STEP 8 OF 8
After completion
Finish the handover and follow through with the customer.
Check the work before the customer does
Review the completed scope yourself. Finish cleanup and identify any remaining items before asking for the final walkthrough.
Compare against the accepted quote and approved changes. Make a short list of anything still outstanding, with an owner and expected completion date.
Tip: Do not call the job complete just because the main construction is done. Cleanup, documentation, and agreed finishing details are part of delivery.
Walk through it together
Show the customer what was completed and explain anything they need to understand. Listen to concerns and record any remaining items rather than arguing from memory.
If an issue needs fixing, confirm what will happen next and when they will hear from you. Distinguish unfinished agreed work from a new request.
Tip: Take finished photos with permission while the project is clean. Ask separately before using identifiable property photos in your marketing.
Hand over care information and documents
Provide relevant maintenance guidance, product information, warranty terms, and documents required for the job. Use the actual material and manufacturer guidance rather than generic instructions.
Explain use restrictions or follow-up care that genuinely apply to the installation. Put important instructions in writing so they do not depend on a remembered conversation.
Tip: Keep a copy in the job file. It makes future questions much easier to answer.
Close the invoice and job records
Send the final invoice according to the agreement. Show approved changes, payments already received, the remaining balance, and the applicable due date.
Follow up professionally if payment is late and handle disputes or unfinished items through the contract and local requirements. Mark the job paid only after confirming receipt.
Tip: Reconcile actual labour and costs against the estimate. Note one thing to price or manage differently next time.
Ask for honest feedback and referrals
Check in at a sensible time for the type of work. Ask how everything is going and make it easy to raise a concern. Invite honest Google reviews without incentives or pressure for a particular rating.
Try: “Thanks again for choosing us. If you’d like to share your experience, here’s our Google review link: [link].” Yelp has a different policy: it asks businesses not to request reviews.
Tip: Ask consistently rather than only asking customers you expect to give a positive rating. Handle problems because they need resolving, not in exchange for a review change.
Keep the relationship useful
Record relevant future needs and any follow-up you actually agreed to. A completed job can lead to repeat work and referrals when the customer has a good reason to remember you.
If they mentioned a second project, ask whether they want you to check in around a particular date. Respect their answer and contact preferences.
Tip: The next lead may come from the job you just finished. Good delivery is part of your marketing.
Useful references: Google review guidance · Yelp review policy