How to schedule client site visits without the back-and-forth

Customer visits make a project real. You walk around the site, check conditions, resolve details and build trust. But booking these visits can take many hours each week.

You send options. The client offers alternatives. The client asks to bring the inspector. When everyone agrees, your day is done - and so is your focus.

This guide shows you how to plan client visits without the back and forth. You'll learn simple steps that fit how architects work, plus how Doodle helps you book faster, protect travel time and keep projects moving.

The challenge for architects

Architects juggle design time, site visits, OAC meetings, consultant coordination and vendor calls. Many site visits involve multiple parties - owners, project managers, inspectors, contractors and subcontractors.

Manual planning breaks down quickly:

• Email threads stretch on endlessly

• Lists of options grow

• Two calls later, the only time available is during your design review

• Travel time and parking are forgotten

• Personal protective equipment preparation happens at the last minute

• Decisions in the field are delayed

When planning takes too long, you delay responses to RFIs, punch list progress and inspection windows. It also makes your week feel chaotic.

Why this is important for architects

Time in the field is billable and valuable. Time spent coordinating calendars is not. If you can schedule client visits in minutes, you free up hours for design work and documentation.

Clear planning:

• Reduce no-shows and late arrivals

• Prevent wasted trips

• Improve use of daylight for photos, measurements and mockups

• Ensure access and security information is collected in advance

• Keep your team confident and your customer safe

Standardize your site visit types

Consistent visit types eliminate guesswork and speed up decision making. Below is a clean table that you can reuse in your templates.

Common types of architect site visits

Define for each visit type:

• Duration and preferred time of day

• Required lead time (e.g. 24 hours for GC preparation)

• Preset locations with building entrance information

• Travel buffers (30-60 minutes depending on distance)

With Doodle Booking Pages, you can create these visit types as bookable options. Customers simply select the visit they need and choose an available time.

Pro Tip: Add a short agenda

Prepared customers = effective visits.

Include:

• Goals (e.g. verify plate openings at grid lines A-D)

• Required participants (client representative, GC PM, project architect)

• What to bring (approved material, personal protective equipment, tape measure)

• A weather report (for exterior work or roof access)

Doodle Pro can generate draft agendas with AI so you can fine-tune instead of writing from scratch.

Let customers book themselves with a booking page

Architects lose hours offering dates and waiting for responses. A booking page solves this.

• Connect your calendar - Doodle supports Google, Outlook and Apple Calendar. Busy times are automatically blocked.

• Set working hours + travel buffers - Protect deep working hours and provide sufficient transit between locations.

• Share a link - Customers choose the visit type and time that fits your availability.

Use case studies:

• Residential construction consultations - Add a link to your website or email signature. With Stripe, customers can pay consultation fees when booking.

• Commercial TI walkthroughs - Let property managers book weekly inspections directly.

• Consultant coordination - Share the same link with construction, MEP or landscape teams.

With Doodle 1:1 you can offer a curated set of times to a single invitee - ideal on days with multiple site visits.

Coordinate multi-party site visits with group polls

Punch walks, mockup reviews and owner tours often require multiple people. Email ping-pong slows everything down.

Doodle Group Polls allow you to suggest 3-5 times. Invite everyone - owner representative, GC PM, superintendent, subcontractors, consultants. They choose the times that suit them. You choose the winning time.

Tips for architects:

• Offer fewer but better options

• Set a 48-hour deadline to keep momentum going

• Use automatic reminders

• Hide attendee details when working across companies

• Send invitations directly via Doodle (up to 1000 people)

If the briefing is going virtual, you can add Zoom, Google Meet, Cisco or Teams directly in Doodle.

Collect access information before you leave

Late arrivals undermine customer trust. Gather logistics before you leave the studio.

Add necessary questions:

• Exact location address + suite/unit

• Gate code or contact person in the security department

• Parking instructions / opening hours for loading docks

• Personal protective equipment requirements

• Who needs to unlock for access

• Job number/project code

• Active hazards (e.g. crane lifting, wet paint, roof access restrictions)

With Doodle, you can add custom questions to booking pages, 1:1s and sign-up sheets. The answers will appear in your calendar invitation.

For staggered walk-throughs, such as multi-floor walk-throughs, you can use a sign-up sheet to control the number of people per seat.

Build safety and travel buffers

Working in the field requires transportation, entrance preparation and occasional PPE checks. Make this time explicit.

• Automatically enable buffer time before and after each site visit.

• Add extra cushion for difficult parking zones or school areas

• Reserve specific windows (e.g. fieldwork Tuesday/Thursday after 10am)

• Protect afternoons for design or documentation

These small adjustments prevent late starts and burned design hours.

Charge for on-site consultations when applicable

Paid consultations - feasibility visits, HOA surveys or zoning checks - are easier when payment is automatic.

Doodle + Stripe makes it possible:

• Pre-payment at booking

• Fewer no-shows

• Clear expectations from the customer

Examples of this:

• Zoning/feasibility walk - 60-minute paid on-site consultation

• Material check - Evaluate installations outside the scope of the contract

• Warranty walk - Bill property managers for annual walkthroughs

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid these pitfalls in planning:

• Offering unlimited options

• Forgetting about travel time

• Skipping questions about access

• Running polls without deadlines

• Burying the location information in the description

• Allowing bookings all day (destroys design time)

• Using a generic meeting type for everything

Tools and solutions for architectural planning

Doodle's features support true architectural workflows:

• Booking page - Share availability, add visit types, set buffers

• 1:1s - Offer curated slots for controlled scheduling

• Group polls - Coordinate owners, GC, subcontractors and consultants

• Sign-up sheets - Manage walk-throughs with number restrictions

• Calendar integrations - Google, Outlook, Apple

• Video conferencing - Zoom, Google Meet, Cisco, Teams

• Stripe payments - collect fees during booking

• AI meeting descriptions - generate agendas quickly

• Custom branding - Add your company logo

• Zapier - Trigger tasks in Asana, Slack or your CRM

• Privacy features - Hide attendee details, ad-free experience

These tools cut down on administration and reduce friction in scheduling.

Real-world examples

1. Home addition consultation

A homeowner books a paid 60-minute on-site consultation via your booking page.

• Stripe processes the payment

• 45-minute buffer is added

• Parking and gate code is collected via custom questions

Result: You arrive prepared and on time with an already paid consultation.

2. Commercial TI weekly OAC walk

You submit a group vote with three options.

• 24-hour voting deadline

• Automatic reminders

• Thursday at 8 am selected

Result: Consensus on a day without email chains.

3. Punch walk for multiple families with staggered replacements

You create a sign-up sheet.

• 30-minute slots per floor

• Limit of five people

• Clear access and PPE notes

Result: Orderly flow, safe headcount and efficient walk-through.

Practical tips you can use today

• Add a booking link to your email signature

• Preload common website addresses

• Use shortcodes in titles (e.g. "123 Main St - Level 2 Punch")

• Keep mornings open for fieldwork

• Run group polls before long weekends

• Let Doodle send automatic reminders

• Attach field notes to the event afterwards

Key lessons learned

• Standardize visit types with duration, buffers and agendas

• Let customers book via a booking page

• Manage multi-party scheduling with group polls

• Collect access information in advance with custom questions

• Charge for consultations via Stripe

• Protect design time with smart booking limits

Take control of your planning and your time

You don't need a new process for every project. A few smart settings and the right tool will help you schedule client visits without the back and forth.

With Doodle, you connect your calendar, set buffers, add visit types and share a single link. Customers book in minutes and you show up ready to work.

Ready to simplify your scheduling? Create a Doodle and see how architects save hours every week.