[giftedk]

Been going 15 years now and am getting busier all the time,during thistime i have gone out collecting most nights with the exception of a few who pay online. Have now come to the stage where ive too many customers to collect from, its taking me too long to collect, its costing to much in time and petrol, and im left with too much money outstanding.
Ive been thinking of putting everyone on direct debit, but because of the weather i cant gaurantee they will be done on time .
I could make everyone pay online, but they dont rush to make the payment.
Im now thinking of asking the customers to leave the payment out in a secure place, ready for collection next day .
Has anyone else changed over from collecting to an alternative method of payment ?.
Imjust getting so tired of working all day, only to have to go back out collecting of a night .

[David lyddon]

Part of the job me afraid,if you give up collecting you lose a connection with custie,
if you go ddebit on all of them,you will lose a lot.
i have a good balance of ddebit for custies never in,sae for larger houses.
i have started to get more forceful about payment,it takes time,good luck.
regards dave.

[giftedk]

cheers dave . What do you think about the idea of getting them to leave it in a safe place, ready for collection next morning . You could drive round for half hour in the morning just collecting money before work ?. Or do you think this would not work ?.
cheers kurt .

[Ian101]

It wont happen overnight but think you need to change over to leaving an envelope for them to post a cheque or leave your bank details for bank transfer.

Explain to customer either verbally or with short note that due to fuel costs and getting a lot busier cleaning windows you need to stop collecting. Dont leave a stamp on the envelope.

The following will more than likely happen - (unless all your customers are messers)

25% will send cheques immediately / pay by bank transfer
50% will send cheque within 2 weeks
20% will owe a clean when next clean is due
5% will never send and you will still have to collect

However to help with cashflow I would do it gradually unless your minted of course.

Also would keep some part of the round on a collection basis only for onging cashflow reasons  

[Ian101]

As for standing order I have decided against this as prefer flexability in my schedules.

[Carl2009]

I've never specifically collected. If custie is out I leave a SAE, the cost of which with the 2nd class stamp and sticky address label equals the cost of PayPal, or thereabouts. I bank via the PO with Santander and so have free business banking - I don't pay for cheques or any cash, PayPal, Direct Debit or standing order deposits (must deposit at least £1000 per month or I get charged £5).

At the end of June I was owed £818.01 - an enormous amount for me which prompted a post a few days ago. I've had a lot come in and am currently owed £536 (but part of that is a £70 clean). Usually i'm owed £300-ish at the end of the month.

People usually pay within 2 weeks. Of the £536 i'm owed there are 3 custies which are late (over 21 days) totalling £37.

My suggestion is leave an SAE or at least an addressed envelope - you've better things to do than schlepping round collecting.

[Ian101]

My suggestion is leave an SAE or at least an addressed envelope - you've better things to do than schlepping round collecting.

yup sticky labels printed with your address saves a lot of handwriting

[g.brookes]

i dont ever collect and i neveer have a problem.  either they pay there and then, or they transfer the money to my bank account, or i text them the day before i come and they leave it under a plant pot in the garden.  If you collect then you are working another hour every day and spending another tenner a week or so in fuel.  thats £480 quid a year on fuel, and 240 hours unpaid work every year.  if you have a big round then it doesnt even matter if you lose a few

[bobplum]

Been going 15 years now and am getting busier all the time,during thistime i have gone out collecting most nights with the exception of a few who pay online. Have now come to the stage where ive too many customers to collect from, its taking me too long to collect, its costing to much in time and petrol, and im left with too much money outstanding.
Ive been thinking of putting everyone on direct debit, but because of the weather i cant gaurantee they will be done on time .
I could make everyone pay online, but they dont rush to make the payment.
Im now thinking of asking the customers to leave the payment out in a secure place, ready for collection next day .
Has anyone else changed over from collecting to an alternative method of payment ?.
Imjust getting so tired of working all day, only to have to go back out collecting of a night .

firstly you wont loose that many customers if you change,this is more your fear than logic
if i was you i would concentrate on just one week,assuming you do 4 weekly
approach the younger ones to go to standing orders,let them choose the date to suit there pockets explain that you may not clean on the day of payment it could be before or after
tell some of the older ones you are only collecting on a particular night
get others to post cheques(not my favourite) or bacs payment
once you have got week one sorted then move on to week 2 and so on,
 start now by winter you will have cut your collecting by half

by doing a week at a time it may not impact on your cash flow too much
i was like you collected three nights a week now about once every two weeks

make a plan,stick at it and it will pay off

[dazmond]

why do you go collecting every night?

i get paid on the day of clean or leave  SAE or bank details to pay online for some customers.my compact estate work i collect.

i go collecting either on a friday or monday(sometimes both) but im only out for an hour or so each time.most work within a 6 mile radius.

most months my takings are the same as what ive earned or more some months due to customers owing from previous cleans.

i sometimes have to text/phone customers to remind them to send cheque/pay online but its only the odd one or two.

regards


dazmond

[Small but perfectley formed]

Just collect end of month on a Monday we have found this the best day to catch most people in.

[David lyddon]

I collect 2 hours on wednesday, thursday and about an hour on friday,
customers get used to the routine and most like a chat.
All my work is compact,cleaned 4 full days this week,as of last night,about £30 outstanding
and might get that tonight,also £150 invioced .
Collecting works for me,i know its a pain sometimes but keeps the cash flowing.
i think the secret is sort out the idiots and what changed my working life is getting rid of about
£500 worth of terraced houses,banging on doors for a few quid was a nightmare,started to work smarter.
regards dave.

[Lee13]

I have never gone out collecting!

We live in a world where people can pay using a mobile phone these days!

If the customer isn't home or hasn't left payment at the house for me, I send a text with bank details for them to transfer over. Never had any problems.

However in your case, as you've been collecting for many years, I would recomemend writing a letter explaining that it is no longer cost effective and that you offer the following methods of payment.

Cash or cheque on the day
Bank transfer

I doubt you will lose any customers over this, and even if you do, just think about how much time and money you would have saved by no longer having to re visit your round.

[C o z y]

I've got a mix of bank, PayPal and cash. Over 300 domestics and I collect last 2 days of the month and first Monday of the month. I usually have about 20% outstanding after collecting. I can live with that. Don't want to do DD as this takes away my flexibility as I like to push off for the odd long weekend or the odd day out when I feel like it.

Even after your 15 years mate, you never stop adapting and learning as you go, as you've no doubt learned by now   Good luck with any solution you choose though.

P.S. I like contact with customers too, and find collecting can be fun and a chance for the odd bit of banter and chat. That's just me. (Sad git)

[Dave Willis]

........... so they leave the money in a safe place so you can pick it up the next day?
a) isn't that two trips?

and...... b) isn't that called collecting?

[C o z y]

The other problem with leaving money is if they claim to have left it and didn't. They can do that when they want to cancel you or want a reason to swap windies.

[Roy Cauldery]

a quick note to advise of a change over and then crack on with
1)bacs-our prefered method and free!!
2)standing order
3)direct debit
4)Ping It-mobile payments(barclays only at the mo' but all the rest will follow if they haven't already)

Haven't collected since I started 5 years agoand so far so good(costs too much in fuel+time in an already busy schedule)

Good luck with the changeover

Roy

[kaz and pete]

I do a text reminder the night before and ask the custie to put the payment in the pre-arranged place so come the end of the week if i spend two hours collecting money thats all i haven to do, we have a really good rapure with our custies and they really don't mind leaving the money, its left in all kinds of places from pots and front door mats to bbq's 

[bobby p]

most will pay by bank transfer if you explain to them how it works . or money can be left in the BBQ etc

[Window Washers]

I collect 2 hours on wednesday, thursday and about an hour on friday,
customers get used to the routine and most like a chat.
All my work is compact,cleaned 4 full days this week,as of last night,about £30 outstanding
and might get that tonight,also £150 invioced .
Collecting works for me,i know its a pain sometimes but keeps the cash flowing.
i think the secret is sort out the idiots and what changed my working life is getting rid of about
£500 worth of terraced houses,banging on doors for a few quid was a nightmare,started to work smarter.
regards dave.

when you grow, you will learn this is not the best way to do things, collecting is a waste of your time which is unpaid.

Unless your a large company you cannot offer direct debt, standing order or bank transfer you can.

I stopped collecting many years ago because I was fed up of wasting my time and not getting paid for it, collecting money each night costs time, and that has a price.

I could not imagine anything worse than going out after my guys have been working in the evening collecting payments, you don't see any larger company doing this and this is for very good reason.

you do not lose touch with customers as stated, my guesses they have not tried it or are trying to justify why they waste there time doing it, they are not your friends it is a business I guess some don't treat it this way which is cool if thats what they want, I don't I do this to earn money pure and simple, offer good customer services that's way more than most can do.