A short discovery checklist for Joe
Allow about 15–20 minutes. Use three real booking examples to check the whole workflow.
- Walk through three recent bookings.A routine service, an unclear problem, and a day that was already full. What information and follow-up did each need?
- Agree which jobs belong online.Which work does Joe want, what should be excluded, and which service descriptions and prices can be published?
- Choose when and how Joe reviews requests.What notification is least disruptive, how quickly can he respond, and what happens if a request is missed?
- Rehearse the exceptions.Try another date, no customer reply, missing details, cancellation, and a request Joe cannot accept.
- Complete the paper-diary handover.When is the entry made? How are cancellations and changes kept in sync? Check this adds no extra copying or calls.
- Set a small, reversible pilot.Agree duration, support, any external costs and spending limit. Compare total booking effort, callbacks, errors and customer convenience; stop or revise if work gets harder.
Independent first.Keep the proof of concept on its own private address. No parent-site administration, domain changes or Google profile access are needed. Use brief content Joe approves; explore shared content and a parent-site link later.
Before accepting real customers
Verify message delivery, secure customer records, response expectations and diary follow-through. Agree the pilot terms and how to switch it off if it makes Joe’s work harder.