need to fill half a day, it’s a good opportunity to train your employees. Have a meeting to review safety procedures; go over new products and application methods; or give them some hands-on estimating practice with PEP Cloud. Look at a rainy day as an opportunity to educate your crew and make your company stronger!
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