Showing up on time is a very difficult thing to do consistently, but I have compiled a list of tips and tricks to show up on time as consistently as possible!

Keep a digital calendar

For us, we use Zippity for almost all our scheduling needs. We also have used acuity scheduling which meets broader service market needs. This keeps us on track for how long an appointment takes, how long it will take to get there, and how much buffer time between appointments we should have. Now, this can be hard to do manually, and it takes trial and error, but these methods can apply to anything, not just mobile car detailing services. Keeping a digital calendar like Google Calendar can allow you to create a standard procedure for how long any service or task you complete will take. Getting ready in the morning? For some it takes 30 minutes, for others, it takes 2 hours. Allocating that time in the morning is crucial. Also, choosing a digital calendar that has a mobile app is also a must in today’s world.

Another aspect that’s crucial if you’re working on teams is to be able to share the calendar with everyone and be able to edit the calendar.

Tip for using navigation apps:

when you are traveling less than 10 miles, add 2 minutes to your ETA for the actual ETA. When traveling more than 10 miles add 4 minutes to your ETA for a more realistic ETA. This will help build credibility and trust with your client that you show up exactly when you say you will. We use Google Maps for our navigation. Waze is also very accurate but the user interface is a bit clunky.

Prepare to leave 30 minutes early

When getting ready for the day, make sure you are ready to leave 30 minutes before you actually have to leave. Sometimes things come up where you remember last minute that you have to go somewhere or pick up something. Sometimes there’s traffic, and navigation apps that update on a minute-to-minute basis can change, and it’s best to check these apps closely when you near your departure time.

Getting work done faster, try not to do this!

While it’s tempting to try to get work done faster, it is overall a bad idea for your mental health, product or serving quality, and cutting corners leads to bad mindsets of what you can get away with. Keep it consistent, and if you are doing the legwork to understand how long things take to perform the level of quality you need to deliver, you can feel more comfortable saying no to clients. Tell them that you can’t do that to them, that if they want the quality of work they want, they have to wait. Tell them you won’t end up hurting their bottom line, just to get it done sooner.

Be realistic about your schedule

One of the ways we mitigate being late is to reschedule appointments so that the customer has the ability to understand and approve a different time. Rather than us trying to explain why we’re late, by contacting a customer before the day of the appointment and letting them know the previous appointments might take longer than expected.

“Hi there Mr./Mrs. Client, it seems the appointment before yours on day/time might take longer than expected. To make sure we are on time for your appointment we would like to reschedule your appointment to an hour later. Is this okay with you?”

This is completely different than: “Hi there Mr./Mrs. Client, we’re running late and won’t be able to make it there for another hour! So sorry, we’ll see you soon though!”

You can solve problems before they happen by sucking up the pain of admitting you made a scheduling error and allow the customer to feel the pain before the day of the appointment so that the experience on the day of the appointment can still be a great experience and there won’t be any rescheduling pains right beforehand.

Saying No

This leads us to the main point, staying focused and on time is about saying no. If something can’t be delivered to the results you want, say no to new requests. Manage expectations with customers by staying communicative throughout the process and letting them know you are doing your best to deliver the best results on time. As long as people feel like they control some part of the situation, they usually are okay with even being a little bit late. Whether it goes for business deals or showing up on time for appointments, communication is necessary, and saying no when you need to is part of that communication that will actually build confidence in the client.

These are a few tips and tricks that I hope help you in work, daily life, and business. Stay shining San Diego!