Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: SB Cleaning on September 07, 2010, 09:16:33 pm
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Do you guys phone the custys the night before the clean or do you just turn up???
I always phone out of courtesy more than anything else.
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I think most of us only phone the one's who have locked gates etc, to tell them to leave open.
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I call or text each and every customer the night before, it means no collecting because as they know I'm coming they leave access and payment for me.
customer feedback is excellent and I usually get I was kust thinking about you when you called ;D
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I only send a text the night before to ask them to open the locked gate.
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only if there is access problems and even then it has to be worth it money wise
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Only if I have to ! Then you still get the not this time brigade ! Had one tonight. p's me right off when they do that. I used to text / call the night before on my old round (every customer) used to wind me up when they say tomorrow isn't good... No reason, just they didn't want them cleaning that day or can I call back thursday between 5-6 when there was no need
Also had one tonight text me to ask when I'm cleaning her windows. She cancelled me last time... Come back in a few weeks. Told her if its regular window cleaning she wants that's fine, but as she canceled me the night before last time I'm put out by this, can't book work in late on and I'm loosing out. Not heard back off her.
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sod that i couldnt be arsed keep phoning/texting,fair enough if access is a problem but every customer
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I have very little work where I need to pre-arrange it like that. That's not by accident either.
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blue frog is right.
Calling or texting customers if you ask me is the worst thing i have ever experienced i still have a few customers that i call or text but these customers start from £30-£45 so i do it because there is access problems and they will not settle for the front.
however calling and texting gives customers the opportunity to say not this time i however make it clear to them before i clean it the first time that i am asking for a 1 year agreement, and that i am investing my time in cleaning your house now when its rotten and that keeping it clean is the part where i make money.
so basically i tell them if its a £20 house 1 clean will be £50.00 or its £20 every 8 weeks which would you like?, i make them understand that appointment window cleaning and regular window cleaning are two different things.Then if they would like to be called for access i might say ok however remind them that i am NOT ASKING YOUR PERMISSION if i text or call you the night before it means i am coming whatever happens if you cant unlock , or be in to let me clean the full house i WILL clean the front ONLY and charge accordingly
I found out that if you have a round of customers that you call each time rather then turning up it lowers your hourly rate because if you call them some may ask for times and want to be in etc before you know it your customers own your business in other words they are in charge
To sum up my advice would be to stay clear of customer contact , if you can even get paid by standing order. Just don't talk to them! unless they haven't paid in a while
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blue frog is right.
Calling or texting customers if you ask me is the worst thing i have ever experienced i still have a few customers that i call or text but these customers start from £30-£45 so i do it because there is access problems and they will not settle for the front.
however calling and texting gives customers the opportunity to say not this time i however make it clear to them before i clean it the first time that i am asking for a 1 year agreement, and that i am investing my time in cleaning your house now when its rotten and that keeping it clean is the part where i make money.
so basically i tell them if its a £20 house 1 clean will be £50.00 or its £20 every 8 weeks which would you like?, i make them understand that appointment window cleaning and regular window cleaning are two different things.Then if they would like to be called for access i might say ok however remind them that i am NOT ASKING YOUR PERMISSION if i text or call you the night before it means i am coming whatever happens if you cant unlock , or be in to let me clean the full house i WILL clean the front ONLY and charge accordingly
I found out that if you have a round of customers that you call each time rather then turning up it lowers your hourly rate because if you call them some may ask for times and want to be in etc before you know it your customers own your business in other words they are in charge
To sum up my advice would be to stay clear of customer contact , if you can even get paid by standing order. Just don't talk to them! unless they haven't paid in a while
I'ts no wonder some people are constantly having to canvass new customers with this sort of attitude !!
Speaking to customers regularly creates strong loyalty IF and only IF you do a good job and are confident of your work.
It builds relationships and they will not only find it very difficult to ever stop you coming but they recommend you to their family and friends.
Try treating people the way you'd like to be treated and you'll be amazed at what happens to your business.
Simon
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so ask yourself how can i let them know we are coming but then they can't say anything back?
then you have your answer
works for us a treat :)
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I always phone the night before because most of my jobs are insides as well.
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i call alot of my custies where there is accses issues save strugging n climbing! but it dont half get on my nerves when u go thru the effort of ringing n then they still dont leave the gate open and use the excuse "O i fogot u were coming" pointless exercise in ringing sum people! but majority like 99.9% are brill custies its good when u have got them in the routine.
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>Crystal-clear
I like your attitude.
>Simon Brannon
Don't confuse Crystal-clear's businesslike and professional attitude with rudeness.
I have very few "call to arrange" custies - and then only for access issues. Like Paul Coleman says "this is not by accident".
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I telephone custies with sash windows or locked gates to ensure job can be completed easily and my big jobs to keep them sweet.
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I call or text each and every customer the night before, it means no collecting because as they know I'm coming they leave access and payment for me.
customer feedback is excellent and I usually get I was kust thinking about you when you called ;D
Same here mate customers love it, if i don't make contact i don't clean. What's the point in going to a property when the householder is on holiday? Work's for me Work's for my customers.
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hehe cheers gold
simon doing a good job is my middle name and i treat them with the highest respect i would love to call all my customers but as some others have agreed its just a pain. Not opening gates, asking to skip etc my budgie is not well lol people will do anything to save money!its so much confusion and headache.
maybe in the futrure i might review my methods but when i was up north (in london now) my business was so smooth and easy going when i didnt need to call a single customer, its when i started calling down here where it became a pain so i learnt through trial and error.
my 1st post sounded a bit over the top im actually a chilled out guy i do ofc politely let them know the problems with calling and explain that its a nightmare for both of us i was just explaining it in my own words to the forum ;0
thanks for your advice thou but right now im really happy its working alot better for both customer and myself!
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i either text or call the night before , as i dont have many customers at mo its not a problem . over the summer hols it saved me a lot of wasted journeys as quite a few were away and ive access problems . i think it is another way of helping to build up a relationship with the customers as they seem to appreciate the call
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Phoning the day before and building repall is not the same thing, chatt to a customer when ever you can.But phoning before, call is only cutting a stick for your own back.It costs money and it tells custies you are hard up and custies take advantage of it.This type call is not constructive for your business.
I dont think Cristall Clear is far off the mark. Simon I thing you have got the two issues confused mate.
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i always ring my customers the night before.do hardly any colllecting because of it and have a very good repor with my customers.at least i know what i will be bringing home the next day and get loads of new customers that way.
my missus says i don,t have customers i have my own little community that is now over 200 good customers.
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I thnik Steve CM and Crystal have got it spot on.
When i take on a residential customer i let them know the frequency and that i will only let them know prior to each visit if there is an issue with access (i.e padlocked gate) however if a customer has a padlocked gate i do ask them initially if they mind me climbing over it..
Some agree to this and thats fine, some don't and so i tell them the only way that i inform customers with access issues is via sms text message.
I used to text from my work mobile but soon learned that that some customers found it easy to send a reply text with excuses 'leave it this time' etc.
So what i have now works great and looks very professional. I use a company called Fast SMS and my text messages are sent from web software on my laptop, when the customer gets the text it does not show my number but shows my business name which you cannot send a reply to. I have also barred incoming texts to my work mobile as i say to customers the text service is there for info purposes only, and all correspondance is by phone or email only.
Its great also as you can schedule when you want the text to be sent ( time and date) so if you have a weekend away for example you could sort out your access texts on thursday to be sent on sunday tea time ready for work on Monday.
If they really have a problem they all have my email and mobile number, and i tell them to call and leave a voicemail and occasioanaly some do. IMO customers find it easy to fob you off via a text message but it is much harder for them to do it verbally.
You need control of your customers and not the other way round otherwise it is so hard to keep your revenue consistant. Phoning or contacting every customer the night before is time consuming and gives the customer the opportunity to make a lame excuse losing you the revenue, even though the customer agreed to your schedule.
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Apart from the ones with access problems we do have some who expect a call or text the night before but to be honest we prefer not to call before because that can give them an excuse to say 'come back next week' which they aren't as keen to do when you're on the door step.
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Phoning the day before and building repall is not the same thing, chatt to a customer when ever you can.But phoning before, call is only cutting a stick for your own back.It costs money and it tells custies you are hard up and custies take advantage of it.This type call is not constructive for your business.
I dont think Cristall Clear is far off the mark. Simon I thing you have got the two issues confused mate.
Each to their own Wizkid but I am struggling to see how a phone call to alert your customer you are coming makes you sound hard up???
Its just professional and like Karygate I have a "community" and I genuinely do not have any customers "fobbing" me off, and also NO collecting as they now all leave the money out ( have been going a few years now tho ,so they all know and trust me to do the windows )
Simon
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I call or text each and every customer the night before, it means no collecting because as they know I'm coming they leave access and payment for me.
customer feedback is excellent and I usually get I was kust thinking about you when you called ;D
Same here mate customers love it, if i don't make contact i don't clean. What's the point in going to a property when the householder is on holiday? Work's for me Work's for my customers.
Spot on Steve !
Simon
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I call or text each and every customer the night before, it means no collecting because as they know I'm coming they leave access and payment for me.
customer feedback is excellent and I usually get I was kust thinking about you when you called ;D
Same here mate customers love it, if i don't make contact i don't clean. What's the point in going to a property when the householder is on holiday? Work's for me Work's for my customers.
Spot on Steve !
Simon
Im glad im not the only one that thinks this way :)
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yes you get the odd one or two who when you call ask if you can leave it that month but thats fine as you can always call another customer and book that in, and I would rather do it that way then turn up at a house only for the customer to come and say can you leave it this month ? in fact someone has put a post on here only this week titled NOT TODAY THANK YOU so its proof it happens either way.
but as stated by calling customers you build up that rappor and only 5% of collecting as most customers leave payment for you.
would be interesting to find out on the loss of customers ratio to the ones who call and communicate with their customers and the ones who don't, after all your not just selling your services your selling yourself and with w/cs coming out of the woodwork and undercutting becoming more and more of an issue then having the customer knowing just who you are and being able to trust you means so much these days.