Top email templates #2:
confirming changes.
When your client makes changes, get them down in writing.

We’ve been looking lately at how email templates can really up your game. Today we’re zooming in on one reason why: easy tracking of all those customer changes.

If you’re typing the same emails day in, day out, turning them into templates is a no-brainer. It saves time, helps you get back to people fast and makes you look like a real pro. But what about those emails you really ought to send, but somehow don’t? We’ve got one in particular in mind…

However well you’ve talked through a job, however detailed your quote, customers are going to make changes. They just are. Maybe it’s because they couldn’t picture how something was going to look, or because they’ve run out of money, or because, well, they’ve just changed their mind. 

Whatever the reason, changes happen. And a lot of the time you’ll get told about them when you’re out on site, up to your eyes in plasterboard, knee deep in foundations or halfway up a ladder. You’ll be talking to your customer face to face and they’ll tell you they’ve had a great idea, or they were just thinking maybe they’d like to… well, you know how it goes.

That’s fair enough. You’re adaptable, you can handle it. But making sure you stay on the same page as your customer is the tricky part. Changes agreed face to face are easily forgotten or differently remembered and, all too often, not clearly priced. Making sure you don’t lose out means getting them down in writing fast, and that’s where email templates can really help.

Making notes makes a difference

Whenever your customer changes the job, get in the habit of making notes. Not that night, or the next week, or when you’re working out your final invoice. There and then. Straight away. On the spot. Whether you’re writing in an old-school notebook or using a job notes feature like we’ve got on YourTradebase, have a system and stick to it. It really will pay.

Then, when you get five minutes to fire off a few emails (check out our van-time blog for tips on finding them), get your notes out and email your customer to confirm everything you discussed. Ask them to reply to say they’re happy with it all – and if they don’t, chase it up. 

With the changes all confirmed, everyone knows what to expect and your site’s a happier place to be. Without that simple step, you risk crossed wires, confusion and quibbled-over costs. Which is a whole load of hassle you could really do without.

If you’ve already got the email templated, that’s even better. You’ll have a good-to-go email you know you’re happy with, and all you need to do is add in the specifics. Easy. 

And guess what? The easier you make something, the more likely you are to actually do it. Which means you’ll be covering your back – and covering your costs. 

So how might that email look?

Template name: Confirming changes you’ve agreed in person

Hi [name]

Hope you’re well. We spoke on [day] about a few changes to your [job name] and I just wanted to confirm them in writing.
You asked me to [specific details]. 
That’s all fine and [won’t affect your quote / I’ve attached an updated quote]. 
[We should be able to get that done within the original timeframe / We’ll need a little extra time to get that done – around another X days.]
I hope that all sounds ok to you, but if you have any questions at all, please just get in touch.

Thanks
Adam

What next?

If you like the sound of our example email, feel free to copy it – that’s what it’s there for. Just add in the changes you’ve discussed, how much they’ll cost and how long they’ll take. Having the template is a handy prompt to make sure you’ve told your customer all those things too. 

A simple Word file that you can keep copying and pasting works well, but to make things even easier we’ve also saved this template in Settings > Email templates within YourTradebase, along with loads of other handy email templates and all the tools you need to write your own. 

Take a look – and roll with those changes.