Sprinkler blowouts went a little slow yesterday because there weren't as many in the 83716 and 83712, and they were spread further apart which meant a LOT of drive time. We finished all of the 83716 except for one, because amazingly, they didn't know we were coming. Hmmmm…… We also finished the ones who were ready in the 83712. A few of them like to wait until November for their sprinkler blowout, so they will be done on our next trip through the area.
Today we will be in the Boise 83706 area, and we have a LOT to do. PLEASE be ready by leaving gates unlocked, access to the sprinkler timer if possible, and have payments ready if you will be home. Payment can be left for us as well. We have to get as many finished today as possible because we will be in another location on Sunday, and probably won't make it back to the 83706 for two weeks or so.
Okay, now for my rant:
About 10-20 percent of the houses we go to for sprinkler blowouts aren't prepared for us because they didn't know we were coming. I am really not sure how that can be when it is explained on our site, in the confirmation email, and also in the Terms Of Service you have to agree to before the form can be submitted to check this blog so you don't miss us. I am almost to the point of removing those from our list that aren't ready when we get there. It takes a lot of time to have to come back to a property again, either on the same day, or on our next trip through the area. It takes away valuable time needed for servicing those homes that are ready for us. There have been occassions that we stopped by a home 4 times with nothing accomplished. We can easily be fighting an uphill battle as it is when we get 14-18 sprinkler blowouts completed in a day, and then come back to find 20 more in our database. Yesterday alone there were 25 new requests. We DO get to everyone that is on our list, no matter what. We even waited until the "thaw" last November when the big storm hit and were out in the snow blowing out sprinklers.
I cannot see a better system of notification on a large scale than through this blog. After all, that is what a blog is for; sharing information. There is absolutely NO way I can call 700+ people and tell them when I am coming. I tried that years ago when I only had around 100 a year, and it failed miserably. Emails are only good when they are checked. I still get requests for sprinkler blowouts from my reminder email a month after they were sent because many just don't check their email that often.
We are always open for comments, just keep them clean. 
Just brainstorming here – but a mass texting option might be a small investment and save you a lot of time. Found these reviews with a quick Google search: http://masstextmessaging.com/best-mass-texting-reviews.html – http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/05/13-sms-text-messaging-services.html but you could send out mass texts the night before to either people in the area, or to everyone who's signed up and not received service yet. Might be something to think about for next year.
First, no one reads terms of service – that's a terrible place to put instructions. Everyone knows the only way to "Continue" is to agree and move on.
Second, there are no instructions in your confirmation email. It only confirms the appointment and information that was on the form.
Third, you need to organize better to let people know when you will be in their area. Your blog shows the areas you're covering are random at best.
Lastly, your blog is unprofessional – it should only provide helpful information, not personal opinions or ranting.
While your website offered the look of professionalism, I am not impressed.
Due to this lack of organization, I will send a separate email to cancel my appointment.
Sam
I keep re-reading your comment, and decided to go ahead and post it. Had no intention originally on commenting because of how ludicrous your comment is, but can’t resist……
I have heard from customers that a few of the other sprinkler blowout providers are starting to adopt some of my methods into their own. Am I flattered? Some. But it also aggravates me for obvious reasons.
This system isn’t suitable for everyone, which is why I make our methods perfectly clear BEFORE the form is filled out, and the Terms of Service are checked. That way it doesn’t waste their time or mine when it doesn’t work in their lifestyle. Have people filled out our form and agreed to the Terms of Service without reading the details on the site and in the terms? Yes, there are some, but most DO pay attention, and compliment me consistently on how organized this system is, and how much they like it.
And finally, it is obvious you are one of the ones who didn’t read our site or the Terms Of Service or we wouldn’t even be having this dialog. It’s a sad fact, but out of several hundred sprinkler blowouts per year I get about a dozen who aren’t paying attention.