Text requests for payments.

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

I never really know what to put in a text when requesting payments.

"Hi there, your window cleaning bill is 27 days past due, the balance is £35. Payment options are here Green Pro Cleaner, Carlton;Nottingham Thank you very much."

Now this message just about fits in the industry standard 160 characters for a text message which is as long as I would want it to be, what do you think.

 

[BigFoot]

Think it's to the point and will have the required effect. I like to finish my payment requests with "Thank you for your custom" I think it suggests I value them and reduces the risk of them feeling told off for non payment. but if it works it works!

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

Unfortunately that ending is about 5 characters too long. And also for some of them I want them to feel told off, you would think after 3 years service they would get it sorted by now! /emoticons/smile.png

 

[BigFoot]

lol, perhaps you should send the a photo of the naughty step.

 

[boarcity]

youre wasting your time. truth be told they already know and are taking the michael. only yesterday i had a customer [who had had a paper reminder before Xmas] call up with some daft excuse "iv been in Egypt "

"egypt my **** youre a freakin ferhookerin liar"

i beg your pardon

"you heard me ... now **** off "

 

[adamangler]

my text message is always the same and just comes up on predictive text. "Hi, adam @ thompson window cleaning please can you forward payment for last window clean, thankyou"

i send this to everyone on the 4th day after cleaning as my invoice states within 3 days, if i dont get payment i send it again a couple of day later, then i start sending it everyday until they pay. If it gets to the next clean i send a text saying cleaning has been put on hold till payment received. If no reply they get a small claims letter and removed from the round.

 

[Tuffers]

my text message is always the same and just comes up on predictive text. "Hi, adam @ thompson window cleaning please can you forward payment for last window clean, thankyou"
i send this to everyone on the 4th day after cleaning as my invoice states within 3 days, if i dont get payment i send it again a couple of day later, then i start sending it everyday until they pay. If it gets to the next clean i send a text saying cleaning has been put on hold till payment received. If no reply they get a small claims letter and removed from the round.

I'm a bit more flexible than you and I always get paid whether it's a month over due etc. I'll send a text reminder about a week after saying 'windows cleaned on xx/xx/xx can I remind you to BACS payment please, Tuffers. It's your business, but if you put them on hold I think you'll be looking for more customers in the long run.

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

I just think within about tow to three months off reminder texts they will start to consider it the 'norm' and pay more promptly. Just so bored of the whole chasing money business. That is the only downer to this job and I think with modern payment options there is no need for it.

 

[Duncs]

the BACS can work really well but not always, nothing worse checking your account waiting for payments coming so annoying

green is right its the downer to the job

my jealous of the guys who have it all sorted and do no collecting

 

[adamangler]

I'm a bit more flexible than you and I always get paid whether it's a month over due etc. I'll send a text reminder about a week after saying 'windows cleaned on xx/xx/xx can I remind you to BACS payment please, Tuffers. It's your business, but if you put them on hold I think you'll be looking for more customers in the long run.

I just think if I've sent half a dozen reminders and they've not responded or paid then there obviously avoiding doing so. Fair enough if I didn't send reminders but if you've been asked half a dozen times I think it's a bit cheeky to not pay for a service youve agreed to have. I do have a few customers that don't have a contact number so I'm prepared to clean twice without payment it'd more to do with when they don't want to or can't be arsed to pay that annoys me

 

[Leeds]

@Green Pro Clean Ltd I think the trade off for earning hundreds of pounds a day or even more is that you have to send some text messages once or twice a week. It's not ideal, but it's not donkey work either. Frankly I'm sure there will be apps or programmes that would automate the whole hang for you, and you literally just have to select all the customers to text and boom it's done.

@Duncs checking you bank account twice a week online can't be that demanding can it? If I said to someone would you like a job working 6-7 hours £200 a day, but you have to check your bank account twice a week and send some text messages on an evening......they'd bite my hand off.

These two things are part of the game.... In my humble opinion.

 

[Dave B]

I always have money outstanding and some people prefer to pay this time of the month when they have been paid or some are on holiday etc

I won't clean a 2nd time if they owe for last time but also that means they have had a month to pay

I usually send a text a week after cleaning and then a week after and 99% of the time i have no issues

It's harder when first starting out as you are relying on the money coming in to pay bills etc

Once up and running it's no issue as you always have people owing and always have people paying so a constant flow of cash

 

[CHWS]

I never really know what to put in a text when requesting payments.
"Hi there, your window cleaning bill is 27 days past due, the balance is £35. Payment options are here Green Pro Cleaner, Carlton;Nottingham Thank you very much."

Now this message just about fits in the industry standard 160 characters for a text message which is as long as I would want it to be, what do you think.

Why don't you just go to their door in the evening and knock it? Puts people on the spot and embarrassed that they owe it. They can come off with any **** in a text

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

Why don't you just go to their door in the evening and knock it? Puts people on the spot and embarrassed that they owe it. They can come off with any **** in a text

Do you see the manager of Tescos or EE or the Water Company coming to the door to collect? No they get paid on the spot or monthly by bank transfers or DD so why shouldnt we?

My evenings are way too valuable to me to be driving around knocking on doors with my hand out.

Old fashioned 'collections' is based on the assumptions that they are home to begin with. Norhing mor annoying than knocking a door and no one answer.

Since I started this thread I have tried out text local through the cleaner planner and whatvI have noted is the ones that are now starting to pay by bank and GoCardless when they get a rext reminder are the ones that for the longest time have been the 'oh, pay you when I see you' types.

Once they have paid once 'electronically' They see how much of a dodle it is and do it in future.

Also driving around in the evening collecting adds upto 16 hours per week (2 days) of time and also doubles my fuel bill. Whis paying me for that?

I do not offer cash collection at all (unless granny is home on the day) so they just need to get used to the fact and pay as they are asked to do.

 

[CHWS]

Well I'm going to try and push for online payments myself , although iv alot who I don't think will but time will tell

 

[Markyboy 50]

They all pay in the end. Don't matter how it happens. I never go collecting tho. And I will let them not pay for months on end. As I said. They all pay in the end

 

[Alien Human]

I work closely with an estate agent and they are hopeless at paying me when it comes to cleaning their office windows - literally the worst that you can imagine. I haven't been paid from one of the offices since back in October 2015......

But, if I were to do a pie chart of what makes up my annual income then their overall contribution is a Desperate Dan sized slice of pie.

I put up with and, as has been mentioned, I always get paid.

This week alone they arranged for me to clean the Brighton footy managers new flat - fantastic experience and great photo for the website......even though I probably won't get paid till July /emoticons/wink.png

 

[Markyboy 50]

I've got an electrical shop that's the same. Always slow at paying. Only worth £8 a week. I only invoice em 8 weekly. I had left 2 invoices for 16 weeks work and was 6 weeks into me next invoice. 22 weeks work. Come home one day and there was a cheque for just shy of £200 with a note saying sorry she forgot and have the next invoices payment before it's even due. All comes in in the end

 

[Taxlossloz]

I agree just let it build up and it's a nice wedge

Unless there about 90 years old

Even then I went and told the blokes son he owed me £30 before he died

He paid no probs

Some people run it up for months they just pay when they want no worries

 

[Markyboy 50]

The families usually pay if mum or dad dies. I think anyone over 75 should pay a month in advance........just in case /emoticons/wink.png

 

[Markyboy 50]

And this is how it goes. Clean em once and they're not in. Clean em next month n they're not in. Do em a third time and just as you're on the last window next door will come out and say ooooh I've been keeping an eye out for u. She died a fortnight ago and was in hospital for 2 months before that. Lucky I caught you. Yeah real lucky.