WhatsApp has become the default site tool, and you see why: a photo of the slab, a question about tile colour, "we're coming by tomorrow morning," all in seconds. The problem shows up three months later, when the client swears they never approved the granite countertop, and you dig through a 600-message thread to find it. Here's how to keep the speed of texting without losing your site's memory.
Why WhatsApp isn't enough for a site
WhatsApp does one thing well: conversation. A site needs more.
- Decisions drown in it. "Ok for option B" sits between a delivery photo and a voice message.
- Nobody has the full picture. The site supervisor, the client's spouse and the tile contractor each have their own version.
- Nothing has a deadline or an owner. A question asked one Tuesday stays unanswered till someone chases it.
- Privacy gets mixed in. The client texts you Sunday, you answer from your personal number.
It's not about banning messaging. An urgent photo or "I'm at the door" belongs there. It's about taking out of this channel what should be preserved.
What must leave the conversation
Four types of exchange deserve a separate record.
Finish choices. Tile, paint, hardware: the client picks between two or three options. Show them together (sample, photo, price if it varies), with a deadline tied to timing: the tile guy orders on this date. The client chooses, and their choice stays tied to the question.
Variations. A mid-project change, whether it costs or not, must be described, attached to the right document, then approved in writing by the person(s) concerned. In a couple, say if both must agree. The detail is in the article getting a client to approve a works variation.
Site appointments. Propose two or three slots instead of negotiating by messages. Once the slot is confirmed, everyone gets the date. After the visit, a short report in the same thread prevents "I thought we said something else."
Snags. At handover, each item to redo deserves a line: what needs fixing, who's fixing it, by when. The client checks what they see fixed, you see what's still open. The original list doesn't get rewritten as messages pile up.
What a useful decision record looks like
On a site, a forgotten decision ends in disagreement, or redo costs nobody wants to pay. A good record contains four things:
- What was decided, stated clearly enough a stranger understands: "60 × 60 grey tile, reference on the quote," more solid than "the gray."
- Who decided. The person's name, not just "the client."
- When, with date and time.
- On what basis: the quote, plan or variation the decision refers to.
If any of these four is missing, the record's worth little the day it's contested.
How to divide roles
The site supervisor, the project manager, the sales rep, the contractor: each has their place, but not everyone needs to see everything. The price negotiated with the client shouldn't show to a subcontractor. Decide, when you open tracking, who sees what, and keep internal exchanges ("watch out, they'll ask for a discount") off the shared channel with the client.
Also name one person in charge of tracking on your side. When three colleagues answer the client, half the messages contradict each other.
A simple pace for site tracking
A reassured client asks fewer questions. Three habits are enough:
- A progress check at each milestone: structural work done, watertight, drywall, handover. The client knows where you stand without asking.
- A list of what you expect from them, with dates. Each then knows what they must do, and two-week silences vanish.
- An archive at the end. A closed site folder both sides can re-read protects the client as much as you.
With Kolinea
In Kolinea, the site is a shared folder with the client, a timeline where everything is found. The client enters through a link, confirmed by an email code, with no account to create.
Your finish choices become choice decisions, with text or image and a timestamped answer. Your variations go as sign-off: the client accepts or refuses with reason, the acceptance is dated and carries the client's name. It's simple approval, not qualified electronic signature. Appointments are offered in several slots. For snags, a checklist or one request per item works. Publications reserved for your team stay off the client's view, and a subcontractor sees only what you open to them.
The full comparison is on the WhatsApp and SMS alternative page, which also says when WhatsApp remains the simplest option.
The folder closes at delivery and stays readable by client and you, even on the Free plan; if you delete your workspace, everyone is notified 30 days ahead and can download their archive.
To walk through a full construction folder, with variations, start from the home builders page, or those for project managers and renovation contractors: the main button opens the example folder. To start with your own clients, it's on the home page.