---
title: Try a contractor before you hire them
description: Marketing page — workflow enforcement as a vetting process (candidate vs fail) so you avoid hiring or retaining unproductive employees (MarineServiceTech)
---

# Try a contractor before you hire them

**Canonical URL:** https://gregopad39.github.io/MarineService/contractor-trial.html  
## The expensive mistake

A bad hire or unreliable contractor costs more than a day of work. Late arrivals, no photos, “I finished” with nothing for the customer or insurer, jobs that need a free rework — that bill lands on the firm, not the temp.

**MarineServiceTech** turns the free tier into a **work-ethic test**. Send one real marina ticket. Watch whether they follow instructions. Keep or cut on **evidence**, not interviews.

**In the end, workflow enforcement saves you from hiring — or retaining — an employee who is not productive.**

## Workflow enforcement is a vetting process

The field UI does not just “track a job.” It **enforces a minimum paper trail** before anyone can mark work complete. That is your pass / fail filter for new employees and contractors.

![Workflow enforcement — documentation gates at 0% with red blockers until arrival, progress, photo, and problem/action notes exist](screenshots/workflowEnforcement.png)

*Screenshot: work order field progress log with **I’m here / Progress / Photo+ / Delay / Blocked**, documentation score at **0%**, and red checklist items that block **Mark complete** until the worker follows instructions.*

| What the screen shows | What you are measuring |
|----------------------|-------------------------|
| **I’m here** | Did they clock arrival (or invent excuses later)? |
| **Progress / Photo+** | Will they leave evidence of real work? |
| **Delay / Blocked** | Do they communicate friction honestly? |
| **Documentation score %** | Objective readiness — not a sales pitch |
| **Red blockers** | Can they follow a simple, written process? |
| **Mark complete gated** | They cannot “finish” without minimum docs |

### Candidate vs fail

| Outcome | What you see | Decision |
|---------|--------------|----------|
| **Candidate** | On-time (or honest delay) **I’m here**, photos, progress notes, problem/action filled, documentation score rising, optional field return same day | Ready for more tickets — keep trying them on the free tier or hire |
| **Fail** | No arrival stamp, zero photos, empty timeline, arguments about “too much paperwork,” silence at end of day, pressure to skip gates | **Do not hire** — or stop retaining them. The process already told you they will not protect the firm’s reputation |

This is not a personality quiz. It is **one real job** with the same gates your insurance, warranty, and customer-facing work will require.

## Why this saves money

| Path | Rough risk |
|------|------------|
| Hire or keep first, hope later | Weeks of pay, van, rework, customer damage, reputation |
| **Vet with workflow enforcement first** | One ticket’s time; evidence before payroll or permanent rotation |

Retaining an unproductive tech is often more expensive than never hiring them. Workflow enforcement makes the non-productive pattern visible **before** they become a fixed cost.

## The idea

| Instead of… | You do… |
|-------------|---------|
| Verbal “meet me at the site at 8” | Share a work-order package with appointment, address, and expectations |
| Hoping they text photos later | App requires arrival, progress, photos before complete |
| Learning they ghost after a payroll week | Learning it on ticket one — on the free tier |
| Keeping a slow hire because “we already trained them” | Cutting when the timeline and docs score show a fail |

Candidates install the app (iOS or Android). First **12 work orders free** — enough for a serious trial without buying seats or cloud licenses.

## What you learn in one day

| Signal | Verdict leaning |
|--------|-----------------|
| On-time **I’m here** + clear photos | **Candidate** — reliable field habits |
| **Delay / Blocked** used with honest notes | **Candidate** — professional under friction |
| No arrival stamp, no photos, vague texts only | **Fail** — high risk of ghosting customers |
| Field return same day | **Candidate** — understands the office paper trail |
| Argues with documentation gates / skips docs | **Fail** — will fight process on every insurance job |

## Manager setup (one real ticket)

1. Pick a **real** marina call (not a fake training dummy if you can avoid it).  
2. **Schedule → Assign** (or Jobs +) — who, vessel, marina/slip, appointment window.  
3. Problem summary + one line of culture: *“Tap I’m here when you arrive, photo the equipment, dictate what you found, Leave and complete before you text me.”*  
4. **Share work order** → Messages / AirDrop / Mail / Files.  
5. They install MarineServiceTech (free tier is enough for the trial).

The file carries structure. Your short note carries culture. The **documentation score** carries the verdict.

## Worker day — following instructions (phone)

This is the path a solid contractor or new employee walks. If they cannot complete it, treat that as a **fail** on the vetting process — not a software problem.

1. **Worker receives assignment** (iPhone / Android).  
2. Tap the attachment in **Messages / Mail / Files**.  
3. **Open in MarineServiceTech** (document type registered).  
4. Or: **Transfer → Import work order file**.  
5. Job appears in **Jobs → Created** (or updates if same id).  
6. **I’m here** (or Start job) → logs arrival with timestamp.  
7. During the day: **Progress / Photo+ / Delay / Blocked** one-tap log entries (note + photo).  
8. **Documentation score** and red blockers prevent **Mark complete** until minimum docs exist (as in the screenshot above).  
9. **Leaving** → then complete; add cost lines as needed.  
10. **Transfer → field return** package back to the manager (end of day).

Managers import the return; timeline, authors, timestamps, and photos merge into the firm record. Review that package the same way you would review a probation period — **candidate or fail**.

## Why documentation gates matter

| Action | What it records |
|--------|-----------------|
| I’m here | Arrival time + optional note |
| Progress | Work done + optional photo + % complete |
| Photo+ | Required photo with caption |
| Delay | Why late / waiting |
| Blocked | Waiting on parts / customer / access |
| Leaving | Departure stamp |
| Mark complete | **Blocked** until arrival, progress/photo, ≥1 photo, leave/complete note, problem or action taken |

Nobody can claim “done” without a minimum paper trail. Managers can **Force complete** with a stamped confirmation when the business truly needs an override — the force action itself is evidence if someone repeatedly needs it.

### Reading the red list (from the screenshot)

Typical blockers until the worker complies:

- Need at least **2 progress log entries** (arrival + work)  
- Log **“Arrived on site”** when they get there  
- Add at least one **work-progress note or progress photo**  
- Attach at least one **photo** showing work or condition  
- Fill **Problem** or **Action taken** so the office knows what happened  

A candidate clears these without drama. A fail stalls, texts outside the system, or asks you to turn the gates off.

## Cost framing

| Path | Rough risk |
|------|------------|
| Hire first, hope later | Weeks of pay, van, customer damage, reputation |
| Keep an unproductive hire “for now” | Ongoing payroll with weak documentation and rework |
| **One free-tier ticket + workflow enforcement first** | One real job’s time; evidence before payroll or permanent seat |

List subscription is **$19.99 / mo** or **$199.99 / yr** after free tier — far less than one bad insurance-job admin day, and far less than one bad hire you keep on the schedule.

## Privacy angle

No cloud login for the contractor. The **file** is the interface. You choose who gets the package. Data stays on devices unless someone shares an export.

## Related

- [User workflows](user-workflows.html) — full assign → field → return training  
- [Distribution](distribution.html) — office vs field devices  
- [Marketing home](advertising.html)  
- Land sibling: [ServiceTech contractor trial](https://gregopad39.github.io/ServiceTech/contractor-trial.html)

## Publisher

Intrepid Marine LLC · [MarineService on GitHub](https://github.com/gregopad39/MarineService)