PART-TIME CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT
Visit our Website @ www.TheLocalGarden.com for more information about the company!
Landscape Design & Build Co. Client-Facing Brand of The Local Gardener LLC Central Ohio — Primarily Remote / Occasional In-Person Meetings Year-Round, Part-Time, Hourly W-2 Position 15 Guaranteed Hours per Week | Up to 20 Hours with Prior Approval $24–$27 per Hour, Based on Experience START DATE: ASAP
ABOUT US
Landscape Design & Build Co. is a growing Central Ohio landscape design-build firm serving homeowners who value thoughtful design, careful craftsmanship, and a highly personal client experience.
We design and build distinctive gardens, outdoor living spaces, hardscapes, drainage solutions, and larger residential landscapes intended to improve with age and feel connected to their surroundings.
Our guiding mission is:
“Be present, with a vision for the future, that reflects the integrity of nature.”
We are looking for someone who can bring that same level of thoughtfulness, sensitivity, organization, and care to every conversation and every document our clients receive.
ABOUT THE POSITION
The Part-Time Client Communications & Estimating Assistant will often be the first person a prospective client speaks with and an important point of contact for current clients. This person will also help turn field notes, measurements, quantities, and pricing information into organized estimates and polished client proposals.
This is more than a traditional receptionist position, but it is intentionally part-time. We are looking for a capable, composed, highly organized professional who can keep calls, text messages, emails, appointments, leads, estimates, and follow-up tasks moving without requiring a full-time schedule.
The right person will communicate warmly and professionally, exercise sound judgment, work independently, and represent the company confidently without sounding scripted or overly sales-focused.
CLIENT COMMUNICATION RESPONSIBILITIES
- Answer incoming business calls during scheduled working hours and return missed calls promptly.
- Respond professionally to prospective-client and current-client emails and text messages.
- Gather important details from new inquiries, including property location, project goals, approximate investment range, desired timing, and decision-making process.
- Help determine whether an inquiry is a good fit for the company and guide qualified prospects toward the appropriate next step.
- Schedule consultations, site visits, telephone calls, and follow-up appointments.
- Send appointment confirmations, reminders, and requests for photographs or property information.
- Maintain accurate contact records, conversation notes, appointments, and follow-up tasks in the company’s CRM.
- Monitor leads as they move from initial inquiry through consultation, design, estimate, proposal, and project scheduling.
- Follow up on unanswered inquiries, pending proposals, and clients awaiting information.
- Coordinate with the owner, designers, and production team before providing project updates or making commitments.
- Recognize urgent or sensitive matters and route them to the appropriate team member.
ESTIMATING AND PROPOSAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Organize field notes, measurements, quantities, photographs, vendor information, and other project details supplied by the owner or production team.
- Research current material, plant, subcontractor, and supplier pricing when requested.
- Enter quantities, labor assumptions, and approved pricing information into the company’s estimating system or templates.
- Apply established labor rates, material markups, and company pricing rules under the owner’s direction.
- Prepare organized internal estimate drafts and polished client-facing proposals.
- Identify missing, conflicting, or unclear information before an estimate is finalized.
- Maintain accurate versions of estimates, proposals, change information, and supporting documentation.
- Route every estimate and proposal to the owner or designated manager for review and approval before it is sent to a client.
This position supports estimate preparation but will not initially be responsible for independently setting final project scope, crew-day assumptions, markups, contractual terms, or final pricing. Those decisions remain with the owner or designated manager.
ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain organized calendars, shared inboxes, client files, and administrative systems.
- Assist with vendor telephone calls, pricing requests, document collection, and routine project coordination.
- Contact past clients and qualified previous inquiries regarding future projects, reviews, referrals, seasonal services, and upcoming availability.
- Assist with thoughtful winter business development, including warm-lead follow-up, pending-proposal follow-up, past-client outreach, spring scheduling, and relationship-building with aligned professionals.
- Help improve communication templates, intake procedures, estimate templates, and follow-up systems as the company grows.
- Perform other reasonable client-service, estimating-support, and administrative duties within the approved weekly schedule.
The position may include respectful outbound follow-up, particularly during slower months, but it is not a high-volume telemarketing or call-center role. Our approach is personal, thoughtful, and focused on genuine long-term relationships.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- At least three years of proven experience in client service, reception, scheduling, administrative coordination, estimating support, proposal preparation, inside sales, or a closely related role.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
- A confident, composed, and genuinely helpful telephone presence.
- Strong organization, follow-through, accuracy, and attention to detail.
- Comfort working with numbers, quantities, pricing information, spreadsheets, and repeatable estimating procedures.
- Demonstrated ability to manage calls, text messages, email, calendars, documents, and follow-up tasks without losing important information.
- Good judgment when communicating with clients and handling private or sensitive company information.
- Ability to work independently, stay focused, accurately record time, and consistently complete assigned work in a remote environment.
- Comfort learning and using CRM software, cloud-based files, shared calendars, business telephone systems, text-messaging platforms, and estimating software.
- Reliable high-speed internet and a quiet, professional home workspace.
- Residence in Central Ohio and the ability to attend initial training and occasional in-person meetings in the Columbus area.
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE
Experience in one or more of the following is strongly preferred:
- Landscape design, landscaping, horticulture, or hardscaping
- Residential construction or remodeling
- Architecture or interior design
- Property management or real estate
- Home services
- Luxury hospitality or another high-touch client-service business
- Estimate preparation, proposal writing, purchasing, or vendor coordination
- Google Workspace, HighLevel, QuickBooks, LMN, or comparable business systems
Direct landscape experience is not required, but an interest in design, gardens, construction, and helping homeowners make thoughtful improvements to their properties is important.
SCHEDULE AND WORK ARRANGEMENT
- Fifteen paid hours per week are guaranteed.
- The anticipated core schedule is approximately 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
- Up to five additional hours may be scheduled or approved when estimating volume, client needs, or other projects require them.
- Total working time is capped at 20 hours per week unless the owner provides advance approval.
- All time spent responding to calls, text messages, emails, or completing other company work must be recorded and will be paid.
- The position is primarily remote, with occasional in-person or video meetings for training, planning, and estimate review.
- There is no general expectation of availability outside scheduled or prearranged working hours.
- This is a year-round position, although the mix of responsibilities will shift with the landscaping season.
- We are reviewing applications immediately and would like the selected candidate to begin as soon as reasonably possible.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
- $24–$27 per hour, based on relevant experience and demonstrated ability.
- Company-provided computer, business telephone access, headset, required software, and other necessary equipment.
- Paid training.
- Prorated paid time off and paid holidays in accordance with company policy.
- 401(k) participation and company match for eligible employees, subject to applicable plan terms and waiting periods.
- A stable, flexible, primarily work-from-home schedule.
- Opportunity to grow into broader client-experience, estimating, office-management, or sales-coordination responsibilities as the company grows.
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit your résumé and a brief introduction answering the following questions:
- What experience do you have managing client communication across telephone calls, email, and text messages?
- What experience do you have preparing estimates, proposals, pricing documents, or detailed administrative work?
- Have you worked in landscaping, construction, design, home services, luxury hospitality, or another relationship-driven professional business?
- Are you consistently available approximately 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday?
- What is your earliest available start date?
Candidates selected for the next step will be asked to complete a brief telephone interview and a short, practical exercise involving fictional client communications and estimate information.
Landscape Design & Build Co. and The Local Gardener LLC consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.
Pay: $24.00 - $27.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
- Work from home
Experience:
- Customer relationship management: 5 years (Preferred)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Columbus, OH 43207
