[Heb Alpha]

I'm going to bite the bullet and get some software to help me keep our rounds up-to-date - I feel like I'm playing chess every day when a custie asks to be put off till next week, or the wind is blowing a force 8 for a week and I've got to bump everyone, or someone wants to 'cancel them until the Spring', whenever that is!

I just use an excel spread sheet just now where I have 5 columns for each day of the week - customer code, customer name, customer address, customer email (or phone number), price.

I use the spread sheet for copying and pasting to make the daily job sheet - I just delete the customers email address. When contacting the customers the day before, I just copy their email address and send a 'blind copy' to all the customers for that day.

It's becoming a headache to keep on top of all the 300+ customers (I've got them colour coded for weekly, 2 weekly, 4 weekly and 8 weekly).

There are a few software packages on the market, like Window Cleaner Pro, George and Cleaner Planner and I'm sure there are a few others and they seem to vary in price. Due to mobile phone coverage, we will just continue to have an A4 size daily job sheet and mark the times down on that.

Any recommendations on which company to go with?

Thanks

Rob

[herbiefatboy]

use aworka i find this good

[Clever Forum Name]

I am laid up with flu at the moment and running a high fever so I will keep this short.

Do not waste any time and just signed up to the free trial from Cleaner Planner.

Having use George and experimented with Excel clean a planner is clearly the way forward.

Cleaner planner provides a free off-line application. So you basically go to work tick off jobs as you go through Markoff who has paid and who has not come home connect to your Wi-Fi and simply click the sync button.

I would say it has revolutionised the way that we work.

Just simple things like being able to mark off debts when a customer stops anyone..

Prescheduled to send text messages through the planner.

Integrated go cardless has been on of the best features so far.

My favourite feature is the text messaging though I actually thought i wouldn't use it but boy was I wrong.

I have use my iPhone to dictate this message so some words may be wrong I'm sorry dude but I am ill.

Clean a planner Gardiner pole systems and gripper tank are probably the only three companies that I would consider posting about from in bed laid up with the flu laugh out loud.
Trying to get back to a little bit of normality but its bloody hard

[Heb Alpha]

Thanks guys and big respect to you Number 23 for taking the time and effort to do that even though you're not well - get well soon 

[Frankybadboy]

yep i went from george to cleaner planner and just found  it so more user friendly and also the updates are better.

and as been said above

also with george i found it was coming unstable to use

[dazmond]

ill second that.

cleanerplanner is just the best window cleaning software out there.even the basic £15 a month package is great for me.

the mobile app is fantastic.trust me mate you wont go back to paper worksheets when you get you head round it!

great support from rob too.

[Tony dunmall]

Quite happy with

George window cleaning programes one of cost £50 then yearly update £ 12

More than adequate for my needs and very simple to use can email invoices

[Soupy]

In my opinion software is an important tool. Buy the best you can afford.

Get cleaner planner.

[Matt - aquatec]

Cleaner planner all the way!!!!!  No question... Just do it!!!

[Heb Alpha]

Thanks for the replies guys

Cleaner planner seems to be  the way to go. Feel a steep learning curve coming up but I'm sure it'll be worth it

Cheers

[Smudger]

The curve is not that steep and robs support is amazing, and there are so many others now using cp that help us never far away it has its own forum too fab fab piece of software

[8weekly]

Aworka works for me.

[Mike #1]

The curve is not that steep and robs support is amazing, and there are so many others now using cp that help us never far away it has its own forum too fab fab piece of software

+1

[Rob @ Cleaner Planner]

Thanks for all the kind words and support guys, both for Cleaner Planner and Heb Alpha

Heb - pop me an email at rob@cleanerplanner.com once you've signed up for the trial and I'll happily walk you through the basics over the phone or email. If you're coming off Excel there will always be a bit of a learning curve whatever software you pick up, but it will be well worth it in the long run as it will take so much of the scheduling and accounting work off you and save you so much time and hassle.

As long as you've got helpful people (not just me - the guys on the CP forum are fantastic!) to guide you through the crucial early stages you'll be fine. Once the basics "click" (and they will surprisingly quickly) you'll be well away and using the mobile app and taking GoCardless payments if that takes your fancy

BTW - No worries if you're in a poor signal area as the mobile app runs 100% offline during the day, you can sync up over wifi in the morning/evening - no 3G required!

[windowswashed]

George works fine and can be used mobile with a windows tablet that fits in your pocket to mark off jobs once completed. No need to sync when you get back home. Don't need to work offline as it's installed on the tablet. Don't need go cardless or pay a transaction fee if you get your customers paying bank transfers or bill payments. Take the time to add your customers into groups on your phone and you can text multiple customers at once and the biggest advantage is that it's a one off payment of £50 and you own the program for yourself. Cleaner Planner you don't own and probably never will, you pay for the priviledge of using it.
Call me old fashioned but I'm organised and don't need to rely on Rob to maintain his website and window cleaning program and save myself £15-25 a month as I once bought a program off someone who promised everything and the window cleaning program kept failing and left me inconvenienced for long periods of time, wouldn't and never will put myself in that situation ever again and for that simple reason I will never even evaluate cleaner planner even if it is superb.

[SB Cleaning]

George for me too...it does everything I need for my business and its cheap...

I did try a trial of cleaner planner but couldn't get on with it at all..

[Clever Forum Name]

I think my attitude now after using CP for several months is. I don't see it as losing £25 a month. I see it as gaining money and time.

The time saved can either be used to post on here about CP or clean more houses or spend time with the missus.

[Soupy]

George works fine and can be used mobile with a windows tablet that fits in your pocket to mark off jobs once completed. No need to sync when you get back home. Don't need to work offline as it's installed on the tablet. Don't need go cardless or pay a transaction fee if you get your customers paying bank transfers or bill payments. Take the time to add your customers into groups on your phone and you can text multiple customers at once and the biggest advantage is that it's a one off payment of £50 and you own the program for yourself. Cleaner Planner you don't own and probably never will, you pay for the priviledge of using it.
Call me old fashioned but I'm organised and don't need to rely on Rob to maintain his website and window cleaning program and save myself £15-25 a month as I once bought a program off someone who promised everything and the window cleaning program kept failing and left me inconvenienced for long periods of time, wouldn't and never will put myself in that situation ever again and for that simple reason I will never even evaluate cleaner planner even if it is superb.

Ok then, you're old fashioned. Cleaner Planner is moving along nicely while George continues to be more and more dated.

Sorry to hear that you have had issues with window cleaning software in the past but Rob has a growing client base who are putting money in his pocket every month.  Comparing the two hardly makes sense, it's very much in his interest (as well as ours) for Cleaner Planner to be good .

I think the pricing for it is fair, I've had more development time from Rob than I will pay for in a year.

[Leeds]

Rob, so can you export some kind of report of your monthly earnings for your accountant?

[Mike #1]

Rob, so can you export some kind of report of your monthly earnings for your accountant?

Inputting your transactions for each job and adding expenses creates a profit and loss account ,  You can just print off a copy for your Accountant makes things so easy for you and your accountant .