[Soupy]

We use SmartDebit... more expensive but has advantages we like.. We can sign customers up for DD over the phone, which is a huge advantage. We make all new customers setup a DD before we will clean them.

I'm pretty sure you could do that with Go Cardless too, if you wanted. I've never tried tough so maybe not. I don't see any advantage in it TBH. With Cleaner Planner + Go Cardless you just install Rob's widget on your website and the customer does it. Once signed up you just need to press a button and payment is taken. There is even talk of a fully automated feature that starts the payment when you have marked off the job as done, meaning that you have no work to do whatsoever.

[8weekly]

Is it still worksheet based? The thing I didn't like was not being able to schedule with the planner directly. It seemed less intuitive on the whole than Aworka. That said, the thing that stopped me putting more time into it was a loss of consistency in financial records but I'm going limited on 1st April so it's a fresh start & thinking about having another go.

Loss in consistency Of records?

Not very important really. I just liked to track easily in Aworka growth. The records won't be lost, they just can't be imported into CP. The main problem for me was that you couldn't plan and schedule on the daily planner. Basically the fact that you had to make worksheets rather than the worksheet just being the output from the daily planner if that makes sense.

[Bungle]

I tried the trial and couldn't get on with it at all!!

I like George it does everything I need to run my business and its a lot cheaper as well..

Same here

[Marc Whitbread]

I have asked rob about a projection forecast if that's what your referring too? as I really miss the feature WCP had it and its great for just tracking roughly how your doing etc (or will be) that is the only downside that it doesn't bring across the old data but because I have wcp on my laptop still I can just refer to that if I need

[Soupy]

I see what you mean, loss of historical records rather than cleaner planner being inconsistent.

The worksheets took a bit of getting used to for me too, and from what I gather from the forum they are used in different ways by different people.

Once you get used to it I'm certain you will find a way that suits you. I don't use the planner at all yet, my old software was set out more like the jobs page so that is how I've been using it so far. The software is very versatile and has been set up in such a way as to cater to people coming from a variety of different software packages.

I haven't fully converted over yet, it has taken me a long time to get everything set up properly, setting all the customers up for SMS reminders, merging 'jobs' into 'customers' and training the lads on using the system has taken time. I still need to switch my invoicing over to cleaner planner but once that's done I'm pretty much there.

If I'm 100% honest there are some things that my old software did that are missing from cleaner planner. Having to 'pitch' my ideas which then 'compete' with scores of other window cleaner's ideas can be frustrating but I am confident that my ideas are the best and will inevitably be implemented  

Now that I have a handle on the software I am convinced that it is going to be a big step for the industry as a whole. It adds a level of perceived professionalism that isn't there anywhere else. In my opinion a lack of perceived professionalism is a major issue for you, me and every other shiner who isn't on the dole or on the rob.

Some of the ideas that Rob (and other, lesser mortals) come up with are great. The future is bright, the future is cleaner planner.

[Marc Whitbread]

I see what you mean, loss of historical records rather than cleaner planner being inconsistent.

The worksheets took a bit of getting used to for me too, and from what I gather from the forum they are used in different ways by different people.

Once you get used to it I'm certain you will find a way that suits you. I don't use the planner at all yet, my old software was set out more like the jobs page so that is how I've been using it so far. The software is very versatile and has been set up in such a way as to cater to people coming from a variety of different software packages.

I haven't fully converted over yet, it has taken me a long time to get everything set up properly, setting all the customers up for SMS reminders, merging 'jobs' into 'customers' and training the lads on using the system has taken time. I still need to switch my invoicing over to cleaner planner but once that's done I'm pretty much there.

If I'm 100% honest there are some things that my old software did that are missing from cleaner planner. Having to 'pitch' my ideas which then 'compete' with scores of other window cleaner's ideas can be frustrating but I am confident that my ideas are the best and will inevitably be implemented  

Now that I have a handle on the software I am convinced that it is going to be a big step for the industry as a whole. It adds a level of perceived professionalism that isn't there anywhere else. In my opinion a lack of perceived professionalism is a major issue for you, me and every other shiner who isn't on the dole or on the rob.

Some of the ideas that Rob (and other, lesser mortals) come up with are great. The future is bright, the future is cleaner planner.

The future is bright, the future is cleaner planner.

Well said 

[Trev Jones]

well said Soupy
Seriously though if you think that CP is missing something you like, well all you need to do is post the problem on CP forum and what de ye know Rob has implemented the solution usually within a week.

[Trev Jones]

what i am saying is , that CP fits any window cleaning business and the big businesses
all the simple operating issues were better then the competitors from the start and now the complex issues are just out of this world, CP is the heart of my business, any honest window cleaner would never look back once they have used CP.
You will save a few hundred quid on accountancy fees as they have to do very little. The thing is you know where you are and how your performing and what you need to do or not need to do.
In reference to the comment about honest window cleaners, then of course the ones who pay tax or the ones who are just starting out and have not earned enough.
UTC

[mike1986]

Theres prob a simple answer to this...but, if a certain street is scheduled for 1st of may, but you dont get there until the 3rd May, how does the system correct this? will that street then be updated as now being due on 3rd of each month instead of the 1st? Im just in the process of inputing all my customers...hope its going to be worth it. 

[Clever Forum Name]

It goes into its own column as overdue. If that's what you mean?

[Richard iSparkle]

For me the main advantage of Cleaner Planner is it's accuracy and reporting ability. It appeals to my ocd nature.

I don't understand why you'd not be interested in gocardless or text messages though. It's these type of features that - for me - make cleaner planner head and shoulders above the rest. Once set up these features save me heaps of time and are excellent for giving the impression to customers that I'm super professional and know what I'm doing.

I definitely feel that I get my money's worth. I don't think that there is another software package out there that offers even half the support.

Cheers Soupy. Thanks for the input

I use a different direct debit provider which is better than Go Cardless for my needs. More expensive, but much better for us.

I also use a different text service that is better suited for my business too..

Would you mind starting a thread on your direct debit provider please, Richard?
Specifically, who it is? Why they're better? And the ways that GoCardLess fall short in comparison?

We use SmartDebit... more expensive but has advantages we like.. We can sign customers up for DD over the phone, which is a huge advantage. We make all new customers setup a DD before we will clean them.

Are there any other benefits?

that's certainly a huge benefit for us. all you need is their bank details and you can set them up, and they don't need to confirm it by email or whatever. also they don't get monthly emails telling them a payment is going out, and you don't need to action a payment after each clean which if i remember you do on Go cardess.  There are other differences too, but the phone is the big one for us

[Soupy]

Theres prob a simple answer to this...but, if a certain street is scheduled for 1st of may, but you dont get there until the 3rd May, how does the system correct this? will that street then be updated as now being due on 3rd of each month instead of the 1st? Im just in the process of inputing all my customers...hope its going to be worth it. 

Either or you can change the setting in settings > defaults.

[p1w1]

Theres prob a simple answer to this...but, if a certain street is scheduled for 1st of may, but you dont get there until the 3rd May, how does the system correct this? will that street then be updated as now being due on 3rd of each month instead of the 1st? Im just in the process of inputing all my customers...hope its going to be worth it. 

you can choose yourself in the settings tab for either C/P to reschedule the jobs from the date they were actually done or the date that they were due. 

[Mike #1]

I think beyond the price for the GoCardless intergration , Ideally I would love to be able to move jobs around across the planner with drag and drop .

That is the one simple thing I have found is so great about Aworka if this was implemented I would quite happily work through the other the other differences very happily .

Big Big over haul over of my business this Spring real fine tuning . And Cleanner Planner is without a doubt the way forward despite my past apprehension and indecivesiness

[8weekly]

I think beyond the price for the GoCardless intergration , Ideally I would love to be able to move jobs around across the planner with drag and drop .

That is the one simple thing I have found is so great about Aworka if this was implemented I would quite happily work through the other the other differences very happily .

Big Big over haul over of my business this Spring real fine tuning . And Cleanner Planner is without a doubt the way forward despite my past apprehension and indecivesiness

Same here regarding drag & drop on the planner. It's so much easier to use. For me it was an issue with Aworka. Chris at Aworka is very quiet & I don't think he appears commited to it any more.

[Clever Forum Name]

Drag and drop is on CP now.

[Mike #1]

I cannot in anyway knock Chris at all , Even recently if I asked him a question it would be answered and  sorted within an hour or so .

Without Chris pushing things forward their would have been no Revolution IMHO and their would be no CP .  

[Mike #1]

Drag and drop is on CP now.

Thanks for that mate very very good to know , their is no doubt I have been holding back a while , But Yeh defo need. To switch just purely for the simplicity of CG Intergration

[Clever Forum Name]

Drag and drop is on CP now.

Thanks for that mate very very good to know , their is no doubt I have been holding back a while , But Yeh defo need. To switch just purely for the simplicity of CG Intergration

I thought I wouldn't use the text part of CP But tbh it's the main feature I like. Even over GC integration. 

[8weekly]

I cannot in anyway knock Chris at all , Even recently if I asked him a question it would be answered and  sorted within an hour or so .

Without Chris pushing things forward their would have been no Revolution IMHO and their would be no CP .  

Agreed re the help & speedy replies. I've just noticed too that the mobile app has been updated.