Customer excuses

[Pjj]

I text all mine, some I actually phone them up (old ladies without mobiles). It is true that you get the odd one that asks to skip the clean, usually though there is a good reason for it, but you are correct it does give the awkward ones a chance to ask to skip it and it does happen although not as often as you probably think.

There is a positive to texting though, sometimes they're not going to be in like if they're on holiday, so you can rearrange the clean the day before and add another job onto your day. If you get there and they're away on holiday with the gate locked then you've just lost that time in your working day and unless you have a job conveniently nearby you can't just add a job on. Same with building work etc, I had one before Christmas that said to leave it as was having the whole drive done, it would have been a waste of time turning up and I was able to replace the job and bring another one forward.

The other positive is the chance for extra work. Earlier this month I sent out a text to say I was coming to clean, the customer text back to say thanks and would it be possible to book their gutters in to be cleaned later in the month which I've actually just done this week for £80.

So yes you're correct it does give them the chance to skip it and I'd be lying if I said it doesn't happen, but it also has it's benefits.

For me I text because it's better service though, it helps me with locked gates but it also helps with the service, it's a nice thing to do to let them know beforehand that I'm coming rather than turn up out of the blue and a lot of them appreciate the texts. Put it this way, I can't imagine any of them finding the texts not useful, I think they'd rather have them than not.

We dont take on jobs without key codes or a key for gates if it’s reliant on the customer unlocking it we won’t take it on , on the odd times we turn up and cannot do a job due to building work etc ,we just move on to the next job most customers will say next month we are having xyz done can we leave it for how ever long whilst the works going on , we generally ask them to let us know when the works finished and we will carry on on our next visit to that area . With extra jobs most phone or email about that we don’t have time to do add ons on the day they are booked in separately. With the number of customers have I cannot be bothered txt ing them all ,the only ones we contact before a clean are high end stand alone jobs or commercial if they need to know when we are coming.

 

[Yogi1872]

I text all mine, some I actually phone them up (old ladies without mobiles). It is true that you get the odd one that asks to skip the clean, usually though there is a good reason for it, but you are correct it does give the awkward ones a chance to ask to skip it and it does happen although not as often as you probably think.

There is a positive to texting though, sometimes they're not going to be in like if they're on holiday, so you can rearrange the clean the day before and add another job onto your day. If you get there and they're away on holiday with the gate locked then you've just lost that time in your working day and unless you have a job conveniently nearby you can't just add a job on. Same with building work etc, I had one before Christmas that said to leave it as was having the whole drive done, it would have been a waste of time turning up and I was able to replace the job and bring another one forward.

The other positive is the chance for extra work. Earlier this month I sent out a text to say I was coming to clean, the customer text back to say thanks and would it be possible to book their gutters in to be cleaned later in the month which I've actually just done this week for £80.

So yes you're correct it does give them the chance to skip it and I'd be lying if I said it doesn't happen, but it also has it's benefits.

For me I text because it's better service though, it helps me with locked gates but it also helps with the service, it's a nice thing to do to let them know beforehand that I'm coming rather than turn up out of the blue and a lot of them appreciate the texts. Put it this way, I can't imagine any of them finding the texts not useful, I think they'd rather have them than not.

I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of texting everyone, seems time consuming and something that you would have to do every night without forgetting. My round is done in a specidific order starting at one end to the other, so if they see me a a few streets away they know I'm not far away. From start of my run to the end the route is 2.9 miles. That's not the route I take obviously, I do it in an order going one street to the next. I've decided to only keep enough work for myself now so got rid of work. Now all my work is in one town. Alot of people know each other too and will say so and so said you done the windows last week so I was expecting you soon.

 

[Yogi1872]

And your not turning up out of the blue, there on a 4 weekly schedule, so they are expecting you there anyway. Texting unless it's to leave a gate open just seems like needless extra work. If they aren't sure when we are due I say a good guide would be check your last paymeant date and it won't be far off if you add 4 weeks to it.

 

[Yogi1872]

If I take a week off, we would usually work late amd bring the next weeks work forward, do that usually 2 or 3 times a year, texting might get responses saying your early as they have the exact date you were last there. Not many ever mention it to me, sometimes 1 or 2 will say I'm early, I tell them at the start though the odd occasion it will be done early at some point.

 

[WombatPool]

The windows are done on a 4 weekly schedule, tell them sometimes we could fall a bit behind with weather. We put a card through everytime so they know we have been, bank details are on the cards for paymeant.

Thats how I've always worked it and there's never been an issue, I think a text message would kinda give them an option to say don't bother because they have people round etc. My customers will be no different to anyones on here so I'd imagine if I done a text service then I'd have the same problems with people wanting to skip a month.

I think that sounds like a better way to operate to be honest I always tell the customer when I sign them up that I will text the night before so they know I’m coming, it’s worked ok for the most part so far but I’ve had 2 customers reply with ‘sorry not this time’ yet when I took them on they agreed to a clean every 4 weeks and seemed happy.
Maybe I should knock texting the night before on the head and just explain to new customers that I will drop a card through with bank details after the 4 weekly clean as you do it seems like a good system.

I feel like starting a poll now to see who texts the night before and who doesn’t, if that’s even possible on here

 

[Chris34]

We dont take on jobs without key codes or a key for gates if it’s reliant on the customer unlocking it we won’t take it on , on the odd times we turn up and cannot do a job due to building work etc ,we just move on to the next job most customers will say next month we are having xyz done can we leave it for how ever long whilst the works going on , we generally ask them to let us know when the works finished and we will carry on on our next visit to that area . With extra jobs most phone or email about that we don’t have time to do add ons on the day they are booked in separately. With the number of customers have I cannot be bothered txt ing them all ,the only ones we contact before a clean are high end stand alone jobs or commercial if they need to know when we are coming.

You're in a fortunate position though in the way that you've got plenty of work to not worry about being flexible towards the customers requirements, same as Yogi. When you're building a business though you haven't got that luxury of endless work to do and you have to give a higher service than the likes of yourself to stand out from the crowd. Texting is one of those things that customers like and is one of my services selling points.

 

[Yogi1872]

I think that sounds like a better way to operate to be honest I always tell the customer when I sign them up that I will text the night before so they know I’m coming, it’s worked ok for the most part so far but I’ve had 2 customers reply with ‘sorry not this time’ yet when I took them on they agreed to a clean every 4 weeks and seemed happy.
Maybe I should knock texting the night before on the head and just explain to new customers that I will drop a card through with bank details after the 4 weekly clean as you do it seems like a good system.

I feel like starting a poll now to see who texts the night before and who doesn’t, if that’s even possible on here

Just think it's needless extra work, and I can imagine some customers will reply with something that needs another reply from you, that would do my head in, I'd end up forgetting sometimes too, would I need to take the day off because I've not text anyone ?. For gates that's bolted at the bottom or leaving a garage door open, I understand they need to get a text. But there getting a text as a reminder for them as they have to do something for us coming. The vast majority don't need to do a thing so it shouldn't make a difference, and as we all work 4 weekly etc they kinda do know when to expect us anyway.

 

[Yogi1872]

We dont take on jobs without key codes or a key for gates if it’s reliant on the customer unlocking it we won’t take it on , on the odd times we turn up and cannot do a job due to building work etc ,we just move on to the next job most customers will say next month we are having xyz done can we leave it for how ever long whilst the works going on , we generally ask them to let us know when the works finished and we will carry on on our next visit to that area . With extra jobs most phone or email about that we don’t have time to do add ons on the day they are booked in separately. With the number of customers have I cannot be bothered txt ing them all ,the only ones we contact before a clean are high end stand alone jobs or commercial if they need to know when we are coming.

To a tea that's how I work things, I couldn't do add ons etc same day, if someone's getting an extention etc a bit of common sense approach and you would leave it until finished, I wrote nt next to it on the sheet, short for next time.

 

[JCW]

With the cold weather new excuses can pop up as to why someone may say no let’s leave it this time. Customer, ‘let’s leave it til the cold weather blows over, with the frost you’ll make a mess of the grass’. (I need to put the ladder on the grass to get on the roof which causes divots and they look after their lawn.).
Not good enough IMO! It being frosty doesn’t make a difference, if they’re ok with me going on the grass usually when it’s wet then it being frosty should be fine. I told her building work, being on holiday etc is fine but this is not. If I’m prepared to be reliable in near freezing conditions then you need to let me get on.
I was nice, even though I could of gone on rant (which I am now) after her reply.
Her reply…‘I can’t believe you’d say this to a customer’. She said she was staggered!!
Are people for real?!?!?!? I replied ‘thanks but we just expect different things from one another, thanks for having me all the best’.
People just think, little old window cleaner he must be grateful for what he can get! Nope!! Mess me about you’re gone!

I have a customer, which wanted to postpone the cleaning, because of "window repair guy" has to come two days after my visit. That certain nonsene excusing phrase was familiar to me. I scrolled far up in his messages, and found he used the same excuse last summer. He has brand new, antracite windows, no vents, good looking sturdy built. What a nonsense .. repair guy .. and these people then cry to the new cleaner .. "oh my old window cleaner just did not turn up."

 

[Iron Giant]

I only text for locked gates for the security conscious home owner, one job is electric gates that I have a number for which I ring from my phone and it opens after two rings another job with electric gates I have to get buzzed in and then I have to ring the customer to get out

 

[Yogi1872]

I have a customer, which wanted to postpone the cleaning, because of "window repair guy" has to come two days after my visit. That certain nonsene excusing phrase was familiar to me. I scrolled far up in his messages, and found he used the same excuse last summer. He has brand new, antracite windows, no vents, good looking sturdy built. What a nonsense .. repair guy .. and these people then cry to the new cleaner .. "oh my old window cleaner just did not turn up."

I automatically think there's something there not telling me when a new customer says the last window cleaner just stopped coming.

 

[Pjj]

You're in a fortunate position though in the way that you've got plenty of work to not worry about being flexible towards the customers requirements, same as Yogi. When you're building a business though you haven't got that luxury of endless work to do and you have to give a higher service than the likes of yourself to stand out from the crowd. Texting is one of those things that customers like and is one of my services selling points.

The standing out from the crowd from our perspective is offering a regular reliable service , and doing a top notch job every visit , customers aren’t interested in being txt about window cleaning they have far more important things to be worried about , again I think txt customers is an area thing I don’t know any one in my area that does it . We are very flexible with all our customers but they have to fit in to our customer profile I never was very keen on green pro clean but he was right about that , we don’t offer an add hock service , it’s either 4-8 weekly on domestic and that’s it ,we are happy to do additional cleans for special occasions and do add on jobs when it’s convenient for the customer , but we won’t tolerate looks like it might rain , or the windows look clean give them a miss this time type of thing . When I started I made a rod for my own back by doing what ever the customer wanted and allowed cancelling a clean for no good reason , the bigger you get the more of this type of customer will get if you aren’t careful as they do talk to each other and will then say the window cleaner was happy to leave ours this month then they will copycat . Anyone who has been doing window cleaning for many years will have streamlined there business this way especially if you employ you cannot have 10% of customers cancelling cleans just because they feel like it ,you have weekly ,monthly targets and expenses to meet . If ones work part time to top up their pension or do it for beer money and are prepared to accept it then that’s there choice, but no one in there right mind will tolerate cancellations for no good reason .

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I automatically think there's something there not telling me when a new customer says the last window cleaner just stopped coming.

Aye, usually they have forgot to pay them I usually find out.

 

[Pjj]

I automatically think there's something they’re not telling me when a new customer says the last window cleaner just stopped coming.

Yes it rings alarm bells , usually it’s because the job was way under priced , no one stopes doing well priced work for no reason either that or they are a pita customer

 

[Chris34]

The standing out from the crowd from our perspective is offering a regular reliable service , and doing a top notch job every visit , customers aren’t interested in being txt about window cleaning they have far more important things to be worried about , again I think txt customers is an area thing I don’t know any one in my area that does it . We are very flexible with all our customers but they have to fit in to our customer profile I never was very keen on green pro clean but he was right about that , we don’t offer an add hock service , it’s either 4-8 weekly on domestic and that’s it ,we are happy to do additional cleans for special occasions and do add on jobs when it’s convenient for the customer , but we won’t tolerate looks like it might rain , or the windows look clean give them a miss this time type of thing . When I started I made a rod for my own back by doing what ever the customer wanted and allowed cancelling a clean for no good reason , the bigger you get the more of this type of customer will get if you aren’t careful as they do talk to each other and will then say the window cleaner was happy to leave ours this month then they will copycat . Anyone who has been doing window cleaning for many years will have streamlined there business this way especially if you employ you cannot have 10% of customers cancelling cleans just because they feel like it ,you have weekly ,monthly targets and expenses to meet . If ones work part time to top up their pension or do it for beer money and are prepared to accept it then that’s there choice, but no one in there right mind will tolerate cancellations for no good reason .

I don't tolerate customers cancelling cleans for no good reason, but if they text back to say they're having their drive done or they're away on holiday then that's fine that's part of my service, it allows me to fill their slot with another customer instead of just turning up and finding a load of builders there and me being unable to do the job. Some customers I have keys for the gates and codes etc but some are not possible because the locks on the other side of the gate. I see it as part of giving a good service and is how I would like a window cleaner to clean my place if I had one.

 

[Chris34]

The standing out from the crowd from our perspective is offering a regular reliable service , and doing a top notch job every visit , customers aren’t interested in being txt about window cleaning they have far more important things to be worried about , again I think txt customers is an area thing I don’t know any one in my area that does it . We are very flexible with all our customers but they have to fit in to our customer profile I never was very keen on green pro clean but he was right about that , we don’t offer an add hock service , it’s either 4-8 weekly on domestic and that’s it ,we are happy to do additional cleans for special occasions and do add on jobs when it’s convenient for the customer , but we won’t tolerate looks like it might rain , or the windows look clean give them a miss this time type of thing . When I started I made a rod for my own back by doing what ever the customer wanted and allowed cancelling a clean for no good reason , the bigger you get the more of this type of customer will get if you aren’t careful as they do talk to each other and will then say the window cleaner was happy to leave ours this month then they will copycat . Anyone who has been doing window cleaning for many years will have streamlined there business this way especially if you employ you cannot have 10% of customers cancelling cleans just because they feel like it ,you have weekly ,monthly targets and expenses to meet . If ones work part time to top up their pension or do it for beer money and are prepared to accept it then that’s there choice, but no one in there right mind will tolerate cancellations for no good reason .

Just thinking further on this subject. You say that in your early days you accepted all the stuff and put up with it which is similar to what I and others are doing now. I think what happens is that the more established you get the more you can set your own ground rules and work the way you truly want to. Until your bursting with work I think it's probably the same for everyone in the earlier years, but the more and more established you get the more and more refined you can get, to the point where you're literally picking and choosing who your customers are.

I myself am finding it easier to have my business the way I want it because I'm getting more established each year. Just this month I've had two customers come back to me which I lost in my Octobers price rise, I've also just had another customer who moved house late summer ask me to come and price up their new house. It just makes it easier to run the business, gives more money which leads to greater stability and leads to less of a need to cater for demanding customers and more choice on whether to keep the awkward jobs.

Once the money is flowing in nicely you can have it how you want but until you get to that point I think everyone likely has to put up with it and do jobs that are not ideal and to a certain extent, cater for borderline unreasonable customers.

 

[Part Timer]

All the I don't people that say they don't text are long established and are full. They have probably be doing their round for 20+ years and probably bought their round from someone that did it for 20 years previous.
We got customers, in our early days, despite being 3 times the trad guys, by saying we would text them to let them know we were coming the next day.
What I don't understand though is how sending a text message to 30 people, 2 texts 1 for morning and 1 for afternoon, is somehow slower than posting notes through 30 letterboxes saying you've been.
Another one of the ridiculous conversations on here where those that don't somehow think they're somehow on the higher ground.

 

[Yogi1872]

Just thinking further on this subject. You say that in your early days you accepted all the stuff and put up with it which is similar to what I and others are doing now. I think what happens is that the more established you get the more you can set your own ground rules and work the way you truly want to. Until your bursting with work I think it's probably the same for everyone in the earlier years, but the more and more established you get the more and more refined you can get, to the point where you're literally picking and choosing who your customers are.

I myself am finding it easier to have my business the way I want it because I'm getting more established each year. Just this month I've had two customers come back to me which I lost in my Octobers price rise, I've also just had another customer who moved house late summer ask me to come and price up their new house. It just makes it easier to run the business, gives more money which leads to greater stability and leads to less of a need to cater for demanding customers and more choice on whether to keep the awkward jobs.

Once the money is flowing in nicely you can have it how you want but until you get to that point I think everyone likely has to put up with it and do jobs that are not ideal and to a certain extent, cater for borderline unreasonable customers.

If you have enough work I'd tell the 2 who canceled that the space is gone, they will just cancel again next time. I don't put people back on, what's probably happened is they found someone cheaper but he's stopped coning as it's not worth his while so there going to go back with you.

Everyone at the start has to put up with things we don't want to, you end up bending over backwards for them, if there not happy with the price you quote they basically tell you what they will be paying by haggling. If you someone hasn't got alot of work then you accept it as no point cutting of your nose. As soon as you think you have enough though then you can walk away if they don't agree .

I put everything up £2 last year, one person text saying they couldn't afford £11, but could pay £10. I text back a nice polite message but told them I wouldn't be continuing, even offered the person who is the cheapest I'm the areas number and said he would probably be a bit cheaper. She then said she'd pay the £11

 

[Yogi1872]

All the I don't people that say they don't text are long established and are full. They have probably be doing their round for 20+ years and probably bought their round from someone that did it for 20 years previous.
We got customers, in our early days, despite being 3 times the trad guys, by saying we would text them to let them know we were coming the next day.
What I don't understand though is how sending a text message to 30 people, 2 texts 1 for morning and 1 for afternoon, is somehow slower than posting notes through 30 letterboxes saying you've been.
Another one of the ridiculous conversations on here where those that don't somehow think they're somehow on the higher ground.

You put a card through when your cleaning the glass at the door, it literally adds 2 seconds, if anything. I don't know anyone who texts customers unless it's a gate, I know a guy with 14k houses on a monthly basis, I'd like to see him try the text messaging.

 

[Part Timer]

You put a card through when your cleaning the glass at the door, it literally adds 2 seconds, if anything. I don't know anyone who texts customers unless it's a gate, I know a guy with 14k houses on a monthly basis, I'd like to see him try the text messaging.

Takes 10 seconds to send 30 texts, once set up. It also doesn't cost any money, cheaper and quicker than your method. As I said each to their own.
With the new integrated software doesn't take any time at all. I'm a dinosaur but there are obviously older dinosaurs than me.

 

[Yogi1872]

Takes 10 seconds to send 30 texts, once set up. It also doesn't cost any money, cheaper and quicker than your method. As I said each to their own.
With the new integrated software doesn't take any time at all. I'm a dinosaur but there are obviously older dinosaurs than me.

I don't use the software, I did try it for a few months but changed back, I do it all on Microsoft word.

What happens if something comes up and you don't get all of them done ? Then have to text again etc. 20 quid I pay for buisness cards that I put through the doors, 1000 lasts a few months. It's not a big expense.

I didn't say to the guy I worked with we had to get through this amount today, some days we got through more work on the same part of the run than the previous month, sometimes we didn't get as much done. Towards the end of the week if we weren't where I thought we should be then I'd split the work up a bit so we worked on our own. 2 people working together rarely get through the same amount as 2 people working separately