Printed slips - still a thing in 2025?

[robmorgan]

Evening all,

Something I'm pondering while laying the groundwork for Overture:

Are printed slips still a thing in 2025?

With CleanerPlanner we spent a lot of time tweaking these slips to get them right, but I'm wondering whether it's worth the bother building this feature again, vs focusing on more modern things!

e.g. if you have an app that can text (or even WhatsApp) a "slip" to the customer, with a Stripe payment link, and/or you've got payments on autopilot with GoCardless, do you really need slips?

Ditto printed worksheets? Surely anyone using proper window cleaning software these days has their guys ticking off jobs on the app on their phones rather than scrawling on sheets of paper?

Just checking - if still essential we'll get this in, but if possible I'd like to "trim the fat" here, simplify one aspect of the app a bit and have more time to focus on more groundbreaking features!

Keen to hear your thoughts!

 

[ched999uk]

I drop cards (business cards) with bank details on after each job as well as squeegee email invoices.
I think some people do use printed worksheets for their workers.

 

[robmorgan]

I drop cards (business cards) with bank details on after each job as well as squeegee email invoices.
I think some people do use printed worksheets for their workers.

Definitely a lot of people still used printed worksheets early on with CP, though I think the percentage was dwindling after a few years, as having the workers use the app (which was very simple and locked down) saved so much time.

I do wonder if with Squeegee, because multi-user is so expensive, it's common to just have one (admin) user, and then of course you don't want to give your workers access to everything, so you print them off worksheets to save money.

But then of course you've got the hassle of entering all the data at end of day...

 

[mattybondi]

use printed work sheets because these are quicker to refer to and notes can be scribbled on in a flash. I like to use pencil rather than pen ,pencil does not leak in the pocket and Always writes even if the papers damp. I have the diary sheets on a A4 hardboard clipboard that has a blood stain in the corner! about 5yrs ago it was flung in defence at somebody-"first blood"

 

[RyeCleanLiam]

Haven't used a printed sheet in about 6 years. 98% of my work is on GC though. The rest I just text or email an invoice. All other window cleaners I know on squeegee work the same

 

[Iron Giant]

Nope not at all, I dropped slips during covid and not one customer has batted an eyelid they get an email from GoCardless or if a cash payer I still don't bother they know memory is shocking for leaving a slip so take me at my word.

 

[robmorgan]

use printed work sheets because these are quicker to refer to and notes can be scribbled on in a flash. I like to use pencil rather than pen ,pencil does not leak in the pocket and Always writes even if the papers damp. I have the diary sheets on a A4 hardboard clipboard that has a blood stain in the corner! about 5yrs ago it was flung in defence at somebody-"first blood"

First I've heard "self defence" as a reason for clinging onto paper worksheets

@mattybondi what software do you print them from?

 

[robmorgan]

@Iron Giant @RyeCleanLiam thanks, yeah I get the impression printed slips are finally a thing of the past. Having to print them, cut them out, take them, remember to post them - who needs any of that!

Printed worksheets remains more of an open question. They were a must have back in 2013, and we spent a lot of time tweaking the layout (even had two different layouts!) with options for what you want to show etc. But I do think it was more of a transition thing - lot of people coming over from WCP, George etc, who weren't yet ready to go "fully digital".

That being said, there are some on the Overture beta list coming from George, Excel and paper, and I suspect even still, as successful as CP and Squeegee have been, there's still a large swathe of the industry that don't use either, though that's probably as much to do with cost and perceived complexity as anything else. Work to do there!