[lee_dewing]

Hi,  just intrested how you do this; not texting.

When you get a new custy who wants back and front done and you can't get access by climbing over i   realise you just do what you can.

But do you ever come across the custy who says angrily "i never know when your coming so i can unlock"

what do you say to custies who insist on being phoned......dump?

I'm not lazy and want to do as much in a day as i can but have school runs to do and find texting makes my day too rigid.

We don't charge call out fees as a plumber say at £40, who can afford appointments.


I'm gonna canvass in spring for better work and want to make my round better, and to me not texting is the way forward.

Just want to know the politiest way of saying no to the text/call for access debate

thanks lee

[Smudger]

Hi Lee,

No we don't text/phone ahead - i maybe have 2 custy's that i cant get to the rear if gate is locked - therefore i do the front and charge the normal price

i have maybe half dozen that sometimes forget and as long as i can slip the bolt i will do the back - if not again it's front only and depending on who the custy is i either charge 1/2 price or the full monty.

the main reason for not texting is we leave a next clean card - with date of next clean - we ridgidly stick to these
dates unless it's bad weather then it's catch up (usually sat) and all customers are aware of this -

we are lucky that we are rural and crime is almost non existant - it's big news here if some ones dog goes missing !
so access is usually straightforward

Darran

[Smudgeoff Cleaning Services]

I feel that texting is more of a curtious way of running your business. The customer appreciates it, I even advertise the fact that I provide this service.
If you add all you custies to your mobile you can text them all in a second.

Daz

[Total shine cleaning services]

Just contact the ones that you need access to, the others give them a rough date on the day you clean, I think if u need access it's only fair to communicate, I do this a lot as I need access to quite a few of my jobs, I don't text I ring the night before and then I text if they don't answer-takes me about 10 mins to sort out 10-15 customers.
Hope this helps

Graham

[Londoner]

You wouldn't get far round here without texting or phoning the night before. Because of extensions and security so many houses have access issues. Apart from that customers like the courtesy of a call, its good business practice.

[bobplum]

its not something i have done a lot of but as of march i am on my own so i am identifying those were i normally do the front and then go back the next day to finish the back off,i just wont have the time or man power as i want to get the work in 4 days and have one day a week off for paper work,collecting etc so i am trialling it over the next couple of months if i start getting "leave it" message i will go back to normal cleaning routine

[gary999]

text, phone and i drop notes through customers doors which i do
when collecting .99% of my work is within 2 miles of home.i get very few
access issues and if i get any not todays its normally the night before
or before 9am on my mobile saving me any wasted journeys

[bobby p]

i have a few who want texting,im okay to do it but as soon as they then forget to undo the gate then i drop em like a stone.  its often the case that a texter is an under-the-radar messer anyway

[Richard iSparkle]

we give every client a specific due date every time we visit on their invoice card.  if we cant access the back on their due date we charge them full price. 

[SB Cleaning]

Just contact the ones that you need access to, the others give them a rough date on the day you clean, I think if u need access it's only fair to communicate, I do this a lot as I need access to quite a few of my jobs, I don't text I ring the night before and then I text if they don't answer-takes me about 10 mins to sort out 10-15 customers.
Hope this helps

Graham

I also do this it really is no hassle.

[Leeds]

its not that  hard, on the morning that i'm due to do their house  i text them telling to leave the gate open and then i go about my business.

[lee_dewing]

i have a few who want texting,im okay to do it but as soon as they then forget to undo the gate then i drop em like a stone.  its often the case that a texter is an under-the-radar messer anyway

There is a lot of truth to this i find, i.e going on holiday leave it this time.

We all got our own way of doing things and i'm glad it works for you guys and i'l keep most of the ones i text now but i don't want anymore that way.

If new custy bangs on i shall ask for gate key that will shut em up

Darren (smudger) it's great that you can give dates, i don't want to get into that as i said i do alot school runs.

I had an irrate custy last evening as i told him i'm not texting anymore, he is a real pain in the arse, he wants 3 days notice before i come as he wants to be in when i do it :

I think this is basically so he can watch me do it and lock the gate smartly behind me, i must have a dishonest face

Thanks for you replies guys i'l go with the key option, or what about £30 callout charge for appointments made.
will be asking for the postman and milkman to text us next

[elite mike]

Hi lee


If i get any access issues ,i either ask for a key or security code , i dont text

most are cool with that .

[dazmond]

i dont text or phone the majority of customers but some i do here and there due to bad access.it just works fine for me.sticking rigidly to a fixed clean date would be a nightmare for me as my round is constantly changing with new work coming in.some im dropping or losing etc.

also bad weather(like today)and having more energy some days than others makes sticking to a fixed schedule a real no no.i would feel like i was working for someone else!flexibility is a big plus and one of the reasons i went into window cleaning in the first place.

certain bigger jobs i text the day before clean and do them as first job of the day then go about my other non scheduled work as i like.re jigging to make it suitable for me that day.it works well.no hassle!!

also in spring/summer it makes it easier to fit in extra jobs like fascia/soffit/conny roof cleaning etc as and when!

[lee_dewing]

Hi lee


If i get any access issues ,i either ask for a key or security code , i dont text

most are cool with that . 

Like it Mike

[lee_dewing]

i dont text or phone the majority of customers but some i do here and there due to bad access.it just works fine for me.sticking rigidly to a fixed clean date would be a nightmare for me as my round is constantly changing with new work coming in.some im dropping or losing etc.

also bad weather(like today)and having more energy some days than others makes sticking to a fixed schedule a real no no.i would feel like i was working for someone else!flexibility is a big plus and one of the reasons i went into window cleaning in the first place.

certain bigger jobs i text the day before clean and do them as first job of the day then go about my other non scheduled work as i like.re jigging to make it suitable for me that day.it works well.no hassle!!   

Hi Daz that's how i try to do it.
I don't do more than 3 text custy's a day; knock them off and then do the others that have no access issue (padlocked gates)

Yep i'm always swapping the work about on george; keeps it intresting and as you say it constantly evolving

[Smudger]

Lee - not sure i follow you ?? - i drop off and pick up the kids ( most days ) - other than weather surely it's best
if both you and the customer know the day your cleaning them 

i know people run their biz in different ways etc..  but one of the biggest complaints i hear of from potential custy's
is the fact the w/c hardly ever comes on a regular day/time period -  the biggest praise i get ( worryingly in some ways ) is for reliability - we have even had a call to see if i had had an accident because i moved a customer from a morning slot
to an afternoon one  :

we are a service industry - even tho we work for ourselves it's the customers who pay the bills.


Darran

[lee_dewing]

I think it's great you can do that darren and good for you.

But i must take after Daz on that one, as some days you just can't get as much done as others and i do love the flexibility of this job.

I know the custy pays my bills but i don't want to feel i have 200 little bosses waving there finger as i'm a day late, and be explaining why i'm not there on a tuesday as usual in the morning.

I must be lazy as alot on here are very scheduled

[AuRavelling79]

I have two out of over 250 that I phone for access - one is disabled and unable to answer the door and her daughter opens the gate for her. Another has a property that is impossible to do without access through the garage.

Everyone else has to either have me use my gate ladder, give me a key or code or just have the fronts done.

Anyone who won't put up with this is not taken on.

[lee_dewing]

Your tuff Gold 

Great it can be done then 

thanks Lee