Free worksheet
The Front Office Leak Check
A one-page check you do with a pen and your own records. Pull up your last few weeks of messages, your calendar or order book, and your payments. Then follow five real customers from first message to paid.
Part 1
Trace five real inquiries or orders
Pick the five most recent, not the five you remember best. For each one, write what happened at every step. A blank box is a leak.
| Customer or order | How it came in | First real reply, and how long it took | Paid, deposit or terms agreed? | Paperwork done? | Reminder and follow-up sent? | Where it stalled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part 2
Check the three common leaks
The unanswered inquiry. Did any of the five wait more than a few hours for a real reply? Look hardest at texts at night, forms at lunch and voicemails left while you were working.
The unpaid hold. Is any date or order on your calendar or order book right now without the payment, deposit or paperwork it needs? Does it have a deadline?
The missed follow-up. After the job, did each customer get a thank-you, a review request and a next offer? Or did it depend on you remembering?
Part 3
Score the six habits
Circle one answer for each. Be honest: "Sometimes" means it depends on you having a free hand.
- 01
When a new inquiry or order arrives after hours, does it get a real reply within 15 minutes?
AlwaysSometimesNo - 02
Is every inquiry, order and customer message, by text, email, form and voicemail, in one place, with one record per customer?
AlwaysSometimesNo - 03
Is every booking, job or order you commit to backed by a payment, a deposit or the payment terms you agreed?
AlwaysSometimesNo - 04
Do quotes, agreements and paperwork go out automatically the moment a customer says yes?
AlwaysSometimesNo - 05
Does every customer get a reminder or status update before, and a review request after, without you remembering?
AlwaysSometimesNo - 06
Can you see, on one screen, every lead, order and follow-up waiting on you right now?
AlwaysSometimesNo
Count it. Always is 2 points, Sometimes is 1, No is 0. Add them up and multiply by 100, then divide by 12. That is your score out of 100.
80 or better is a tight front office. Below 50, much of the chain depends on you remembering.
What to do with it
Fix the lowest answer first
Start with the habit you circled "No" on, and the stall that showed up most in Part 1. If you would rather have the math done and the fixes listed in order, take the free score online and Stephen will send you the written version. If you want a second pair of eyes on your five, bring this sheet to a 20-minute call.
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