The people who get the most out of it don't use it more. They use it consistently, in a few minutes after each visit. Here's how.

1. Record every visit

Porter can only help with what it hears. Record every visit, not just the big jobs or the ones you think went well. Your ordinary visits are where your habits show up, and habits are what coaching changes.

• Start recording before you walk in. The first minutes often matter most: the greeting, the questions, how the customer describes the problem.

• Keep your phone close and unobstructed. A phone in a toolbag or under a jacket can miss the conversation.

• Follow your company's policy on letting customers know the visit is being recorded.

2. Capture customer details before you drive off

Open Log details while the visit is still fresh. Check the summary and job details, fix anything that's wrong, and always add:

• The customer's name and phone number, so anyone on the team can follow up.

• A note for anything not obvious from the conversation: the gate code, the spouse who makes the final call, the warranty question you promised to check.

Write notes for the teammate who picks this up next week without you around. If they'd have to ask you to understand it, add more context.

3. Review your visits the same day

Set aside 10 minutes at the end of each day to look back at your visits. It's the easiest way to make sure nothing slips, and customers notice when you remember what they told you.

For each visit, check for:

• Questions you still need to answer

• Follow-ups you promised

• Concerns or objections that weren't resolved

• Next steps that still need to happen

Use the Transcript to jump back to a specific moment when you need more context.

4. Coach yourself with Coach's Corner

Coach's Corner gives you honest feedback on every visit, not just the one your manager happens to review. Use it like a game film.

1. Start with the overall score and feedback to see how the visit went as a whole.

2. Look at each coaching criterion to see what went well and what could have gone differently.

3. Use the timestamps to listen to the exact moment behind the feedback. Hearing yourself is uncomfortable at first, but it's the fastest way to improve.

Pick one thing to work on at a time. Choose the criterion that keeps scoring lowest and focus on it for a week. Trying to fix everything at once usually fixes nothing.

Watch your scores over weeks, not visits. One tough customer can drag down a score. A trend across many visits tells you what's really changing.

Study your best visits too. When a visit scores high, figure out what you did differently, then do it on purpose next time.

5. Use Chat with Porter to nail the follow-up

Jobs are often won or lost in the follow-up. Chat with Porter finds what you need from a visit in seconds, without replaying the whole recording.

• “What follow-up did I promise?”

• “Did I leave any customer questions unanswered?”

• “What should I remember before I reach out to this customer?”

• “Draft a follow-up message based on this visit.”

A few habits that make follow-ups land:

• Follow up within a day, while you're still fresh in the customer's mind.

• Use their words. Mention the specific concern they raised. It shows you listened.

• Make the draft yours. Check it against the conversation and adjust it to sound like you before you send it.

6. Make your coach your partner

You'll get the most from your one-on-ones if you show up with something to discuss.

• Read your coach's notes. You're notified when they leave one, so open it while the visit is still fresh.

• Bring a visit to talk about. A tough customer, a moment you weren't sure how to handle, or a win you're proud of.

• Ask Porter to help you prepare: “What have I improved recently?” or “What should I work on next?”

The team members who improve fastest treat feedback as information, not judgment. Every visit is a chance to get a little better at the next one.

It all starts with pressing record

Everything in this guide depends on one habit: recording your visits. A visit you don't record is one Porter can't remember for you, can't coach you on, and can't help you follow up on.

Think of each recording as an investment in yourself. It means fewer forgotten promises and stronger follow-ups. It means feedback on your own schedule, and proof of the progress you're making. The best in any trade got there by reviewing their work and getting a little better each time. Porter makes that easy.

So before your next visit, press record. Your future self, and your customers, will thank you.