[Pure Glass]

Im new to the forum. Got some fantastic information from you all and seems like a really good close community on here.

Quick couple of questions: Do any of you text your customers the night before to get them to open gates/let them know youre coming??

Do you text after to advise of their bill if you dont collect from them??

Are they happy to give you their phone numbers??

Thanks

[FCS]

yep. yep, and yep.

[wpclean]

For customers with a locked gate to the back, get there mobile number and text the day before to ask them to open it. 

[Londoner]

You have to. I prefer to phone a lot of them. After you have cleaned leave a note and a self addressed envelope for them to send a cheque. Write their address very small on the back of the envelope because often the cheque comes with a different name on it and you don't know who its from.

[Crystal-clear]

This is one of the things i will try to totally cut out from my round havnt got many now.

But yes and it does work , its better then calling imo

[barry mallett]

dont start with all that texting bollox [never ending] except the odd jobs where its worth it .

[boldy1304]

no never dont even get into it what a nightmare what if you forget or text dont go through till early hours (it happens) i have enough to do without sitting sending text to custys most gates you can open anyway what if you need to change your plan last minute naa sorry not for me

[jsb]

yeah do it for a few ,

 trouble is  if u txt the night before ,and it pours down the next day ,

 i try to do it early in the morning or even in the street 

[dazmond]

the odd account i text the night before for access but they forget sometimes!pain in the arse!please dont get into it!!

1.its a pain when you text them and the next day its blowing a gale and you have to text them again to tell em you cant make it until the day after.

2.some days you get up and dont fancy it but feel obliged to go and clean instead of having the day off.

3.gives them a chance to say "not today"

4.most gates you can hop over with ladders.


i only text the ones where its impossible to access the back any other way.




dazmond

[bobby p]

as said above-dont go down the texting road. besides, it beloved by the cranks who cant face talking but like to needle .

[Paul Coleman]

no never dont even get into it what a nightmare what if you forget or text dont go through till early hours (it happens) i have enough to do without sitting sending text to custys most gates you can open anyway what if you need to change your plan last minute naa sorry not for me

I try to avoid this too.
Apart from it sometimes being a hassle making sure that you actually can get there, it also reduces summer income when people go on holiday.  I do have a very few who I pre-notify but I avoid if possible.

[Neil Gornall]

I swore I would never text any customers as I can see too many problems, but I relented and have a few now,
But its a pita
yesterday was proof,  text a customer to say we would be there, got a reply saying thanks, how much for 6 months upfront cash payment, so I replied with the price.
One of my guys came back and said "gate was still locked" 
Turns out I had text the WRONG bloody customer, spent half an hour on the phone last night to BOTH customers applogising for mistake.
Lesson= NO more texting for me.

[Rayleigh Window Cleaning Services]

I wont text as you are in their hands as to when its fine to go, and what if they don't reply, do you text again or chance it that they will be in.
More hassle than it's worth imo.

[Blue Frog Systems]

I used to text / ring every customer.... now i only do it for the ones that i have to.

Just weed out the messers... dont offer it as a standard service, just if they ask.

Have dumped a few lately who just ped me about all the time

[lyndy]

We have loads of these,a real pain in the arse,they will all go when we find more custys.we even have some that don't have gates and still want to be texted or called!! Like i said they will go

[clarkson]

  Hi
  Iam just getting back into houses after being strictly commercial. Iam making it very clear from the outset that we are coming when we are due wether its convenient or not and they need to commit to this or we dont take them on.
 
if they knock us back without a very good reason, iam talking death,loss of limbs, or house destroyed by fire, i cancel them.

  i have lost  a few most have accepted it of the ones i lost or cancelled some have come back creeping. of the three i gave second chance to they are now as good as gold.

  so we do text, i have set up on the computer to text from the office and iam breaking the round into lots of 20 houses and texting as a group. so one text per 20 custards.  if the odd one does come back with a genuine reason i would rather know before i send someone down there with a van kit and water.

if we get up and theres a foot of snow outside and the tanks froze its one or two texts to let everyone know we arent coming with an apology.

 i think customers like it and makes you seem proffessional. and as for makes you go out and work when you dont feel like it isnt that a good thing?

cheers

john

[scud]

  I text a few that have gates that need unlocking.

  I send the following the night before;

  "Window cleaner will call tomorrow (weather permitting), please leave gate open. Thanks"

  I don't ask for permission, just tell them you will be calling, I don't expect a reply and have my weather permitting as a get out if things go wrong!

[chopsie]

  so we do text, i have set up on the computer to text from the office and iam breaking the round into lots of 20 houses and texting as a group. so one text per 20 custards.  if the odd one does come back with a genuine reason i would rather know before i send someone down there with a van kit and water.

if we get up and theres a foot of snow outside and the tanks froze its one or two texts to let everyone know we arent coming with an apology.

 i think customers like it and makes you seem proffessional. and as for makes you go out and work when you dont feel like it isnt that a good thing?

cheers

john

That sounds just what i have been looking for, I have a few i have to text to leave gates open, That computer programme would be ideal, as its a bit fiddly with the phone. What is is called please ?

[Steve CM]

send automated texts so they can't reply = no messers, no excuses, no crap.

Great

Job Done!

 

[chopsie]

how do you do that Steve?