Compliance Management for Painters & Decorators
Handle job documentation, COSHH requirements, and quality verification with digital tools built for decorating businesses.
The Challenge
Painting contractors must document colour specifications, manage COSHH assessments, prove work quality, and handle commercial contract requirements - while juggling multiple projects and ensuring customer satisfaction. One lost colour code, missing COSHH assessment, or lack of before/after photos can make touch-up work impossible, fail safety audits, or create disputes that are impossible to resolve. Paper job sheets go missing, colour records are forgotten, and proving work quality weeks later without photos is nearly impossible.
How Assistant Manager Solves Painting & Decorating Compliance
Each module is designed to address the specific challenges painting & decorating businesses face every day.
Checklist Management
Decorating work is visual and easily disputed - without before/after photos and colour records, proving work quality and handling touch-ups later is nearly impossible
The Problems
Why This Matters for Painting & Decorating
- Before and after photos should be taken to prove work quality and transformation, but rushed jobs mean photos are forgotten or taken inconsistently
Customers dispute work quality, claim areas were missed, and you have no photos to prove the transformation or defend your workmanship
- Commercial projects require room-by-room completion records and handover documentation, but keeping track across large sites with paper sheets is chaotic
Facility managers identify incomplete areas during handover, snagging management is disorganized, and professional reputation suffers from poor documentation
The Solution
How Checklist Management Helps
Job-specific checklists with mandatory before/after photo points, room-by-room completion tracking for commercial projects, and colour specification recording
Every job has photo evidence of transformation, commercial projects have organized room-by-room records, and colour specifications are captured for future touch-ups
Use Cases:
- • Before and after photography for every room/area
- • Colour specification recording with product and batch details
- • Commercial project room-by-room completion tracking
- • COSHH assessment completion for products used
- • Surface preparation documentation with photos
- • Customer sign-off before and after each stage
- • Snagging management with location-specific notes
- • Material usage tracking for warranty purposes
Feature Screenshot
Checklist Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Before and after photos should be taken to prove work quality and transformation, but rushed jobs mean photos are forgotten or taken inconsistently
Real Scenario
"A customer claims you didn't paint one bedroom. They refuse to pay the final £800. You know you painted every room, but you have no photos to prove it. The dispute goes to small claims court with no evidence to support your case."
Example 2: Commercial projects require room-by-room completion records and handover documentation, but keeping track across large sites with paper sheets is chaotic
Real Scenario
"A commercial office refurb handover meeting: the FM has a snagging list of 25 items across 30 rooms. You have scrappy notes and can't remember which rooms were completed when. The FM questions your professionalism, and you spend 3 days re-inspecting every room."
Document Management
Decorating records need multi-year retention (customers need exact colour matches for touch-ups, commercial warranties require product specifications) - paper systems can't maintain this
The Problems
Why This Matters for Painting & Decorating
- Colour specifications from previous jobs are scribbled on scraps of paper or in notebooks that get lost, making touch-up work guesswork
Customers need touch-ups months later, you can't match the exact colour, multiple attempts are needed, and professional reputation suffers
- Commercial handover documentation should include product specifications, coverage areas, and warranty information, but compiling this from paper notes takes days
Handover meetings are delayed, facility managers have no maintenance documentation, and warranty claims can't be processed without product records
The Solution
How Document Management Helps
Cloud-based storage for all colour specifications, product records, and project documentation, with instant search by customer or property
Every colour specification is instantly retrievable forever, commercial handover documents are generated automatically, and warranty questions can be answered years later
Use Cases:
- • Colour specification records with product and batch numbers
- • Before and after photo documentation
- • Product data sheets and COSHH assessments
- • Commercial project handover documentation
- • Coverage area records by room/space
- • Warranty information and maintenance instructions
- • Customer approval records for colour selection
- • Supplier invoices linked to specific jobs
Feature Screenshot
Document Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Colour specifications from previous jobs are scribbled on scraps of paper or in notebooks that get lost, making touch-up work guesswork
Real Scenario
"A customer calls 8 months after a full house redecoration. They need one wall touched up after furniture removal. You can't find the colour code, the paint brand, or the batch number. Three attempted matches later, the wall still doesn't quite match. The customer is unhappy and leaves a poor review."
Example 2: Commercial handover documentation should include product specifications, coverage areas, and warranty information, but compiling this from paper notes takes days
Real Scenario
"A commercial client needs handover documentation for their building management system. You spend 3 days searching through job sheets trying to compile room-by-room product lists and coverage areas. The documentation is incomplete, and the client is unimpressed with your professionalism."
Time Clock & Attendance
Decorating pricing depends on accurate prep time estimation - without real data on how long preparation vs painting actually takes, quotes are guesswork
The Problems
Why This Matters for Painting & Decorating
- Pricing for decorating projects is based on estimated time per room, but you have no accurate data on how long different prep and painting work actually takes
You consistently under-quote prep-heavy work because you guess at timings, and jobs that should be profitable end up breaking even or making losses
- Commercial projects bill by area or day rate, but you have no accurate attendance records to verify time on site against billing
Facility managers query invoices, dispute hours worked, and you have no timestamps to prove actual site attendance or work duration
The Solution
How Time Clock & Attendance Helps
Mobile clock in/out with GPS verification at customer sites, job-specific time tracking by work type (prep, painting, finishing), and automatic timesheet generation
You know exactly how long each phase takes for accurate quoting, site attendance is verifiable for commercial clients, and historical time data improves pricing accuracy
Use Cases:
- • Mobile clock in/out when arriving at customer properties
- • Job-specific time tracking by phase (prep, undercoat, top coat)
- • GPS timestamp verification for site attendance proof
- • Historical time data analysis for more accurate quoting
- • Commercial project time tracking for day rate billing
- • Travel time recording between sites
- • Weekly timesheet generation for payroll
- • Job costing analysis to identify profitable work types
Feature Screenshot
Time Clock & Attendance
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Pricing for decorating projects is based on estimated time per room, but you have no accurate data on how long different prep and painting work actually takes
Real Scenario
"You quote £1,200 for decorating a living room based on 'probably 2 days.' The prep work takes 3 days alone. You've made minimum wage on a job you thought would be profitable, with no data to improve future quotes."
Example 2: Commercial projects bill by area or day rate, but you have no accurate attendance records to verify time on site against billing
Real Scenario
"A facilities manager questions your 8-day invoice for office decoration. They claim you were only on site 6 days. Your timesheet says 8 days, but it was filled in from memory. Without attendance records, you can't prove your billing and lose the dispute."
Training & Development
Decorating uses hazardous substances and working at height - commercial clients require proof of COSHH compliance and staff training for site access
The Problems
Why This Matters for Painting & Decorating
- COSHH assessments for paints and coatings should be reviewed regularly, but you forget which products need reassessing and when health & safety training is due
Site audits discover expired COSHH assessments, staff don't know current safety procedures, and commercial clients question your H&S compliance
- You hire decorators but training is 'watch and learn' - there's no structured spray application training, scaffolding safety, or working at height competency verification
Staff make expensive mistakes with spray equipment, site accidents occur, and you can't prove employee competency to commercial clients
The Solution
How Training & Development Helps
COSHH assessment tracking with review reminders, employee training records, working at height certification management, and competency verification
All COSHH assessments are current, every employee has documented training and competency, and commercial clients see professional H&S management
Use Cases:
- • COSHH assessment creation and review scheduling
- • Spray application training and competency records
- • Working at height certification tracking
- • Scaffold tower training and inspection qualification
- • CSCS card expiry monitoring for site access
- • Product safety data sheet storage
- • Employee competency matrix for different work types
- • H&S induction records for commercial sites
Feature Screenshot
Training & Development
Real-World Examples
Example 1: COSHH assessments for paints and coatings should be reviewed regularly, but you forget which products need reassessing and when health & safety training is due
Real Scenario
"A construction site H&S audit asks for COSHH assessments for the products you're using. Your assessments are 3 years old and don't cover the new water-based products you've switched to. The site manager restricts your access until assessments are updated."
Example 2: You hire decorators but training is 'watch and learn' - there's no structured spray application training, scaffolding safety, or working at height competency verification
Real Scenario
"Your employee sprays a commercial office overnight. They don't mask properly and overspray damages computers and furniture. The client claims £15,000 in damages, and you have no training records to show the employee was qualified for spray work."
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