On November 13, 2014 at 18:27, brucewayne said...
The job was t&m but the client had a budget and only wanted pay up to a certain price .
Ernie the techs are paid by the hour and are paid the same if there At the shop or out in the field.
Basically the techs feel if they go over budget They will catch heat but If they leave And little things like soMe wires have labels written with a sharpie instead of the P-touch in the rack They will get in trouble.
You are describing a hybrid job. To me there are three basic types of jobs.
1. Bid
2. T&M
3. Estimate with do not exceed (without change order)
I work almost exclusively with #3. If you are responding effectively to the variables that often happen and your communication with your techs is fluid, then you can issue change orders to increase the cap if warranted. I think the ultimate key is having clear contracts and/or clear expectations with your clients. I find that if you are very transparent and honest about the process, most people with means understand this.
That said, my comments do not actually address the OP which I can empathize with. I am going through growth pains now trying to develop new techs and this subject is staring me in the face. I am generally successful at meeting my own estimates and expectations when I am hands on in all phases (sales, install, programming, etc...) but I have too much work to do it all myself. I find that my techs, despite their skill level and experience, often cannot meet the same expectations. My challenge... and every owner's challenge is to develop the proper culture and reward this appropriately. Unfortunately, in the end, no one benefits (owner, employee, client) if the full package of quality, efficiency and communication is not met or delivered. This often succeeds or fails during the last 10% of the job.
