Problem guide
New customers take too long to set up
New customers take too long to set up because their information has to be collected by one person and typed into several systems by others, while credit checks, tax forms and site details wait on people who have other jobs. List every piece of information a new customer needs, collect it once at the start, and track each new account until it is ready for work and billing.
What it usually looks like
A property management firm signs up for service on three buildings. The salesperson emails the office a name and a phone number. The office manager calls for billing details, then calls again for tax exemption paperwork. Dispatch calls a third time for site contacts and gate codes. The first job gets scheduled before credit terms are approved, because the owner is traveling. The crew finishes the work, but billing cannot invoice a customer who does not exist in the system yet. The first invoice goes out three weeks later, to the salesperson's contact instead of accounts payable.
Signs you have this problem
- The first job is scheduled before the customer exists in the billing system
- The office asks new customers for the same information more than once
- The first invoice goes out late or to the wrong contact
- Tax exemption forms, credit applications or insurance certificates are still missing after work starts
- Crews show up at a new site without access details or a site contact
What usually causes it
- Customer details are typed separately into quoting, scheduling and billingThe re-entry trap
- Credit approval and terms wait on a manager or owner before the account can be openedApproval drag
- Sales wins the customer and hands off an email, not a complete accountThe handoff gap
What to try this week
- Time the last ten new accountsFor each recent new customer, note when they said yes, when they were ready to schedule and when they were ready to bill. The longest gap is where to look.
- List what a new account needsWrite one list of everything required: billing contact, service sites, site access, tax status, credit terms, insurance needs and purchase order rules. Most delays are an item nobody knew was missing.
- Collect it onceBuild one intake form or checklist that sales or the office completes with the customer at the start. Stop asking for the same details again later.
- Track each new accountKeep a short list of accounts in setup with what is still missing and who owns it. Review it every few days.
- Set approval rules ahead of timeDecide in advance which accounts get standard terms without a manager's sign-off, so most setups do not wait on one person.
Where do-it-yourself stops
These steps shorten setup and cut down repeat requests to the customer. They still leave the office typing the same customer into several systems, where each copy can drift from the others. A lasting fix is a tool built around your own quoting, scheduling and billing systems, so a customer's details are collected once and every system starts from the same record. That is what a Workflow Spec designs.
Questions people ask
Why does setting up a new customer take so long?
Because the details are collected by one person and typed into several systems by others, and approvals like credit terms wait on someone with other priorities.
Should work wait until the account is fully set up?
For most customers, the account should be ready to bill before the first job finishes. Decide which items can follow and which cannot, and hold to it.
Who should own new customer setup?
One role, usually in the office, with sales responsible for handing over a complete intake. Shared ownership is how accounts stall.
Does slow setup affect the customer relationship?
Often. Repeated requests for the same information and a late or wrong first invoice set the tone for the whole account.
How do we know if it is getting faster?
Keep timing new accounts from yes to ready to bill. Compare the gap before and after you introduce the checklist.
Next step
How we fix this
This guide is how to find it and work around it. If it keeps coming back, the fix is usually a tool built around how your crew already works.
Fox & Santiago, Genesee, Idaho. Home territory: the Inland Northwest, where we respond fastest. We fly anywhere in the United States for paid engagements.