Turn job notes and photos into a clean record

What to send

Start with the date, the customer and what you did. Add the materials, colors and product names, anything you told the customer, and anything you found along the way, like soft subfloor near the tub or rot behind the trim. Short is fine. You can type it or use the microphone on your phone keyboard and talk.

Photos help most when they show something words do not: before and after, the product label, the problem area with a tape measure in the shot. CrewBuddy reads photos, including handwriting on an estimate sheet. If something is cut off or hard to read, it asks you instead of guessing a number.

Two outputs from one message

The customer summary uses only what your notes and photos support. It says what was done, any care instructions you gave, and who to call with questions. Private notes, like “customer was difficult about parking,” stay out of it. If you want a PDF to attach, ask for one.

The private record lists the date, the work, materials, what you found and which photos go with it. CrewBuddy keeps the jobs, prices and names you give it in your assistant’s private files. It does not connect to Jobber or Housecall Pro, so if you keep job files there, paste the summary into the job or attach the PDF.

Fictional example of a private record line: “Oct 14, Henderson stairs: 13 treads sanded, 2 coats satin, soft spot on tread 9 noted for the customer, photos 1 to 4.” Short lines like that are easy to search later.

Why the record pays off later

A clear record answers the questions that come up months later. What color did we use in the Hendersons’ hallway? Which finish went on the stairs? Was the closet included in the price? Ask CrewBuddy by text and it looks through the records you have built up.

Keep only what you need. The FTC’s guide for businesses says that if you do not have a business need for sensitive personal information, do not keep it. Do not send CrewBuddy card numbers or bank logins, and keep door, gate, alarm and lockbox codes in your own job app. Keep family photos and personal items out of frame, and ask the customer before you post photos of their home anywhere public.

The summary is also a good moment to ask for a review. Once the customer has the write-up, the review request recipe gives you a short follow-up text. For step-by-step instructions, see the job summary recipe.