Paynes: how your customer pipeline works (2026-09-05)

Overview

Summary

Every new customer travels the same road: something makes them aware of Paynes, they arrive somewhere (a page on the new website, the Google listing, or straight onto the phone), they make contact, the enquiry is recorded, a survey and quote follow, the job is done, and a review or a service reminder brings the next one.

This page shows that road end to end, names the technology in each part in plain terms, and says what we do and what Paynes does at each step. Where a part is not yet decided it says to be chosen rather than guessing. Other states: chosen means in place and working, pending means decided but not yet working.

Reach

They become aware of Paynes.

Land

A page, the Google listing, or straight to the phone.

Contact

Call, form, email or message.

Capture

The enquiry is written down with its source.

Quote

Survey, quote, follow-up, won or lost.

Execute

The job, the paperwork, the invoice.

Retain and refer

Review, reminder, referral. Back to Reach.

Section 1

The technologies, in plain terms

Nine parts. Four are built or chosen; five still need a decision from Paynes.

The website awaiting review

A 30-page site built with Astro and styled with Tailwind, rebuilt from scratch on the same domain. Every page is plain HTML with no scripts, so it loads fast, reads well on a phone, and can be read by search engines and AI assistants without help. Every page carries structured data describing the business, the service and the questions people ask.

Hosting chosen, not live

Cloudflare Pages: the site is published from the code repository to a global network, with HTTPS, security headers and a 301 redirect for each of the 25 old addresses so no old link breaks.

Search and AI visibility Search Console pending

A sitemap, a robots file that names and allows AI crawlers, an llms.txt file that gives assistants the facts, and the structured data above. After go-live, Google Search Console is verified and the sitemap submitted. There is no Search Console access yet.

Analytics to be chosen

The tool that counts visits and, more importantly, the actions that matter: taps on the phone number, form sends, chat starts. It loads only after consent. The build left this out by decision; GA4 was suggested for later, and the goals list names PostHog as an example.

Phone number live tracking

01825 891720 appears on every page as a tap-to-call link and in a fixed call bar on mobile. Call tracking, a separate number per advert so we know which advert caused a call, is not yet in place.

Forms and chat delivery chat off

The contact form is built and accessible, with spam protection, but it is not yet connected to deliver anywhere. Live chat was dropped by decision.

Lead record (CRM) to be chosen

The place every enquiry is written down with its date, source, service and outcome. It can be a spreadsheet or a CRM product; what matters is that every enquiry gets a row. Nothing is named yet.

Advertising platforms to be chosen

Google Ads, local search optimisation and social advertising are the channels wanted, with about 100 a month to start (currency to confirm). Accounts, billing and conversion tracking are not yet set up.

Google Business Profile and reviews status unknown

The map listing with its call button, directions, opening hours and the Google rating (4.2 from 260 reviews, taken from the old site's widget). Five interim reviews copied from the old site's widget are shown on the new site until your Business Profile export replaces them.

Section 2

The pipeline end to end

Not every customer visits the website. These are the routes into the pipeline, with where each one lands and how the customer gets in touch. The routes marked straight to phone never touch the site, and they still need to be counted.

Route	Where the customer lands	How they contact you
Google search for a service or a town (organic and local)	A service page, an area page, or the Google Business Profile	Phone tap, form, or the profile's call button
Google Ads search advert	The matching service page	Phone tap or form
Google Ads call-only advert or call extension	Nowhere: the advert shows the number	Straight to phone
Google Business Profile found on the map	The profile itself	Straight to phone, directions, or a message
AI assistant asked "who fixes boilers near Uckfield"	The assistant's answer, drawn from the site and `llms.txt`; it may quote the number	Straight to phone, or a visit to the page it cites
Social post or advert	A service or projects page	Phone tap or form
Trade directory or review platform	The listing	Platform message or straight to phone
Builder or estate agent referral	Nothing: a name and a number passed on	Straight to phone
Van livery, the Blackboys premises sign, print	Nothing: the number	Straight to phone
Existing customer, service due	A reminder by email or text, then the site or the phone	Phone or form
Emergency at night or a weekend	The emergency page or the number	Straight to phone; out-of-hours handling to be decided

Through the site

Search or advert

Service page

Phone tap or form

Counted by analytics events and the form log.

Through the Google listing

Map search

Business Profile

Call button

Counted by Business Profile insights.

Straight to phone

Call-only advert, van, referral, AI answer

Phone call

Counted only if the number is tracked or the caller is asked how they heard.

A campaign that shows the number instead of a link often converts better for urgent work. It is a legitimate route, and it is invisible unless the number is tracked or the enquiry is logged with its source.

Section 3

Phase by phase

Each phase lists what happens, the technology in play, what we do, what Paynes does, and how it is measured.

Phase 1

Reach

What happens: A homeowner, landlord, facilities manager or builder in Sussex or Kent becomes aware of Paynes, or remembers it.
Technology: Google Ads (search, call-only, call extensions) to be chosen · local search and the Google Business Profile status unknown · social advertising to be chosen · trade directories and review platforms, unknown which · partnerships with builders and estate agents, wanted, terms to be agreed · the vans and premises in place · service reminders to past customers to be chosen
We do: Choose and run the channels within the budget, write the adverts and posts in the brand voice, keep the profile and listings correct, manage partnership materials.
You do: Approve budget and messages, supply photos of finished jobs, tell us about seasonal demand and offers, introduce us to partner firms.
Measured by: Impressions and clicks per channel from each ad platform; search impressions from Search Console; profile views from the Business Profile insights.

Phase 2

Land

What happens: The customer arrives on a page, on the profile, or nowhere at all because the channel gave them the number.
Technology: The Astro site on Cloudflare Pages go-live pending · the Google Business Profile status unknown · no separate landing pages for now.
We do: Keep the site fast, findable and readable by AI agents; keep every page's facts identical (name, address, phone, hours); add pages or offers when a campaign needs them.
You do: Review pages for accuracy; supply prices, projects, accreditation numbers and the reviews export.
Measured by: Sessions by source and landing-page views from analytics to be chosen; direct calls from tracked numbers on channels with no landing page to be chosen.

Phase 3

Contact

What happens: The customer calls, sends the form, emails, or messages.
Technology: Phone, 01825 891720, tap-to-call on every page and the mobile call bar chosen · call tracking numbers per channel to be chosen · contact form, built, delivery to be chosen · email, address to confirm · live chat off by decision · WhatsApp or SMS to be chosen · out-of-hours handling for the 24-hour emergency promise to be decided
We do: Make every route work and count: connect the form, set up call tracking, record phone taps, form sends and any chat as analytics events.
You do: Answer the phone and the inbox within an agreed time; decide how a call at 2 a.m. is handled and by whom.
Measured by: Calls answered and missed (call tracking); phone taps and form sends (analytics events); the form log.

Phase 4

Capture

What happens: The enquiry is written down with its source so it can be followed up and, later, counted.
Technology: A lead record, CRM or spreadsheet to be chosen · automatic entry from the form and call tracking where the tool allows · manual entry for referrals, walk-ins and repeat customers.
We do: Set up the record, the source field, the automatic capture and the alerts.
You do: Log every enquiry that arrives outside the tracked routes; keep the status current.
Measured by: Enquiries logged, share with a known source, median response time, all from the lead record.

Phase 5

Qualify and quote

What happens: The enquiry is triaged, a survey or site visit is booked, a quote is sent, finance is offered where it helps, and the outcome is recorded as won or lost with a reason.
Technology: The same lead record · quote documents and finance options as Paynes uses them today (to confirm).
We do: Provide follow-up templates on request; report quote volumes, values and win rates each month.
You do: Survey, quote, follow up, and mark each lead won or lost with a reason.
Measured by: Qualified leads, surveys booked, quotes sent, quote value and win rate, from the lead record.

Phase 6

Execute

What happens: The job is scheduled, an engineer attends, the work is done, certificates and paperwork are issued, the invoice is paid.
Technology: Paynes's existing scheduling and accounts, unchanged.
We do: Nothing operational; we read the outcome in the lead record.
You do: The work, the paperwork, the invoice; record the job value against the lead.
Measured by: Jobs won, revenue and average job value, from the lead record and accounts.

Phase 7

Retain and refer

What happens: The customer is asked for a review, is reminded when a service is due, is offered a maintenance plan, and refers a neighbour.
Technology: Review requests manual or automated, to be chosen · service reminders to be chosen · the reviews and projects pages on the site built, interim reviews, export awaited
We do: Automate the review request and reminders once the record exists; publish new reviews and projects on the site.
You do: Ask for the review at handover; tell us about repeat and referral jobs.
Measured by: Reviews gained and rating (Google); repeat jobs and referrals (lead record).

Section 4

What we measure, and where the number comes from

One headline number per phase. A number without a source is not counted.

Phase	Headline measure	Source	Status
Reach	Clicks and calls per channel, and their cost	Each ad platform; Search Console; Business Profile insights	to be chosen accounts and Search Console
Land	Sessions by source	Analytics	to be chosen
Contact	Calls, phone taps, form sends	Call tracking; analytics events; form log	to be chosen
Capture	Enquiries logged with a source	Lead record	to be chosen
Quote	Quotes sent and win rate	Lead record	to be chosen
Execute	Jobs won and revenue	Lead record; accounts	to be chosen
Retain	Reviews gained	Google reviews	once the profile is confirmed

Until analytics, call tracking and the lead record exist, the only numbers available are the site's technical scores and Search Console after go-live. That is why the marketing loop waits for the readiness gate.

Section 5

Launch readiness

The marketing loop starts when every must row is chosen and working and every should row has a decision. Today the site is built and its hosting is chosen, and nothing that counts a customer is in place yet.

Gate

Not met

Must rows working

0 of 7

Should rows decided

1 of 6

Seven decisions from Paynes, listed under Open questions, unblock most of it. Full detail in launch-readiness.md.

Slot	Level	Status	Owner	What unblocks it
Site live on the domain, redirects in place, HTTPS	must	pending	we	Your review of the build; connecting the repository to Cloudflare Pages; pointing the domain.
Primary contact route (phone) measured	must	to be chosen	we	Analytics tool chosen (phone-tap events) and, for adverts, call tracking numbers agreed (question 4).
Contact form delivers to a person and to the lead record	must	pending	we, you	The destination inbox and permission for a form service or Cloudflare function (question 5).
Lead record with a source field	must	to be chosen	you, we	How enquiries are logged today and who owns it (question 2). A spreadsheet with a source column passes.
Analytics with consent and conversion events	must	to be chosen	we	GA4 or PostHog (question 1). Events: phone tap, form send.
Google Business Profile claimed, correct, linked to the new site	must	pending	you, we	Confirmation it is claimed and access granted (question 6); name, address, phone and hours checked against the site.
Search Console verified, sitemap submitted	must	pending	we	Go-live, then domain or DNS access to verify.
Out-of-hours handling decided	should	to be chosen	you	Who answers at night and weekends, and what a caller hears otherwise (question 3).
Chat or messaging	should	chosen: off	both	Live chat dropped by decision. WhatsApp or SMS can be added later if the analysis shows demand.
Call tracking numbers per paid channel	should	to be chosen	we	Question 4, then a provider chosen when the first paid channel starts.
Review request process	should	to be chosen	you	Manual ask at handover or an automated request from the lead record; reviews export for the site (question 6).
Ad accounts with billing and conversion import	should	to be chosen	we, you	Account ownership and budget confirmed (question 7); calls and forms imported as conversions.
Reporting cadence agreed	should	to be chosen	both	Proposed: analysis on the first working day of each month.

Check

Verify

Every phase in the pipeline model has a lane above, with the ownership layer as the "we do / you do" rows. Every slot appears in a lane or in the readiness table; slots decided against are recorded as such (live chat off; no campaign landing pages for now). Every technology named comes from the business profile or the stage 04 build notes, or is marked to be chosen. Every "measured by" names a tool. This page has the same sections as pipeline-overview.md in the same order. The workspace leak check passes.

For Paynes

Open questions

Analytics: GA4 (the build's suggestion) or PostHog (named in your goals)? One tool only, behind consent.
Lead record: how are enquiries written down today, and who owns that list? A spreadsheet is fine to start; we need a source column.
Out of hours: the site promises 24-hour emergency cover. Who answers at night and at weekends, on which number, and what should a caller hear if nobody can?
Call tracking: are you content for adverts to show a separate tracked number, with 01825 891720 kept everywhere on the site and the profile so the listings stay consistent?
Form delivery: which inbox should the contact form reach, and may we use a form service or a small Cloudflare function to deliver it?
Google Business Profile: is it claimed, who has access, and can you export the Google reviews for the site?
Advertising: who owns the ad accounts and billing, and is the budget about £100 a month?
Which directories and review platforms is Paynes listed on today, and do any bring work?
Partnerships: which builders and estate agents already refer work, and on what terms?
Confirm from experience that most enquiries arrive by phone rather than by form or email; the site is built on that assumption.