Before
Builders email a purchase order, sometimes six months before the job starts. The booking date comes later in a separate email, often more than once for the same house, one for each stage of the work.
Every order was printed and filed by name. When the booking came in, it was pulled out and filed again by date. Between office days, emails sat unread, and finding a job meant a trip to the filing cabinet.
All up, about eight hours a week.