As a cc how far booked in advance are you ??

« **on:** September 03, 2011, 10:14:54 am »

Curious most guys / girls on site appear to be owners / operators (1 'man' bands)

In general how far ahead are you booked

Be Nice

« **Reply #1 on:** September 03, 2011, 01:25:56 pm »

17 working days ahead...

« **Reply #2 on:** September 03, 2011, 02:10:32 pm »

We have repeat 6 month and yearly repeat bookings... so I supose I could say "forever"

« **Reply #3 on:** September 03, 2011, 02:37:46 pm »

I tend to be pretty much booked solid for a week, patchy the week after and a few scattered jobs about the week after that

It's weird though in this game though how a quite 3 day week turns into chaotic 7 days!

« **Reply #4 on:** September 03, 2011, 02:56:03 pm »

depends what you mean by booked up? do you mean when is the next available slot for someone if they ring or do you mean, what is your last job in your diary.
first scenario, if i had to i could fit a small job in monday
second scenario, september the 13th

« **Reply #5 on:** September 03, 2011, 06:30:55 pm »

thks for replies... prob I am having ... we supply other cleaning services booked for around 4 wks little scope to fit in extra jobs... at peak was upto 8 wks.
most enquiries new potential customers want carpets cleaned within a few wks max apart from referals who are prepared to wait.
Hence losing work / passing to another local guy only does cc has scope to fit work in. due to short term work not pratical taking on extra staff.

Almost giving up building this side of company , as it seems other cc can supply services far quicker... as Derek has highlighted.

Mayb answering this myself but one answer to cross train existing staff - having confidence in staff... er

Usual prob owner of company running around like a headless chick..

« **Reply #6 on:** September 03, 2011, 06:45:01 pm »

I always leave fridays free, then if a "Must be this week job" comes in i dont loose it.
At the min im booked one week in front.
Mark

« **Reply #7 on:** September 03, 2011, 06:47:18 pm »

Fully booked, and I mean full up, until 23rd Sept.

then off for a 2 week holiday.....

« **Reply #8 on:** September 03, 2011, 07:12:11 pm »

What's fully booked? 8am till 7pm 6 jobs or 10 till 3 with 3 jobs?

Think everyone's idea of fully booked are different.

« **Reply #9 on:** September 03, 2011, 07:33:06 pm »

never usually booked more than a week in advance and even then i always have room to fit in a rush job.

you earn the same whether you are booked a day or a month in advance.

« **Reply #10 on:** September 03, 2011, 10:10:25 pm »

Well I'm working in the morning. Does that count?

« **Reply #11 on:** September 03, 2011, 10:39:33 pm »

Mike,
That is exactly what I was saying the other day on truckmounters. I have never had so many phone calls in on month during August and am very booked up but at the end of the day, I can only do so many jobs per day so dont really earn any more money by having all these enquiries.

« **Reply #12 on:** September 04, 2011, 12:05:27 am »

Domestic work pre booked in every month ( 24 - 46 jobs per month ) booked in for the next 3 years till I update CP's

waiting for the phone to ring is not for me.

« **Reply #13 on:** September 04, 2011, 05:49:35 am »

As long as tomorrow is booked up I'm always happy

« **Reply #14 on:** September 04, 2011, 07:44:18 am »

the way i see if you are booked up weeks in advance then you are a slave to your business, what freedom do you have? I want to be flexible to do as I please.

I can see why being fully booked for 2-3 weeks is very comforting but if it was me I would stop my marketing and let my self catch up, If I was booked up for 3 weeks I would let down a lot of my regular customers who want it this week or early next week, even though they always use me they would phone another carpet cleaner if I said 2-3 weeks.

« **Reply #15 on:** September 04, 2011, 09:25:25 am »

Quote from: Mike Halliday on September 04, 2011, 07:44:18 am

I can see why being fully booked for 2-3 weeks is very comforting but if it was me I would stop my marketing and let my self catch up, If I was booked up for 3 weeks I would let down a lot of my regular customers who want it this week or early next week, even though they always use me they would phone another carpet cleaner if I said 2-3 weeks.

Not sure how you carry out your marketing

but for me not a simple matter of stopping in order to catch up (wont happen immediately) the way we market hopefully our actions have impact for 3 to even 6 mths ahead. It probably is the 'approach' as ours is more online rather than direct flyers etc

But do agree with your other comments ref customers - thats the catch.

However

that said I do like having security of 3-4 wks work - but again depends on personal circumstances

Late nite last nite really need sleeeeeeeeep

« **Reply #16 on:** September 04, 2011, 09:34:49 am »

Mike, I'm away next week so stopped my leaflets and paused my Adwords last week this has had the effect of stopping 75%(ish) of my new enquiries, so most of the calls I had this week that normally i would have booked into next week were existing customers who don't mind a small wait while i get back.

I have arranged a 10k leaflet drop 2 days after I return which will kick start my phone.

most of my work from new and existing customers comes via my leaflets..... so in some way it is very controllable,

« **Reply #17 on:** September 04, 2011, 09:53:24 am »

Hi Guys

I like to be about a week ahead, anymore makes it difficult to fit in the emergency type jobs which are often more profitable and interesting.

With heavy advertising and discounting no doubt we could be weeks ahead but I would rather have 10 well paid jobs in the diary than a hundred cheap ones.

Cheers

Doug

« **Reply #18 on:** September 04, 2011, 11:45:03 am »

yer as I said its our marketing thats different, we dont use adwords have a company that manage seo for long term results, try to avoid using leafelt drops.

Other areas of buisness provide cushion for work load with well paid jobs

- thats what has created our prob of 'fitting' in CC.

As is being highlighted, my prob is other ccs have flexibility to fit in work with relatively short pre-bookings. Somehow thats what I need to correct.
Please realise not having a pop

just interesting to see how other companies manage work load

« **Reply #19 on:** September 04, 2011, 12:55:34 pm »

this year july was awfull august was busy and now i dont have any jobs booked in. you never know whats round the corner in this game.

« **Reply #20 on:** September 04, 2011, 02:07:35 pm »

Define 'booked up'

Some guys do 7/8+ jobs a day and work 6 days a week.

A lot of carpet cleaners are finished by 2pm and sniff at weekend work and say they are booked up till the end of the month.

« **Reply #21 on:** September 04, 2011, 03:02:15 pm »

mine is 6 jobs a day monday - friday

« **Reply #22 on:** September 04, 2011, 03:07:36 pm »

Im happy if doing 3 jobs per day, 4 days per week, start at 10am and home for 4pm, Mon - Thurs.
Try to have Fri, Sat and Sun off.
Last few weeks been starting at 8 and working Fridays too so that to me is busy.
Would not like to work weekends at all unless it is a big commercial job that is fantastic money.
Its about getting the work / Family time balance right.
We all have different Financial commitments so need to earn / work more than others its a personal thing imo
Mark

« **Reply #23 on:** September 04, 2011, 04:39:42 pm »

17 hours wednesday
14 hours thursday
12 hours friday (solid with no real breaks)
5 hours saturday
and 2 hours today.

not much on next week though. until the phone rings tomorrow, which it will.

« **Reply #24 on:** September 04, 2011, 04:46:29 pm »

Quote from: wynne jones on September 04, 2011, 02:07:35 pm

Define 'booked up'

Some guys do 7/8+ jobs a day and work 6 days a week.

A lot of carpet cleaners are finished by 2pm and sniff at weekend work and say they are booked up till the end of the month.

Sorry should of been more specific!!
What i was interested in seeing was how far in the future Generally cc are booked,
for this basis i suppose m-f office hrs excluding wkends - general times when domestics are happy for you to clean - not many want you to start 6 in the morning! (just wait for someone to answer that back!)... otherwise no limit we can all 'double' shift from time to time - Its just a snap shot

bennymon - sorry to hear about ya work sure it will pick up soon

thks for your honesty.

« **Reply #25 on:** September 04, 2011, 04:56:06 pm »

I would guess booked up is when customers say..... 'never mind I'll find someone else'

if you are losing customers because you can't fit them in then you are 'booked up' on this basis I'm never booked up because I always can fit them in ( if I want the job.... otherwise I tell them I'm 'booked up')

« **Reply #26 on:** September 04, 2011, 04:57:07 pm »

I've just done a Groupon deal, so I'm booked up til 2015..

Ash

« **Reply #27 on:** September 04, 2011, 05:17:50 pm »

Quote from: derek west on September 04, 2011, 04:39:42 pm

17 hours wednesday
14 hours thursday
12 hours friday (solid with no real breaks)
5 hours saturday
and 2 hours today.

not much on next week though. until the phone rings tomorrow, which it will.

Time to upgrade to a Pheonix.

There's no way I could physically do that, even on speed.

« **Reply #28 on:** September 04, 2011, 05:38:02 pm »

Quote from: derek west on September 04, 2011, 04:39:42 pm

17 hours wednesday
14 hours thursday
12 hours friday (solid with no real breaks)
5 hours saturday
and 2 hours today.

not much on next week though. until the phone rings tomorrow, which it will.

Heart Attack Country.

« **Reply #29 on:** September 04, 2011, 05:49:29 pm »

lemon squeezy chris, lemon squeezy. its the maccies and coffee that will do that to me.

« **Reply #30 on:** September 04, 2011, 11:07:37 pm »

Quote from: derek west on September 04, 2011, 05:49:29 pm

lemon squeezy chris, lemon squeezy. its the maccies and coffee that will do that to me.

Fair play Derek,at least it will keep you fit

Chris

« **Reply #31 on:** September 05, 2011, 02:32:17 am »

"keep fit" and "McDonalds" in the same sentence??!!

« **Reply #32 on:** September 05, 2011, 05:53:45 am »

typo jim, should be "keep fat"

« **Reply #33 on:** September 05, 2011, 06:57:55 am »

Quote from: wynne jones on September 04, 2011, 05:17:50 pm

Quote from: derek west on September 04, 2011, 04:39:42 pm
17 hours wednesday
14 hours thursday
12 hours friday (solid with no real breaks)
5 hours saturday
and 2 hours today.

not much on next week though. until the phone rings tomorrow, which it will.

Time to upgrade to a Pheonix.

There's no way I could physically do that, even on speed.

At last!! a man with sense!!! You should listen to wynne!!!!!!!!!!

« **Reply #34 on:** September 05, 2011, 07:57:20 am »

Derek

Plenty of macie dees for all that work.

Usually have a good 3 days a week booked up at the start of the week and then the phone rings for jobs to do in the rest of the week..Hopefully

« **Reply #35 on:** September 05, 2011, 08:22:17 pm »

In over 11 years i have never been booked more than a week in advance. Apart for one week last year that i was booked solid two weeks, but that was a freak occurance.

Tony

« **Reply #36 on:** September 05, 2011, 11:09:54 pm »

We're at about 80% capacity for this week which is great as we can still take on last minute jobs and we have 4 jobs in for next week.

I made 7 bookings today which is unusually big for one for us but I'm having a gamble on a marketing change, so here's hoping it pays off in the long run!

Linds

« **Reply #37 on:** September 05, 2011, 11:30:22 pm »

hardly ewt this week, typical.

« **Reply #38 on:** September 06, 2011, 08:14:49 am »

Schools back too so its usually quiet for me to derek.

Maci dees have got them calorie charts now