User Story: Charlie – Construction Project Manager

It's now second nature to include a FUT in the BCC line of emails, and fully move on to my next task without having to remember to follow up...It gives me back mental energy for the task at hand. - Charlie Fehrman

This week we are happy to post an interview we did with Charlie Fehrman, a project manager with Midwest Remediation. Charlie uses FollowUpThen to coordinate the actions of insurance companies, repair technicians and property owners to restore homes and buildings that have been impacted by water or fire damage. Read on to see how he uses FollowUpThen to coordinate all of the moving parts necessary to fixing homes and making happy customers.

Charlie Fehrman: Construction Project Manager
Charlie Fehrman with his wife, Debi –  also a FollowUpThen user!

How do you (or your employees) use FollowUpThen in your business?
As a Project Manager for a remediation/restoration company I get a full plate every day. There are customer calls, insurance submissions, and vendor quotes to send/manage. FollowUpThen makes this manageable and takes the stress of "remembering" off my plate. I can just send an email and BCC FUT to "remember" for me in 2 or 3 days, or use a recurring followup to keep reminding myself of an important action. It's now second nature to include a FUT in the BCC line of emails, and fully move on to my next task without having to remember to follow up.

What problem does FollowUpThen solve for you?
It gives me back mental energy for the task at hand. I can concentrate on securing new business while knowing my follow ups for existing business are well within hand. The customizable reminder message that goes out makes it look like I typed it that day with my contact in mind. Of course, I did, but FUT managed it for me – without the stress!

Does FollowUpThen give you any super-powers?
It's a value add for my brain power. I can go home without worrying about what I forgot to do that day. And, with the response detection option, I never unnecessarily remind someone – so I'm always on the top of the communication game.

When do you use FollowUpThen vs. other productivity tools (calendar, to-do lists, etc)?
I've tried several tools - from post it notes to a home made paper clip tree to more email/calendar interface apps than I can count. FUT simply works for me because all I have to do is know what I want to happen and type that in an email. The language is intuitive and the options are endless.

Do you have any stories for when a "just-in-time" email reminder saved the day?
​Like every business, we have competition and our customers always look for ways to save their money/time. Recently I was working with a young homeowner who was very nervous about the water loss in their home, and how best to deal with the insurance company to make sure the repair went well. I made a promise to follow up and be their go-between for insurance company to ensure they were treated fairly and in a timely manner. True to my promise, I sent my estimate to the insurance company and copied the homeowner (and included 3days-r@fut.io in the CC field​). On the third day my reminder went out, even though I had moved on to other jobs and deadlines. The insurance agent responded, apologizing that he had overlooked the original email. Thanks to a simple app - FollowUpThen - the customer was served well, I looked good and I don't have a desk covered in post it notes or the stress of trying to remember each estimate I send. Of course, we got that job, and in the first 3 days of using FUT, I paid for the annual fee multiple times over. Thank you Reilly and the entire FUT team!!

You are very welcome, Charlie! Stories like this make our day.

Do you have a similar story? Get in touch! We'd love to hear from you.

Published by Reilly Sweetland

Founder of FollowUpThen (YC S17). Likes productivity, efficiency, React, Node, and all things followed-up upon.

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