PortaPottyBossPro Blog — Construction Site Accounts

Service Requests From the Customer App: Letting Contractors Order Extra Pump-Outs

Requests Without Phone Tag

Texting from the office, covered in Two-Way Texting With Site Supers: Fewer Missed Calls on Construction Porta Potty Accounts, keeps conversations moving. But many requests do not need a conversation at all. A super who wants an extra pump-out before a big pour, or a pickup at the end of the week, just needs a way to ask that lands in the right place. That is what the customer app is for.

The customer app is the contractor's side of PortaPottyBossPro. It runs in the phone's browser, so a super does not have to hunt for it in an app store.

What Contractors Can Do in the App

From the customer app, the contractor or super can:

• Request service, such as an extra pump-out, a pickup or more units.
• Sign up for services and see pricing you have chosen to show.
• See today's route on a live map, with a line like "You're stop 12 of 20, the crew is 5 stops away."
• Update the card on file.
• See invoices and pay online.
• Rate the service and refer another contractor.

They can also set alert preferences: the night before, when the crew is next, and when the tech arrives.

How a Request Reaches the Office

When a super requests service in the app, the request lands with the office. The office reviews it, puts the job on the right site, and it shows up on the Waiting List map. From there, the dispatcher assigns it to a truck and day on the Scheduled List like any other job.

The super does not have to call, wait on hold or remember who they talked to. The office has the request in writing, tied to the account. If something needs clarifying, two-way texting is a tap away.

A written request also protects both sides. When a super asks for a pickup on Friday and later says they never did, the request is on record. When a project manager asks for three more units and the bookkeeper questions the extra charge, the request shows who asked and when. On construction accounts with several people placing orders, that record settles questions quickly.

Make a habit of confirming each request once it is on the board. A short text back, such as "Got it, extra pump-out at the Elm Street site tomorrow morning," tells the super the request did not disappear. That one line is often the difference between a super who trusts the app and one who calls anyway, just to be sure.

Extra Pump-Outs on Busy Days

Construction crews swell for certain days: a concrete pour, a roof deck, an inspection, or a week where several trades overlap. Units that are fine on a normal week fill fast. A super who can request an extra pump-out from the app the day before is far happier than one who finds a full unit at noon.

The extra pump-out goes on the Waiting List and the dispatcher fits it into a route. Extra Pump-Outs on Busy Construction Sites: Fitting Them Into the Week covers how to fit those extra visits in without wrecking the week.

The Live Map Cuts Calls

The most common call from a construction site is some version of "When are you coming?" The live map in the customer app answers it. The super can see where the truck is and how many stops away it is, without calling the office. Combined with automatic on-the-way and arrived texts, it removes most of those calls entirely.

The map shows the crew's progress in a privacy-safe way, so the super sees where they stand in the route without seeing other customers' details.

Invoices and Payments in One Place

For contractors on card on file, the app lets them update their card when it expires, so charges on completion keep working. For contractors on monthly billing, the statement and every invoice are in the app, and they can pay online. Bookkeepers who prefer to log in and pay rather than mail a check will use it.

The app is also useful for the contractor's office, not just the super. A project manager can check what is on each site, and a bookkeeper can find an invoice without emailing you. Every question they answer themselves is one less call to your office during a busy morning.

Getting Contractors to Use It

The app only helps if supers know about it. When a new site starts, send the super a text with how to reach the app and a one-line explanation: "Use this to request extra service or pickups, see when we are coming, and see invoices." Ask the project manager to share it with new supers when they rotate in.

Supers who use the app once tend to keep using it, because it is faster than calling. To see the customer app alongside job sites, texting and monthly billing, visit PortaPottyBossPro construction porta potty rental software.