[Mr Sparkle]

What do you guys do with your custies?
Is it best to ring or text the night before just to let them know your coming and to leave the gate open etc

[supernova77]

If I have their mobile number I text them... If I only have their landline number I give them a call.

[Steve CM]

If I only have their landline number I give them a call.

you can text land lines as well!

[LSB]

i dont ring or text before turning up !
i have too many customers to do that , but i will make every reasonable effort to get to the back where reqd ,
staff and bad weather would muck up calling in advance anyway !
in my area most semi's are easy enough to do , and i do alot of properties with no access ( except going through the house which i will do if they are in ). so these customers are front only .

[Paul Coleman]

i dont ring or text before turning up !
i have too many customers to do that , but i will make every reasonable effort to get to the back where reqd ,
staff and bad weather would muck up calling in advance anyway !
in my area most semi's are easy enough to do , and i do alot of properties with no access ( except going through the house which i will do if they are in ). so these customers are front only .

I avoid it if possible too.  I only have a very few (more lucrative) jobs where I am prepared to do this.  I also need to do it on work that I sub but that's a different kettle of fish as it's not actually my own work.

[windowwashers]

If I only have their landline number I give them a call.

you can text land lines as well!

I was going to say that, I text most, but most people know when we are coming and I keep the texting to a min where ever poss as it is pain. only if I need access do we contact first.

Ian

[Tosh]

I used to phone or climb over gates; now I ask for keys; apart from the odd customer who has a bolt (no padlock) and I find it easy to climb over.

I only phone the big posh houses; as a personal touch; the evening before.

[windowwashers]

i dont phone or text ,you might not get as far as you plan ie rain,wind 

do you still use cups and string stan

[williamx]

I always telephone or text, all my customers are on my mobile, so I can text them all if I wanted to.

You don;t have to kept sending them texts indervidally, I just write 1 text which is saved, then I tick who I want to send it too and press the send button.

So this 1 text can go to all my customers at the same time.

The other plus, is no collecting money ever.

[Chameleon]

The customers I have to ring, always get there price increased more than others, just so I can get rid of them - or the extra makes up for the inconvenience!

[brett walker]

I have keys for some,  some i text or ring if im working in a compact area i just put a note through the door

i find a lot of people are very security concious and keep their gates locked these days its a real pain with wfp

at least when i used ladders it was easier to get over

Brett

[karygate]

i ring all of my customers the night before and this has one benefit and one downside. the downside is that sometimes the occasional one will say can you leasve it this time, which in the current climate i think is better than cancelling. the upside is they leave the money in a pre arranged place so at the end of the week my collecting ,if any only takes about half an hour. this i think is the greatest benefit as i am not owed anything and it does not greatly add to my week like a friend of mine who spends friday evening and saturday morning collecting and still struggles to get it in.