Banksia Court · Episode 3
How to brief a tradie so they get in first time
7:05 am. Darren is at the gate. Which gate? Good question.
Read the comic as text
Panel 1: Darren, the tradie. 7:05 am. "Hi! I'm at the gate."
Panel 2: Deb, half asleep on the phone: "Code is 4... 7... 2... 9..."
Panel 3: The keypad buzzes. BZZT! Darren: "It says no."
Panel 4: Call number 6. Deb: "Which gate are you at?" Darren: "...there's two?"
Why tradies end up calling you
A tradie usually gets a job as a text or a forwarded email. The unit number is in one place, the photos in another, and the gate code is in your head. So they call you, often early, often more than once.
What every job brief should include
- The exact location. Unit number, block and where the problem is: "Unit 14, back courtyard, downpipe on the left".
- Photos of the problem. The ones the resident sent. They help the tradie bring the right parts.
- How to get in. Which gate, the code, where to park and who will be home.
- A budget cap. "Go ahead up to $350, call me if it is more." It saves a call for small jobs and protects you on big ones.
- How to close the job. Ask for an after photo and a short note when it is done, so you can tell the resident and keep a record.
Put all of this in one message or one link. If the brief is split across texts and emails, the gate code is always in the one they did not read.
How Verge does it
Verge is a small app for townhouse complexes of 8 to 200 houses. Residents report problems with a photo, you send notices to the right people, tradies get one link with everything, and the monthly report builds itself. Residents do not need to install anything from an app store.
See the 2-minute demo