[mikecam]

GOD!!!!! some on here dont arf make life complicated for themselves!!!!!!!
Use ya ladders to climb over gates it real easy!!!!!!!
houses that you need to walk through to clean leave for someone else!!!!!
texting phoning the night before?? WHY......
Dont let your customers run  your business, RUN IT YOURSELF.
I dont ring any, they all know i will get in and clean them.
If your wfp make sure you have 100 m of microbore so any long drives with big gates can be cleaned leaving ur van outside.
Am i speaking sense??
Make it easy for yourself

Thats the longest way to say if there's access issues then don't clean the house i've ever read !!
And another thought occured to me...do you think there is a niche/premium market for people with access isues who require cleaning by arrangement?
 

[Johnny B]

I only ever ring customers when I really need to. Many are out when I clean their windows.
Some have locked back gates, most of which I can climb over (I always get permission first). Any I can't get over just have the fronts done. I leave a slip in their door and call back within a few days, usually on a Friday evening. Some send me a cheque, but most have the money waiting when I call back. As I like my customers, and am very happy to spend some time chatting with them, I see that as a pleasure rather than a chore.  

John  
 

[rosskesava]

GOD!!!!! some on here dont arf make life complicated for themselves!!!!!!!
Use ya ladders to climb over gates it real easy!!!!!!!
houses that you need to walk through to clean leave for someone else!!!!!
texting phoning the night before?? WHY......
Dont let your customers run  your business, RUN IT YOURSELF.
I dont ring any, they all know i will get in and clean them.
If your wfp make sure you have 100 m of microbore so any long drives with big gates can be cleaned leaving ur van outside.
Am i speaking sense??
Make it easy for yourself

Personally, I find it a lot less effort and simpler, and not to mention safer, to make a sixty second phone call than to get a ladder and climb over a gate or fence. I also don't understand how phoning a customer is letting them run my business and making things complicated.

Daveoc121's original question was about not having access and him wasting time and fuel. Dumping the customer because phoning is so complicated and the erroneous idea that by doing so is letting the customer run his business doesn't solve his problem from where his business is at this point in time. The customer isn't his enemy or some stupid idiot that needs to be trained, they are his source of income.

Communicating with his customers is a solution to his problem and one of the easiest forms of that is by phone.

Also, by phoning the night before, I have less debt problems because they usually leave the cash or cheque somewhere hidden. What's simpler, easy access or climbing over gates? Plus is it simpler  going back for payment or leaving an SAE, or getting paid on the day?

Cheers

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

I was simply letting him know there are plenty of un complicated customers to be had out there with no issues.
I would find it a drag calling all my custys the night before. i prefer to spend the evenings with my family put my lads to bed and chill.
30 phone calls a night,
IM A WINDOW CLEANER GET ME OUT OF HERE!

[David OCuilleain]

Thanks to you all. lot to think about. I use wfp so climbing is out. had a mixed day today so need to get something sorted soon.

[mikecam]

Thanks to you all. lot to think about. I use wfp so climbing is out. had a mixed day today so need to get something sorted soon.

Dave what are you doing..are you ringing them before hand or not? And if you are are you arranging a time?

[David OCuilleain]

Thanks to you all. lot to think about. I use wfp so climbing is out. had a mixed day today so need to get something sorted soon.

Dave what are you doing..are you ringing them before hand or not? And if you are are you arranging a time?

No i`m not contacting them in any way just when I leave I ask if they want me back next time and tell them it will be 4 week today if running on time. always get to them within a few days if late.

[rosskesava]

I was simply letting him know there are plenty of un complicated customers to be had out there with no issues.
I would find it a drag calling all my custys the night before. i prefer to spend the evenings with my family put my lads to bed and chill.
30 phone calls a night,
IM A WINDOW CLEANER GET ME OUT OF HERE!

That made me smile. I've only got 1 job tomorrow so I only need to phone one person which isn't such a chore. Usually though, I never have to make more than the odd phone call or two.

No not contacting them. just saying I will be back in 4 weeks if on time. I always get back within a few days if late as I dont have any full days yet so easy to catch up.

No i`m not contacting them in any way just when I leave I ask if they want me back next time and tell them it will be 4 week today if running on time. always get to them within a few days if late.

What happens if you have the same problem next month? Or when you get really busy? It's worth thinking about.

Cheers

[David OCuilleain]

What happens if you have the same problem next month? Or when you get really busy? It's worth thinking about.

Cheers

That seems to be whats  happened. sort of got rolling then out of control. Most are good customers when I do get to clean them.

[mlscontractcleaner]

We never ring and simply turn up 4 weeks after the last clean - give or take - and have no problems; just the odd gate to climb over. We put a " you've been cleaned" slip through the door and some we collect and some send cheques / pay by paypal.

I agree with the lads who reckon window cleaning shouldn't be so complicated :

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

i do the same as you mls, great init mate

[rosskesava]

We never ring and simply turn up 4 weeks after the last clean - give or take - and have no problems; just the odd gate to climb over. We put a " you've been cleaned" slip through the door and some we collect and some send cheques / pay by paypal.

I agree with the lads who reckon window cleaning shouldn't be so complicated :

The point I was making is that if someone can't get do the job because they don't have access and the customer is not in..... which was the question asked........ I was answering that problem and not window cleaning logistics in general.

I do agree to keep it simple but if you cannot get access..... like the job we have tomorrow which is a days well paid work, what do I do? Not phone just to keep the job simple and not do the job?

I didn't realise a simple solution to a simple problem was so complicated nor did I realise a phone call is complex either. Tonights phone call lasted about 60 seconds or less.

Sorry to sound a little baffled but I honestly cannot see why a few phone calls when needed is complicated.

[AuRavelling79]

Hi Ross - howyadoin'? MalcG here!

I hate phoning custies the night before as it gives them the opportunity to cancel or try and change the schedule.

I have about half a dozen that I pre-arrange but the vast majority are "turn up on time and do" jobs.

[rosskesava]

Hi Malc

I'm doing more than ok and I hope you are also. I didn't reckonise the name but I knew the picture. It's the Malverns isn't it?

I don't normally post (I just look these days) but I felt sorry for Dave who'd been out for day and earnt £6 especially as I've was once in that very same situation before this forum existed to even ask the question. Me and a mate once went 3 days without earning a single penny because everyone was out. I worked it out for myself but for Dave, it seems the only viable solution wasn't suitable.

As for phone calls, I only have relatively a few customers who I need to phone first and it's always for the same reason - access, but it can be a bit of a chore all the same. These days I've only got customers who want their windows cleaned. Those that ummm and arghhh never get called again. I've gone for quality not quantity like tomorrows job. Just doing one or two really decent jobs a day, now that is really simple.

Cheers

[colinyates]

We tex or email customers a couple of days prior to the service down here in South Africa,   the texing is done from the computer, if we didnt do this I would be out of business.
We just cant pitch up, probably be arrested due to the crime in this place.

[barry mallett]

just going to bed , shattered , pnoned 10 custys, e mailed 15 and sent texts to 10 , too tired to go to work now . give it another go tomorrow ,  or is that tonight

[bobby p]

We tex or email customers a couple of days prior to the service down here in South Africa,   the texing is done from the computer, if we didnt do this I would be out of business.
We just cant pitch up, probably be arrested due to the crime in this place.

  have you got a flame thrower fixed below the side of your van?  i read in my local paper about a couple who emigrated to S.A having had great holidays there but they returned to england after only a few months the crime was so bad .lost a fortune

[Paul Coleman]

GOD!!!!! some on here dont arf make life complicated for themselves!!!!!!!
Use ya ladders to climb over gates it real easy!!!!!!!
houses that you need to walk through to clean leave for someone else!!!!!
texting phoning the night before?? WHY......
Dont let your customers run  your business, RUN IT YOURSELF.
I dont ring any, they all know i will get in and clean them.
If your wfp make sure you have 100 m of microbore so any long drives with big gates can be cleaned leaving ur van outside.
Am i speaking sense??
Make it easy for yourself

I agree with you there.  I do have the odd well paid job though where a text or call the night before is necessary.  Some places have large front gates.  Getting over them with a ladder would be impractical.  However, if a job is paying £50+ a clean then pre-arranging is not such an issue.  Doing it for run of the mill jobs would be an issue though.  I think I only have about 6 jobs on my entire round where I need to pre-notify.
Climbing over is all very well but when you are older, fatter, and have had intermittent back problems, it's not such a great idea.
signed
Fatty   

[Paul Coleman]

GOD!!!!! some on here dont arf make life complicated for themselves!!!!!!!
Use ya ladders to climb over gates it real easy!!!!!!!
houses that you need to walk through to clean leave for someone else!!!!!
texting phoning the night before?? WHY......
Dont let your customers run  your business, RUN IT YOURSELF.
I dont ring any, they all know i will get in and clean them.
If your wfp make sure you have 100 m of microbore so any long drives with big gates can be cleaned leaving ur van outside.
Am i speaking sense??
Make it easy for yourself

Thats the longest way to say if there's access issues then don't clean the house i've ever read !!
And another thought occured to me...do you think there is a niche/premium market for people with access isues who require cleaning by arrangement?
 

Yes, I believe there is.
I price these higher anyway.  They are worth it because they can cause messing around with my scheduling/more travel time and cost.  However, I do believe that just for a few, much larger types of job, there is room for a dial-a-clean type service (so long as rerasonable notice were given).  Premium+ rate of course to compensate for the above and having to do the equivalent of a near first clean each time.  Also, it would not be possible to rely on such work for bread and butter.
Just my opinion.  Nobody has to take any note of it 

[Paul Coleman]

GOD!!!!! some on here dont arf make life complicated for themselves!!!!!!!
Use ya ladders to climb over gates it real easy!!!!!!!
houses that you need to walk through to clean leave for someone else!!!!!
texting phoning the night before?? WHY......
Dont let your customers run  your business, RUN IT YOURSELF.
I dont ring any, they all know i will get in and clean them.
If your wfp make sure you have 100 m of microbore so any long drives with big gates can be cleaned leaving ur van outside.
Am i speaking sense??
Make it easy for yourself

Personally, I find it a lot less effort and simpler, and not to mention safer, to make a sixty second phone call than to get a ladder and climb over a gate or fence. I also don't understand how phoning a customer is letting them run my business and making things complicated.

Daveoc121's original question was about not having access and him wasting time and fuel. Dumping the customer because phoning is so complicated and the erroneous idea that by doing so is letting the customer run his business doesn't solve his problem from where his business is at this point in time. The customer isn't his enemy or some stupid idiot that needs to be trained, they are his source of income.

Indeed Ross.  Climbing gates is effort for a fat git like me.
Pre-arranging an occasional job is not letting the customer run the business.  It would only start to feel like that if they treated the call as a request to clean the windows that they frequently declined.  However, such a customer would not remain a customer for very long.

BTW.  Nice to see you posting again Ross.