[David stewart]

Hi just want a bit of advice here, still relatively new to this and don't know what way to work this out.
Say if you're doing a certain area on your round on the Monday, get half way through and it starts raining heavily or wind and you have to sack the day off, the weather continues to be bad for a day or two and you can't finish the area until wed/thur. Do you book that whole area in again for the wed/thur 4 weeks time or do you book them all in for the Monday when the area was originally started before circumstances with the weather messed things up?
I find myself constantly being behind as the weather messes days up over here a lot of the month.
Also reading through topics where some of you say that you's are working ahead of schedule etc, do customers not realise if you're landing to them early or sniping days here and there off the rota?

Excuse this if it sounds ridiculous but its one I want to get sorted to get things done on time and in line.

[Clever Forum Name]

Once you get hundreds of customers it's hard to be exactly on
XYZ day each time.

In the situation you have explained I always match up the easiest day.

So if 4 was due on the Monday and 17 on the Thursday. The ones in Monday would be done on Thursday.

Most customers only complain when you are early. Never late. Well usually.

[bobplum]

Hi just want a bit of advice here, still relatively new to this and don't know what way to work this out.
Say if you're doing a certain area on your round on the Monday, get half way through and it starts raining heavily or wind and you have to sack the day off, the weather continues to be bad for a day or two and you can't finish the area until wed/thur. Do you book that whole area in again for the wed/thur 4 weeks time or do you book them all in for the Monday when the area was originally started before circumstances with the weather messed things up?
I find myself constantly being behind as the weather messes days up over here a lot of the month.
Also reading through topics where some of you say that you's are working ahead of schedule etc, do customers not realise if you're landing to them early or sniping days here and there off the rota?

Excuse this if it sounds ridiculous but its one I want to get sorted to get things done on time and in line.

i would book it in for the monday it was due
Are you 4 weekly or on a monthly schedule?

I work 4 Weekly but within a month, i find thats best for me

[bobplum]

oh and are you using a software programme to organise your work
bob

[David stewart]

Thanks for the input lads 

Bob I work mostly 4 weekly though some 8 weekly as well.
Don't use the software for keeping track yet, everything written down in the diary at the moment...
Do you ever get many complaints for bringing work forward a couple of days?
I don't do it incase of complaints, though going to have to do something to get things back into line as over a year your could lose a colossal amount of earning through being disorganised with weather or a badly organised round as I'm starting to see now.

[bobplum]

i would use a software, probably george or aworka, aworka is mobile friendly
if any one mentions your early i say thats because i was late last time but now back on track

[AuRavelling79]

On residential I work 4 or 8 weekly on 95% of my regular work.

In the scenario you describe the whole days work would be put to the later date.

So I clean on Monday - get sacked off - go back Thursday and so I would do the whole lot on (4 weeks later) Thursday.

Slightly flexible in that I might pull a 4 weekly back one day maximum to line them up so might go for the Wednesday, but not usually.

8 weekly I would pull them back up to two or three (even 5) days to line them up especially if it's a mix of 4 and 8 weekly together.

My basic rule is on 4 weekly then don't go less than 4 weekly. 8 weekly - I go for 8 weekly but anything from 7 weeks on is ok if I am lining things up, trying to absorb a bank holiday weekend etc.

HTH

[Ian Lancaster]

I fail to see how anyone who has a full round can adhere to the same day, time after time.  You lose two days through extreme weather, you are now two days behind.  Unless you have short days or you work weekends how can you fit two extra days work into your schedule to bring you back to the original day?

We treat a round as literally that: a huge circle.  Start at the beginning, work all the way round till you get back to the beginning and start again.  Some months we may be a little ahead, because there are fewer 8-weeklies, but that balances out on the next cycle when there are more 8-weeklies.

Don't lose sleep over slavishly trying to stick to 'schedules' - your customers will never notice and if you have a full round you should never be early.

Set yourself a daily target - work till you achieve that target and stop.  This could include a few extras to help make up for a poor day previously.  Provided you are earning what you want to does a day here or there matter?

Being self employed means you decide when you work and when you have a day off.  If you drive yourself to always be exactly on time, and worry if you're not, you might as well be employed, and let someone else do the worrying

[David stewart]

Appreciate the replies lads! Must have a look into the software and try out your tips Granville, cheers 

[tlwcs]

I fail to see how anyone who has a full round can adhere to the same day, time after time.  You lose two days through extreme weather, you are now two days behind.  Unless you have short days or you work weekends how can you fit two extra days work into your schedule to bring you back to the original day?

We treat a round as literally that: a huge circle.  Start at the beginning, work all the way round till you get back to the beginning and start again.  Some months we may be a little ahead, because there are fewer 8-weeklies, but that balances out on the next cycle when there are more 8-weeklies.

Don't lose sleep over slavishly trying to stick to 'schedules' - your customers will never notice and if you have a full round you should never be early.

Set yourself a daily target - work till you achieve that target and stop.  This could include a few extras to help make up for a poor day previously.  Provided you are earning what you want to does a day here or there matter?

Being self employed means you decide when you work and when you have a day off.  If you drive yourself to always be exactly on time, and worry if you're not, you might as well be employed, and let someone else do the worrying

I love this but how do you make it work if someone asks to be done the following week for example? Also do you use any round software, if so which one.
Many thanks
Tony

[koopmaster]

I use george but this only helps me keep track of customers and schedules.

I am almost always behind now with a full round.  I stressed a little last week but just got loads done and caught up a lot.  some customers where a month behind.  most didnt even notice.

[Tom White]

but how do you make it work if someone asks to be done the following week for example?

You say, "I can't, sorry, I won't be in the area".  If folk are messing you about with 'not todays', drop them otherwise you'll end up with a round full of customers who muck you about.

[J.D]

but how do you make it work if someone asks to be done the following week for example?

You say, "I can't, sorry, I won't be in the area".  If folk are messing you about with 'not todays', drop them otherwise you'll end up with a round full of customers who muck you about.

Spot on Tosh. I drop these types of customer in a heartbeat !

[Jonny 87]

but how do you make it work if someone asks to be done the following week for example?

You say, "I can't, sorry, I won't be in the area".  If folk are messing you about with 'not todays', drop them otherwise you'll end up with a round full of customers who muck you about.

+2

Be the boss of your own business.

Don't let the customer dictate where and when you work.

[Ian Lancaster]

I fail to see how anyone who has a full round can adhere to the same day, time after time.  You lose two days through extreme weather, you are now two days behind.  Unless you have short days or you work weekends how can you fit two extra days work into your schedule to bring you back to the original day?

We treat a round as literally that: a huge circle.  Start at the beginning, work all the way round till you get back to the beginning and start again.  Some months we may be a little ahead, because there are fewer 8-weeklies, but that balances out on the next cycle when there are more 8-weeklies.

Don't lose sleep over slavishly trying to stick to 'schedules' - your customers will never notice and if you have a full round you should never be early.

Set yourself a daily target - work till you achieve that target and stop.  This could include a few extras to help make up for a poor day previously.  Provided you are earning what you want to does a day here or there matter?

Being self employed means you decide when you work and when you have a day off.  If you drive yourself to always be exactly on time, and worry if you're not, you might as well be employed, and let someone else do the worrying

I love this but how do you make it work if someone asks to be done the following week for example? Also do you use any round software, if so which one.
Many thanks
Tony

Aworka.  It will auto schedule your jobs forward from the day they are actually done, so if you have day(s) off (as in this week - Monday for bank holiday and the rest of the week because of atrocious weather) when you input the date the job is done it will reappear on your planner 4 or 8 (or whatever) weeks later.

[Soupy]

Like Ian says, go round in a circle. If you clean someone on the 8th aim to be back on or around the 8th. Bi-monthlys get missed every other time.

If you are 2 days early each month, no one will notice and you will clean everyone (well monthlys anyway) 13 times in a year.

[dazmond]

i work my round from A-Z roughly in the same order bar 2 monthly jobs,6 weeklies etc.

dont have days off because of weather unless its really bad


finish off where you started if you do have to delay half a day or so

use round software(i use george)

i reschedule once a month(at least)sorting my months work out into manageable days.re jigging some jobs/days here and there due to bank holidays,weather etc.

i shift some work forward or bring it back slightly depending on jobs due/overdue and what area im working in.

dont be bursting at the seams with work that fills every day of every month.leave some days for "breathing space",catching up or just chilling out relaxing away from window cleaning.