DumpsterBossPro Blog — Contractor Accounts

Setting Up a Contractor Account: What the Record Needs Before the First Drop

The first call from a new builder usually sounds like this: we need a twenty at a job tomorrow, can you do it? The easy move is to book the drop and figure out the rest later. The rest later is where accounts go wrong. The bill goes to the wrong person, the job site gets typed three different ways and nobody knows who to call when the gate is locked.

Ten minutes of setup before the first drop saves hours over the life of the account. After reading about The Contractor and Commercial Accounts That Keep Roll-Off Cans Moving, here is what the record should hold before a truck rolls.

Who Is the Customer, Really

Write the account under the company name the contractor invoices from, not the super's name and not the name on the side of the truck if that differs. The account name is what the bookkeeper searches for when your invoice shows up, so get it right once. If the contractor runs a couple of trade names, ask which one pays for hauling.

Then record the phone and email for the account itself. This is usually the office, not the field. Field contacts belong on the job sites, which comes next.

The Billing Contact and Monthly Billing

Ask who pays the hauling bills and how they want to receive them. For a steady contractor, mark the account for monthly billing. In DumpsterBossPro, contractor and commercial accounts are billed monthly with one invoice listing all their jobs, each line naming its job site, which is exactly what most contractor offices want.

Ask also whether they want to put a card on file. Many will, especially smaller builders and remodelers who would rather not cut checks. With a card on file and auto-billing, the monthly invoice is charged when it closes. If they prefer to pay online from the invoice, that works too. What DumpsterBossPro will not do is track a credit limit or terms agreement for you, so if you extend terms, keep that agreement in your own files.

One more question worth asking: does anyone else need a copy of the invoice? Some builders want the project manager copied; some property managers want the regional office copied. Knowing up front saves a resend later.

The First Job Site

Add the job site the first can is going to as a site under the account, with a clean address. If it is a new subdivision with no address yet, use the lot number and the nearest cross road, and write how to find it in the notes. Every job you book for that site from here on will carry the same address, so take the extra minute.

Ask whether there are other active jobs coming. Builders often have several, and adding them now means the next call is a two-click booking instead of another round of questions.

Site Contact and Access Notes

For each site, record who the driver should call on arrival and how to get in: gate code, lockbox, which entrance, where trucks can and cannot turn. Then the placement preference: on the gravel pad, left side of the driveway, on boards, away from the porta-john. These notes show up in the driver app on every job at that site.

The super is the right person to ask. Text him, and with two-way texting the reply lands right on the account where the office can copy it into the site notes.

Tags and Custom Fields

Tag the account by type, such as builder, roofer, remodeler or property manager, and by area if you serve more than one. Tags are what let you pull a list later or compare account types in reports.

Custom fields capture whatever this contractor's office asks for. A common one is a job number the contractor uses internally, so their bookkeeper can match your line to their project. Another is the name of the person who approves hauling bills. Do not overbuild; add the fields your contractors actually request.

Book the First Drop

Now book the job: the site, the haul-to address, the dumpster size, the debris type, and the rental days included with the daily rate after. Send the quote for online approval if pricing is new. The driver gets the site notes, the super gets the delivery notice, and the account is ready for the next call.

The next guide goes deeper on contractors with many job sites. To see the whole account setup in one place, visit the DumpsterBossPro contractor dumpster rental software page.