Most landscape pros have been there: the job is nearly complete, and the client presents a list of “a few more things” that they would like to have done. In some cases, the list can grow as you work on it, and the job doesn’t seem to end. Or, even worse, it can delay payment that is due “upon completion of the project.”

Whether you call it a punch list, close-out list, walk-through check list or something else, it’s important to have a follow-up to close the contract. Review your work with the client, demonstrate that the expected work is complete, and have them sign the review. It’s an opportunity to show off your work, but also to have a customer sign off on a job, verifying that the contract has been fulfilled and the work has been completed as specified.

Eric Schultz of Schultz Industries, Inc., Golden, told Colorado Green NOW that he reviews warranties at this point as well, detailing customer responsibilities in maintaining the warranty. If his business does not perform site maintenance following the landscape installation or renovation, someone from Schultz Industries will walk the site monthly to monitor maintenance until the warranty expires. If the client does not properly maintain a project, they risk losing the warranty.

“A lot of people don’t attack the closing out of a job as seriously as they should, yet it is the most expensive part of a project if you don’t,” Schultz explained. “We also use the warranty letter and tie it to maintenance of the long-term project. If they drown or don’t water the plants, we void their warranty after three warnings.”

These steps can help your business in the rare case that a customer pursues litigation. Having not just a contract but a signed statement that the customer agrees that the work was completed properly helps manage your risk and avoid unnecessary warranty work. The walk-through, the sign-off, and the Schultz practice of monitoring the client’s maintenance of the installation is a way to use good customer service to protect your business.

It can help your online reputation as well. Colorado Green NOW found several negative reviews that mentioned how a landscape company showed up to do work, then never returned. In some cases, it may be true that the business and the client had different ideas of what the job entailed. A closing walk-through can prevent that miscommunication and help preserve your business’s positive image to consumers.

The walk-through is also an opportunity to discuss future opportunities. Make notes on work that, while excluded or cut from the initial budget, might be worth revisiting in the future. And make a plan to check with the client later to see if they are ready for the next phase. 

Read more in this issue of Colorado Green NOW:
Preventing back injuries at the work site
Environmental Designs collaborates with Wells Fargo for The ELITE Award for Sustainability
Fines from DOL agencies increase August 1
Classifying exempt vs. non-exempt employees