Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums

Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!

Wfp Customer Notes

scrim it

Member
Messages
186
All ready to start wfp this week on my customers. Hopefully a gradual change over.

I think I remembered that there was a template information sheet regarding WFP that someone had put up on here at some stage to give to there customers.

Before I start writing one out I wondered if anyone had a template?

 
There is mate, its all on here. Introduction to water fed pole letter. I googled it and got linked into here. They are on here somewhere, i got the template and changed a few bits to suit. I wasn't changing over from trad but just introducing newly canvassed customers to it despite if they already knew about it or not. I would give the newly canvassed customer the letter with my business card stapled to it.

 
i personly wouldent send a leter just turn up an start cleaning a lot of people will b at wrk any way an will just come home to clean windows some people can b funny an cancle b 4 they give in it a try good luck tho wat rute u go down, switching bit by bit will make it easer i think cos u will b nackerd akeing neck sholders an arms lol just take ur time an stick with it u will b glad u did in the end

 
Thanks for the replies.

i personly wouldent send a leter just turn up an start cleaning a lot of people will b at wrk any way an will just come home to clean windows some people can b funny an cancle b 4 they give in it a try good luck tho wat rute u go down, switching bit by bit will make it easer i think cos u will b nackerd akeing neck sholders an arms lol just take ur time an stick with it u will b glad u did in the end
I wasn't going to send a letter, I was just going to hand customers who questioned wfp a 'information sheet'. As you say some of my customers will be at work but a lot are usually in. I was going to probably start by cleaning the customer's houses were no one is in so I can take my time. This week is a quieter week so maybe it's a good time to start wfp. A bit nervous but will see how it goes.

I will put some photos up soon of my caddy van set up and my ro and di etc in my outhouse. Thanks for the replies

 
sounds good m8 u will soon get the hang of wfp i practised on my own windows an famlys to b 4 i unleached it lol i was nurves at thurst but the trick is to b confadent when they ask bang on about hs an no more holes in there garden frm ladders i clean about 70 percent wfp an trad the rest cos some windows dont like wfp so its easer an quicker to trad them just my view on that tho

 
@ scrim it. You won't look back come a couple of months. It is like learning a new job. I'm always looking how to do things quicker. I only sussed one a couple of months ago after wfp it for over a year. There is a house I do and they have a bedroom that you just cannot reach from the ground. I always had to got the ladders off and get on an extension roof. I worked out that I could reach the window from next doors garden while I was cleaning their house. Another thing, I saw a trad cleaner blading georgian windows last week. Just think how much faster you could do it wfp!

 
i clean about 70 percent wfp an trad the rest cos some windows dont like wfp so its easer an quicker to trad them just my view on that tho
How did you know some of the windows didnt like wfp. Did you wait and see if customers complained or did you check every window that you cleaned when it dried to see if it was completely cleaned.
Thanks again for the advice. I did a first clean on my own windows on Saturday as I hadnt cleaned them since I moved in and they came out great. Hope it wasn't beginners luck.lol

 
Explanation letter for change over to wfp .

By Mark Munro on Thursday, 24 October 2008

Hi This is the text of mine and it will fit on an A5 sheet of paper if you use the right sized font. "An Important Note From Your Window Cleaner"We are in the process of switching to a new method of cleaning your upstairs windows. This method will soon be the industry standard for window cleaning at height. As a Business wanting to be at the forefront of our industry, we have decided to invest in this technology which involves the use of telescopic poles and 100% pure water, which we filter through state of the art reverse-osmosis filters and de-ionisation vessels.We are embracing this technology for a number of reasons(1) Health and safety. Legislation being brought into effect will limit the use of ladders as temporary workstations. The law as we understand it, now states that ladders should only be used when all viable alternatives have been considered. As a company, we have decided that water-fed pole systems are a safer viable alternative and are worth the investment. If the job can be completed to the same high standard without standing on a ladder, then we have an obligation to embrace this method. (2) Better cleaning results. Firstly, it cleans the windows and the frames. Second, the major advantage of pure water is its capacity to absorb large amounts of dirt from your windows. This process involves brushing and rinsing your windows clean with pure water and allowing them to dry naturally to a streak free shine. This occurs due to the pure nature of the water used.(3) Environmentally friendly. Pure water only is used, eliminating the need for any detergents and chemicals except where greasy dirt is a problem.(4) Reduced disturbance & Increased privacy. No more dents in your lawn and unexpected appearances of faces at windows. (5) We may now be able to reach previously inaccessible aspects of your property. Conservatory roofs, windows above conservatory’s etc. that we had previously been unable to clean.(6) Water-fed pole cleaning works in the rain! Although we will not work in severe weather, showery misty weather will no longer hinder our work. This will help us to ensure a more regular and professional service to all of our customers.Please note that it can take up to two or three visits for the process to `leach` all deposits from around the frames, resulting in an improved finish each time. Therefore, please be patient if the initial visit is not perfect.Best Regards to all etc. etc.________________________Hope this helps

Mark Munro

 
How did you know some of the windows didnt like wfp. Did you wait and see if customers complained or did you check every window that you cleaned when it dried to see if it was completely cleaned.

Thanks again for the advice. I did a first clean on my own windows on Saturday as I hadnt cleaned them since I moved in and they came out great. Hope it wasn't beginners luck.lol
i switched my custmers over bit by bit 2 houses a day an i switched in the summer so the windows dryed strate away so i checked them the ones that play up r the ones that have poor rubbers leaching black but some flush out the black an come rite and some dont its trile an erra m8 powdery fraims also play up but u can scrub the hell out of them then rinse heavy to get them to come rite it can b a nte mare at thurst but u will get the hang of it and no wat to look 4. also a good tip is to have a bucket of pure water in the van an swish the brush out after every job keeps every thing nce an clean
 
Scrim it, you wont regret the switch bud, i have been wfp now for 18months after trad for 10 years, the first few months i was not convinced nor were some of my custys but then started upgrading, biggest positive difference was a quality pole and brush

As for the change over, my main thing was explaining the safety aspect as most of my work requires me walking on old roofs, also no damage to the ageing roofs and gutters, also the area i work in is usual pretty dam windy especially this time of year.

If you have a good relationship with them i am sure they will be onboard with your swap, BUT be completely honest with them and ask them to be the same, i really went OTT when collecting for months and months asking how they dried and were they satisfied with the results, in fact i still ask nowadays occasionally and pretty much all of them prefer wfp now as the frames and sills are spotless and they dry completely streak/mark free which even with the best will in the world when trad sometimes leave marks when changing direction or when detailing you just miss a bit.

Good luck bud and be patient, its a hard switch but it is brilliant.

 
Thanks Keir.

Update on today. First great sunny day. Some customers weren't in so I tried it on their houses first. Took me longer than trad but I enjoyed using the pole. Felt it on the shoulders too but I think my technique and angle didnt help this.

Checked back on some of the windows after they had dried. Most were fine but a few had a dreaded 'spotted line' comming down the middle of the pane from between the two top small windows. I guess I didn't clean that part of the frame well enough. Also getting used to pulling the hose around and I used a lot of water but hopefully this will improve with time.

One question you all may be able to answer is what is the best order for cleaning them.

I was scrubbing the frames, then rinsing them, going onto the next window and doing the same then returning to the first window and cleaning the glass. I did this is sets of two windows at a time. On mainenace cleans do you all scrub the frame and window together then rinse the whole lot. I put a information sheet in with invoices through the letterboxes explaining the change and said if there was any spotting that I would return to clean the affected windows but this spotting may be due to it being first clean with wfp.

One customer was in and he seemed happy enough and interested in it as long as I continued to clean frames and ledges he didn't mind. I told him to give me a call if there was any marks on it when it dried.

 
Thanks Keir.

Update on today. First great sunny day. Some customers weren't in so I tried it on their houses first. Took me longer than trad but I enjoyed using the pole. Felt it on the shoulders too but I think my technique and angle didnt help this.

Checked back on some of the windows after they had dried. Most were fine but a few had a dreaded 'spotted line' comming down the middle of the pane from between the two top small windows. I guess I didn't clean that part of the frame well enough. Also getting used to pulling the hose around and I used a lot of water but hopefully this will improve with time.

One question you all may be able to answer is what is the best order for cleaning them.

I was scrubbing the frames, then rinsing them, going onto the next window and doing the same then returning to the first window and cleaning the glass. I did this is sets of two windows at a time. On mainenace cleans do you all scrub the frame and window together then rinse the whole lot. I put a information sheet in with invoices through the letterboxes explaining the change and said if there was any spotting that I would return to clean the affected windows but this spotting may be due to it being first clean with wfp.

One customer was in and he seemed happy enough and interested in it as long as I continued to clean frames and ledges he didn't mind. I told him to give me a call if there was any marks on it when it dried.
sounds like ur doing fine m8 i scrub fraims rinse then scrub glass rinse then on to the next window some times ill dubble rinse if there realy dirty
 
Yep sounds like you're on it, not sure if i'll get slated for my next comment but here goes

As for the frames......i only clean them when their dirty, i.e. Do your 1st clean as you sound like you're doing but then just maintain them, i tend to do the frames once every 3-4 cleans, and my method is clean them but don't rinse them but like you said, just clean with the same settings as you use for glass and use gravity to help. do the frame then move to next frame and so on then start at the original frame and do the glass as normal, this should give the frames enough time to drip dry-ish enough not to not effect the glass afterwards, but even if there is still a decent amount of water on areas that could run down just tap your pole a couple times to remove excess water from the brush and suck the drops up with the bristles and do the glass.

But its easier if once the pole is extended do all the frames and windows that are accessible even if it means going to next door to reduce the amount of times you have to retract and extend the pole, but this massively depends on the type of houses/garden lay out.

Its very difficult without writing an essay to explain, but if you use alot of common sense and trial and error you'll be alright.

Yes you use alot more water when you begin and it took me longer than i imagined to actually be good at it with consistent results, i honestly thought it took the skill out of cleaning but its just different

Oh yeah, one of the big things is having to re-learn you're round with using the hose, what it catches on, plants, trees, steps etc and yes it does take longer than trad until you get it sorted but the results after a few weeks/months is amazing, i always enjoy seeing when i'm out and about seeing the difference in appearance of houses that get cleaned trad compared to wfp i.e. Walk round the estate i clean then go down the road to my mates round and yes his windows are beautifully clean but his frames are dirty, my estate looks fresher and more looked after with their bright white frames and doors and the custys notice too

Hope this is of some help?

 
Keep at it.

First time you do a regular, it's likely you will get a few spots/runs as you'll be rinsing out all the old soap from under the rubber seals etc. 2nd time they'll be gone.

Once you get into a regular maintenance clean every 4/6/8 weeks, you'll find it a lot easier.

And it gets easier on the shoulders!!

 
@ scrim it, I go over the frames and glass at the same time and then rinse both at the same time. Seems to work for me /emoticons/smile.png

 
@ scrim it, I go over the frames and glass at the same time and then rinse both at the same time. Seems to work for me /emoticons/smile.png
Same here on alot, thats why its hard to explain without writing an essay lol
Its maintaining them that allows this technique i find, what d'ya reckon tuffers?

 
Back
Top