How do I track how long jobs actually take?
Short answer
A simple clock-in on the phone, by job. After 20 jobs you'll know your real cost. Without this, your prices are guesses.
What to track
Start and stop per job per person. Travel time separate from on-site. Materials in a single field. Don't try to track everything. Three fields beats fifteen because three actually gets filled in.
Use the data
Once a month, look at actual hours vs quoted hours. If you're consistently over on a job type, either price is wrong or the process is wrong. Fix whichever.
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