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Record Keeping

M.K Cleaners.co.uk

Well-known member
Messages
4,241
What progamres do you guys use for your jobs. Im getting pretty ****** off with useing paper and pen.

Excel is not the way for me. Im gettig a sore head looking at all toses boxes. There has to be something out there. Im not paying 170 quid or what ever it is either lol

 
That one look okay mark. Ive had a play around with it. Its impressive. Im just fussy I think im going to have to stick to pen and paper /emoticons/sad.png

 
George - free for 3 months then £50 one off payment thens its yours for life, free updates, free online back up.

Aworka - 6 weeks free, then £10 a month

window cleaning pro - 45 days free, £213 to buy or £23 a month. costs £1 to back up,

aworka and george have now teamed up so they are the same thing now!

 
Wintow cleaning pro is simple n easy to use /emoticons/tongue.png george was to confusing for me

 
I use excel and a database and find it works for me. If you let me have your email I'll mail you blank files with instructions on how to use it. I wrote the files myself so there's no copyright issues.

Dave

 
I use excel and a database and find it works for me. If you let me have your email I'll mail you blank files with instructions on how to use it. I wrote the files myself so there's no copyright issues.

Dave
I've done mine on spreadsheets for years too, and quite chuffed I am. I don't think there's any need to spend all this money on a programme. I would like to be nosey and see how you've set yours out. my email is [email protected]

 
Window Cleaner Pro at the moment. It's excellent at organizing the work, but it also lets you plan ahead, see what's coming up workwise, expected income in the coming months, keeps track of who is due what, and lets you find all sorts of info about your work if you put the effort into keeping it up to date. We couldn't run without it, and it you're a business the bank will like the forward-looking reports it produces.

Lets face it, if you don't think business isn't worth investing a couple of hundred pounds into making it better with much more detailed information then that is up to you. Since we've started using it our business grew over 35% last year and is projecting growth of 40% this year....and a lot of that is down to the software where it's let us look at what is going on and get a real feel for the business.

 
Window Cleaner Pro at the moment. It's excellent at organizing the work, but it also lets you plan ahead, see what's coming up workwise, expected income in the coming months, keeps track of who is due what, and lets you find all sorts of info about your work if you put the effort into keeping it up to date. We couldn't run without it, and it you're a business the bank will like the forward-looking reports it produces.

Lets face it, if you don't think business isn't worth investing a couple of hundred pounds into making it better with much more detailed information then that is up to you. Since we've started using it our business grew over 35% last year and is projecting growth of 40% this year....and a lot of that is down to the software where it's let us look at what is going on and get a real feel for the business.
Where does it pull those figures from lol

 
Window Cleaner Pro at the moment. It's excellent at organizing the work, but it also lets you plan ahead, see what's coming up workwise, expected income in the coming months, keeps track of who is due what, and lets you find all sorts of info about your work if you put the effort into keeping it up to date. We couldn't run without it, and it you're a business the bank will like the forward-looking reports it produces.

Lets face it, if you don't think business isn't worth investing a couple of hundred pounds into making it better with much more detailed information then that is up to you. Since we've started using it our business grew over 35% last year and is projecting growth of 40% this year....and a lot of that is down to the software where it's let us look at what is going on and get a real feel for the business.
window cleaner pro is the daddy /emoticons/wink.png

i agree with this lad

he knows what he talking about /emoticons/tongue.png even though he sounds like hes advertising window cleaner pro in a clever way /emoticons/wink.png Lolllll

 
even though he sounds like hes advertising window cleaner pro in a clever way /emoticons/wink.png Lolllll
I'm not...honestly. I could give you an equally long list of what's wrong with it too, but the fact is it's a very good system. Not perfect - not by a long shot - but very good.

You get all these figures from the reports it produces, and the reports come from the information you input. You need to keep it up-to-date, and put some effort into it, but it does produce rewards. The more detailed the information you maintain the more accurate and useful the information you can get out.. We couldn't work without it now....the whole business would degenerate into a shambles as the information it contains is so valuable.

 
ye im messing lol

and yeah window cleaner pro is the way forward /emoticons/smile.png 100%

 
So border can you explain in a bit more detail how the program has nearly doubled your business in 2 years? As I'm finding it hard to believe that this program can do such things

 
So border can you explain in a bit more detail how the program has nearly doubled your business in 2 years? As I'm finding it hard to believe that this program can do such things
I'd be here forever explaining. It wasn't the programme itself that made a difference - that would be mad to suggest that just buying a piece of software itself would make things better. It's the information the programme provides that makes the difference. Window cleaning is a business, and what all businesses need is information. Information is the lifeblood of a business - what are you doing, where is the work, how much is it worth, what's happening in the future, how much money does a job/window cleaner/customer make - because it's only when you have accurate and measurable information (not guess work or intuition) that you can start to make informed decisions.

Before I got involved there was no "system" in place that allowed the owners to see what was actually happening with the business - just an invoice figure at the end of the month. When I started I introduced and collected the worksheets to see what I could learn, but I quickly realized there was so many jobs that a paper system simply wasn't enough see what was really going on. I tried a few systems and despite issues with them all settled on WCP.

You have to make full use of the information it is able to store - the idea of "rounds, full contact details, prices, frequency and timings - and then record ALL the work being done. Once we started to do that we quickly started to find out what was really happening and that made making decisions easier.

We did tons of other things such a branding - new web site, new company logo, new signwriting on the vans, introduced marketing materials, headed paper (yep, really!), receipt books with company logos - so that everytime a customer interacted or saw us the message was consistent. We did tons of marketing, sheduled in days or half-days when all the guys would go an blitz an area with marketing materials. We started more focussed advertising, got a handle on costs with better cash-flow planning, introduced minimum pricing for any new jobs, monitored working hours, re-scheduled work plans to reduce travelling and increase work time. We introduced new systems to chase up old work that had dropped of (e.g. the person moved house so keep an eye for new owner moving in and introduce ourselves), track all enquiries and follow them through from tender to new job or not (all through WCP), introduced a system to contact customers who maybe only got cleaned every couple of years but the job was worth a lot of money after specific periods of time to remind them we were around. We purposefully chased new commercial work, and now have a list of contracts in the area and when they will be renewed and make a point of keeping in touch with these companies to make sure we get a chance to tender. It's not rocket science - just the thing that every business should do - but most don't.

For instance, when I started I found a file full of old quotations going back years, but all this information was doing was sitting in a cupboard. To me old quotes are important. They tell you who is using window cleaners (but not you), it gives you more contacts to chase for work, it provides info on larger contracts and when they are being re-tendered. I now make a point of dropping these old quotes a bit of marketing information occasionally, calling them for an update, or ask the guys to drop of material each time they pass. Now we can track all that in WCP - we NEVER delete an old job, just archive it for future use.

It's all these other things that actually made the difference, but I still credit WCP with giving us the information we needed so that this could all be focussed to provide max returns. Without WCP I doubt even a quarter of these changes would have occured.

So, if you think the programme in and of itself will increase your business then you will be bitterly disappointed. If you take the system and make use of the information it gives you (it took me hundreds - maybe thousands - of hours to input everything needed at the start - to the annoyance of all the guys - and several hours every week to keep it up to date) it pays off in the long term. It's not a quick fix, but it gives you information, and if you want to double your business in a couple of years in window cleaning it's relatively easy to do....there are millions of windows out there and we're only "playing" at it just now.

You have to remember you ARE a business, think like a business man, take advantage of opportunities, never give up a chance to promote your business, hand out a business card or ask for the business. When I purchase something locally, I always ask about their windows and who does them. Whether it's coal for the fire, logs, new carpets, new cars, I always ask if we can quote for their windows. Same with garages you get your vans serviced in, or buy petrol from. They are all opportunities where ***-for-tat should be tried. No problem if they say no, but if you don't try you'll never know.

It annoys me to heck when people say "we're only window cleaners". No your not. You're running a business. If you only want to work for yourself and are happy with what you earn then that is great, but if you want to grow your business, have lots of employees, and make a lot of money then you have to treat it as a business. There's so little real competition out there in the window cleaning market that it's there to grab if you can stay focussed.

So much for a short answer! /emoticons/tongue.png

 
I'd be here forever explaining. It wasn't the programme itself that made a difference - that would be mad to suggest that just buying a piece of software itself would make things better. It's the information the programme provides that makes the difference. Window cleaning is a business, and what all businesses need is information. Information is the lifeblood of a business - what are you doing, where is the work, how much is it worth, what's happening in the future, how much money does a job/window cleaner/customer make - because it's only when you have accurate and measurable information (not guess work or intuition) that you can start to make informed decisions.

Before I got involved there was no "system" in place that allowed the owners to see what was actually happening with the business - just an invoice figure at the end of the month. When I started I introduced and collected the worksheets to see what I could learn, but I quickly realized there was so many jobs that a paper system simply wasn't enough see what was really going on. I tried a few systems and despite issues with them all settled on WCP.

You have to make full use of the information it is able to store - the idea of "rounds, full contact details, prices, frequency and timings - and then record ALL the work being done. Once we started to do that we quickly started to find out what was really happening and that made making decisions easier.

We did tons of other things such a branding - new web site, new company logo, new signwriting on the vans, introduced marketing materials, headed paper (yep, really!), receipt books with company logos - so that everytime a customer interacted or saw us the message was consistent. We did tons of marketing, sheduled in days or half-days when all the guys would go an blitz an area with marketing materials. We started more focussed advertising, got a handle on costs with better cash-flow planning, introduced minimum pricing for any new jobs, monitored working hours, re-scheduled work plans to reduce travelling and increase work time. We introduced new systems to chase up old work that had dropped of (e.g. the person moved house so keep an eye for new owner moving in and introduce ourselves), track all enquiries and follow them through from tender to new job or not (all through WCP), introduced a system to contact customers who maybe only got cleaned every couple of years but the job was worth a lot of money after specific periods of time to remind them we were around. We purposefully chased new commercial work, and now have a list of contracts in the area and when they will be renewed and make a point of keeping in touch with these companies to make sure we get a chance to tender. It's not rocket science - just the thing that every business should do - but most don't.

For instance, when I started I found a file full of old quotations going back years, but all this information was doing was sitting in a cupboard. To me old quotes are important. They tell you who is using window cleaners (but not you), it gives you more contacts to chase for work, it provides info on larger contracts and when they are being re-tendered. I now make a point of dropping these old quotes a bit of marketing information occasionally, calling them for an update, or ask the guys to drop of material each time they pass. Now we can track all that in WCP - we NEVER delete an old job, just archive it for future use.

It's all these other things that actually made the difference, but I still credit WCP with giving us the information we needed so that this could all be focussed to provide max returns. Without WCP I doubt even a quarter of these changes would have occured.

So, if you think the programme in and of itself will increase your business then you will be bitterly disappointed. If you take the system and make use of the information it gives you (it took me hundreds - maybe thousands - of hours to input everything needed at the start - to the annoyance of all the guys - and several hours every week to keep it up to date) it pays off in the long term. It's not a quick fix, but it gives you information, and if you want to double your business in a couple of years in window cleaning it's relatively easy to do....there are millions of windows out there and we're only "playing" at it just now.

You have to remember you ARE a business, think like a business man, take advantage of opportunities, never give up a chance to promote your business, hand out a business card or ask for the business. When I purchase something locally, I always ask about their windows and who does them. Whether it's coal for the fire, logs, new carpets, new cars, I always ask if we can quote for their windows. Same with garages you get your vans serviced in, or buy petrol from. They are all opportunities where ***-for-tat should be tried. No problem if they say no, but if you don't try you'll never know.

It annoys me to heck when people say "we're only window cleaners". No your not. You're running a business. If you only want to work for yourself and are happy with what you earn then that is great, but if you want to grow your business, have lots of employees, and make a lot of money then you have to treat it as a business. There's so little real competition out there in the window cleaning market that it's there to grab if you can stay focussed.

So much for a short answer! /emoticons/tongue.png
well said

 
The problem with WCPro is that it is not going to be developed any further than its current state. I have had conversations via email with the guys who run it and this is what they have told me. So this is why I decided not to go with it, this is a shame as it is good software, but it will get left behind if no further development of the software is going to be undertaken.

I now use excel spreadsheets, which I prefer as I'm in total control of the information /emoticons/wink.png but it does help if you are proficient with excel. The spreadsheets can also be used on windows phones, so you can update it as you complete your round during the day, upload it to skydrive and then download it from skydrive to your laptop.

Learning excel through either a course or a book might be a good option also.

 
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