July and August Peak Season Operations: Velocity and Bottleneck Tracking

Peak season is a velocity game

In July and August, every roofing company in your market is full. The ones that make the most money are the ones that run the tightest production velocity: fastest from sale to install to collection. The ones that stall out take 90 days to install a job they sold in May, and their cash flow strangles before Labor Day.

Here is how we run peak season ops.

Daily production velocity targets

Set a daily install target. A healthy peak season runs at:

Revenue targetInstalls per weekCrews needed3 million6 to 82 to 3 install crews5 million10 to 124 install crews10 million20 to 257 to 8 install crews

A standard residential reroof should install in 1 day with a 5-person crew on a 25 to 35 square home. If you are averaging 2 days per job, you have a training, materials, or crew sizing problem.

Bottleneck tracking

Every week in peak season, you should see 5 bottleneck metrics at a glance:

1. Signed to scheduled: Days from contract signing to scheduled install. Target: under 21 days.
2. Scheduled to installed: Days from scheduled date to actual install. Target: within 3 days of scheduled.
3. Installed to invoiced: Days from install completion to invoice sent. Target: under 2 days.
4. Invoiced to paid: Days from invoice to payment received. Target: under 14 days for insurance, under 30 days for retail.
5. Install quality: Callbacks per 100 installs. Target: under 3.

Build a dashboard in RoofKnockers with these 5 metrics. Review them every Monday morning. Anything red gets an owner conversation.

The bottleneck drill down

When signed to scheduled goes above 21 days, the problem is usually:

• Materials delivery lag: call supplier
• Crew scheduling chaos: dedicate an ops person to scheduling
• Inspection backlog before scope finalization: pre-schedule inspections at sale

When scheduled to installed slips more than 3 days, the problem is usually:

• Weather slip: unavoidable, rebook fast
• Crew no-show: fire the crew chief
• Materials not delivered: hold the supplier to their SLA

Supplement follow through

Peak season is when supplements get forgotten. Every sales rep is focused on new deals and old claims collect dust. Build a weekly task list for every open claim with the supplement status:

• Supplement submitted: date
• Supplement approved: date and amount
• Supplement outstanding: next follow up date

Expect 60 to 80 percent approval rate on supplements. If your rate is under 50 percent, you are submitting weak supplements. Read our guide on storm season readiness for the supplement training framework.

Mid season retention check-ins

July is when A players start talking to recruiters from competitor companies. By mid-July, every sales leader should do a 30 minute one-on-one with every rep. Three questions:

1. How is the pay structure working for you this season?
2. What is the hardest part of your week right now?
3. If you could change one thing about this company, what would it be?

Listen. Take notes. Do not defend. You are gathering data. After the round of one-on-ones, you decide which changes to make.

Pay attention to:

• Reps who say the pay is good but hesitate: they got a better offer
• Reps who complain about one specific manager: leadership issue
• Reps who cannot name their top goal for the year: disengaged

Budget 2,500 to 5,000 dollars in July for a mid-season kickoff event. Sit down dinner, short recognition program, and a clear Q3 push. Invest in the team who brought you here.

Cash flow during peak

Peak season is when cash flow kills companies. You are paying weekly for labor and materials on jobs that will not invoice for 30 days. Keep 3 months of operating expenses in cash reserves.

Every Friday, run a 6 week cash forecast:

WeekExpected inExpected outNetCurrentInsurance checks + retail depositsPayroll + materials + rentRunning balance

When net goes negative for 2 consecutive weeks, raise a flag. Slow supplier payments by 7 days, accelerate collections calls, or draw the line of credit. Do not let payroll bounce.

Owner schedule during peak

During peak, the owner splits time roughly:

• 20 percent: daily ops and bottleneck review
• 20 percent: cash flow, AR, and finance
• 20 percent: team retention and one-on-ones
• 20 percent: escalations (bad crews, bad customers, adjuster fights)
• 20 percent: strategic (pipeline, hiring, fall planning)

If you are stuck at 80 percent on escalations, you have a team capability problem. Promote or hire. Do not be the bottleneck.

FAQ

How do I know if my install crews are sized right?

Target 1 day for every 30 squares. If a 25 square roof takes 2 days with a 5-person crew, the crew is under-trained or under-equipped. Audit materials staging, dumpster delivery, and crew chief skill.

Should I bring on a seasonal office admin?Yes. Every 5 million in revenue needs at least 1 dedicated ops admin. In peak, hire a temp through July and August to answer phones and schedule. 18 to 22 per hour.

What if I cannot keep up with inspections?

Bring in 1099 inspectors paid 75 to 125 per inspection during peak. Use them for sold jobs needing pre-install inspection, not for sales inspections. Keep your closers on closing.