How Kennedy Painting Turned Missed Appointments into 7,000+ Reliable Bookings

I couldn’t be happier with the service that you guys have provided. It has been fantastic in helping us to organize our appointments and communicate with our customers.”- Josh Cornell, VP of Sales and Marketing, Kennedy Painting

In St. Louis, Kennedy Painting has built a reputation that stretches back more than two decades. Founded in 1998, the business grew from a small, local operation into a trusted residential and light commercial painting company serving homeowners across the region.

Josh Cornell has been part of that growth journey firsthand. Starting out as an estimator nearly a decade ago, he now leads sales and marketing for a company with dozens of painters in the field and a steady stream of new projects coming in every week. At every stage, Kennedy Painting has focused on doing the fundamentals well—clear communication, organized processes, and a customer experience that feels professional from the very first interaction.

That attention to detail helped the business scale, but it also introduced new complexity. With multiple estimators visiting homes, appointments happening across different locations, and a high volume of inquiries to manage, keeping scheduling organized became increasingly important. Each missed appointment or no-show didn’t just affect the calendar—it affected trust and revenue.

To protect both their team’s time and the customer experience they’d worked hard to build, Kennedy Painting needed a more reliable way to manage bookings. That’s what led them to YouCanBookMe—service industry scheduling software that reduces friction, and keeps everything running smoothly as the business continues to grow.

Why YouCanBookMe: Josh's story

The challenge

As Kennedy Painting continued to grow, scheduling became a bigger operational pressure point. With multiple estimators on the road each day, every appointment represented a significant investment of time—not just the on-site visit, but travel, preparation, and follow-up.

Josh explained that no-shows were particularly costly. When a homeowner forgot an estimate appointment or wasn’t available, that time couldn’t simply be reused elsewhere. It created gaps in the day and disrupted carefully planned schedules.

Beyond missed appointments, there was also the challenge of managing information accurately. Estimators needed to know exactly where they were going, what kind of project they were walking into, and how to contact the homeowner if something changed. Relying on manual coordination meant repeating data entry, juggling calendars, and increasing the risk of small but impactful errors.

We were doing a lot of manual data entry, as well as phone calls and back-and-forth emails to try to schedule appointments, and it was just a very inefficient process.”

At the same time, the team wanted to make it easy for customers to book. The goal wasn’t to add friction or force extra phone calls—it was to offer a professional, straightforward experience that matched the quality of their work.

Kennedy Painting needed a scheduling system that could reduce wasted time, set clearer expectations for customers, and support a growing team without adding more admin to already busy days.

The solution

To reduce uncertainty around estimator appointments and make scheduling easier for everyone involved, Kennedy Painting introduced YouCanBookMe as a central booking system for estimate visits.

Instead of relying on back-and-forth calls or tedious coordination, customers can now choose an available time with ease. That simple shift helped set clearer expectations upfront—homeowners actively select a slot, receive confirmation, and know exactly when to expect an estimator.

We send an initial confirmation email and text. Then, we send a reminder the day before and a reminder a few hours before that appointment.”

On the internal side, bookings flow straight into the team’s calendars, giving estimators accurate, up-to-date information before they head out. Appointment details are captured, reducing the need for repeated data entry and minimizing the risk of confusion.

By using YouCanBookMe, Kennedy Painting created a booking experience that works at scale. One that respects the customer’s time while protecting the team’s day-to-day schedule. It’s a practical system that supports growth without adding complexity.

Fewer gaps. Better days.

Stop wasting time on missed appointments and manual follow-ups. YouCanBookMe makes scheduling simple for customers and reliable for your team—so every booking counts.

The outcome

With YouCanBookMe supporting the booking flow, scheduling at Kennedy Painting has become far more reliable—for both the team and their customers. Appointments are clearly set, communication is consistent, and customers know exactly what to expect.

I couldn’t be happier with the service that you guys have provided. It has been fantastic in helping us to organize our appointments and communicate with our customers.”

One of the biggest shifts has been how dependable bookings have become. With clear confirmation messages and reminders in place, customers are far less likely to forget their appointments.

No shows to appointments have basically disappeared.”

Combined with automated workflows through Zapier, bookings now fit neatly into the wider business setup—reducing manual admin and keeping everything connected. For Kennedy Painting, that means less time spent managing logistics and more time focused on delivering quality work and growing with ease.

Deep dive into Josh's booking page

Kennedy Painting's booking page

Kennedy Painting’s booking page is designed to feel familiar and trustworthy from the first click. The page uses a custom color background that matches the company’s branding, alongside an uploaded logo—reinforcing that customers are in the right place.

From there, the booking form does the heavy lifting. Customers are guided through a set of thoughtful, practical qualifying questions that give the team everything they need before an estimate takes place. Details like the property address, the type of work being considered, and space to explain the project help ensure every visit is purposeful and well-prepared.

The form also includes a simple checkbox question asking how customers found Kennedy Painting—whether through a referral, yard sign, or another channel—giving the team useful insight into what’s driving new local business.

There’s also a custom footer which displays a phone number for anyone who has questions or prefers to speak to someone directly, creating a booking experience that feels both efficient and personal.

✨ Bonus ✨ Learn from the pros—Josh’s top business advice

For Josh, growth hasn’t come from shortcuts or shiny tools alone. It’s come from showing up consistently, doing the hard work, and then putting smart systems in place to support that effort—not replace it.

Be willing to put in the hard work and use automations smartly to exploit, but don’t use them as the silver bullet that’s gonna keep you from having to do the hard work.”

The takeaway is simple: automation works best when it strengthens a solid foundation. Put the effort in first, build a business you’re proud of, and then use tools like scheduling and automation to protect your time, reduce friction, and help that work scale sustainably.

From lost time to a system that scales

As Kennedy Painting grew, the cost of inefficiency became impossible to ignore. Missed appointments, manual follow-ups, and fragmented information weren’t just frustrating—they directly affected how the team spent their days and how customers experienced the business.

By putting a reliable service industry scheduling system in place, Kennedy Painting created a better rhythm. Appointments are clearer, communication is smoother, and no-shows are no longer part of the equation. With integrations handling the behind-the-scenes workflows, the team can stay focused on delivering great work—while customers enjoy a straightforward, professional way to book.

If you want customers to book with the same ease—and your team to operate with total clarity—YouCanBookMe makes it possible. Start your free account today and see how much smoother your day-to-day scheduling can become.