[Portisgreg]

Hi all!

I've started using a website called BulkSMS to text my customers the night before I clean. The price per text is reasonably cheap and you can make them non-repliable which means that the customer must REALLY not want you to come if they contact you to tell you otherwise. I prefer it cos i can save templates and I don't have to keep a ton of customers in my mobi.

The question I have for you more experienced guys is: What do you do when they say "What time exactly will you be coming?"?

This REALLY hacks me off cos I feel they're lucky to be notified at all.

I have been saying "I can't specify a time" or "Morning/afternoon" and they just get annoyed.

The trouble is, if I start cleaning by appointment i have to charge more because I have to fit everyone else in around them! I'm tempted to just say its 3x the price if you'd like to have a specific time.

Also, I've built up a number of shopfronts which are not amazingly well paid but I view them as a bit of a bonus because I can start early where I can't with domestic. But quite a few want the insides done every week and I started going back in the middle of the day when they're open but now I've realised this is a complete waste of time going back to clean the insides for £4 when I could be earning £25 doing a house! (I told one of them this the other day when they kept calling me)

So, here's what I wrote:

Dear Customer,

"Unfortunately, due to our workload we can no longer return in the middle of the day to clean the insides of your windows. We will be cleaning your windows between 6:30am and 8:30am.

If your business is open during these hours then there is no change to your service.

If not, then you have 3 options:

1. be there to open up.
2. provide us with a key.
3. we can return especially to clean your windows during your business hours however we will have to charge 3 times the price for the exterior. i.e. £5 exterior = £15 interior.

Please let us know how you would like to proceed."

What do you think? It was quite "matter-of-fact" but reasonable I feel.

Greg

 

[bobby p]

i never text nor ring night before now. yes at first it narks them off ,but in long run its best to just turn up when it suits YOU.  at first a few niggles,but i never mind splitting my ladders or using a pole with a hook to undo a drawbolt.
  i had one customer who had greased the top of the back garden gate and greased the wall tops  to stop intruders, and i bent over backwards to accomodate them,but then they got extra picky on which day i should arrive .best rid of that type of customer in my opinion !

[Nathanael Jones]

If I have anyone fussy about the time, I book them in for first thing in the morning. I explain that the further into the day I go, the harder it is to estimate what time I'll be there, so that's the only time I can guarantee.

[Portisgreg]

Yeah Nathanael, I tried that last week, I said "I'll be there at 8am" and they said "oh no no no! Its my husbands day off work" or words to that effect. I just turned up when i wanted. even more annoying it turns out i could jump over her gate anyway.

Greg

[Dave Anderson]

My whole round is scheduled i.e every-time I clean a house they get a card with various information on it including their next clean date.

But with this said...I have only 3 customers that I give a time...everyone else just gets the date.

Dave.

[Joe Lauzon]

If I have anyone fussy about the time, I book them in for first thing in the morning. I explain that the further into the day I go, the harder it is to estimate what time I'll be there, so that's the only time I can guarantee.

What he said.

[Blue Frog Systems]

If its a gate issue, this is what I text.

Your windows will be cleaned tomorrow. If your not in, can you leave the gate unlocked. Thanks

Time wise I can specify before / after 12. But I only offer this to customers that have to be in.

[GB Window Cleaning]

i do the same as blu frog!

[Paul Coleman]

I intentionally have very little work like this.  I have turned loads down over the years because of wanting pre-arranging.  I've relented a bit in the last year though - and often regretted it.  In fact, I've dumped about half the customers who wanted notification in order to leave a gate unlocked because they used it as a reason to mess me about.  Also, in the holiday season, many of them are away.  If you have too much work that requires pre-notifying, you can end up seriously out of pocket when they are away.
I had one recently where I had to send four texts to clarify and still failed to get access.  Dumped.
I'm self-employed because I like to be able to decide my own work environment within reasonable limits.  Give up too much control to the custies and I might as well be back in a factory hating my life and spitting feathers every time something bugs me too much.

[Mist A Bit]

if i make an appointment with a customer i`l only do one appointment per day and it has to be first thing in the morning so that im free to do as i please for the rest of the day. i have a selection of customers who i text or call night before but its only a handfull of people, the rest i do them when i want to.

steve

[Smudger]

 i dont give customers a time - they sometimes ask if they are going out and i will either do them 1st or last.

after a few visits most people know roughly (give or take an hour) when i'm due.

However EVERY customer is given a next clean date card - other than the odd 'i forgot' the system works well and every1 is happy to know 4 or 8 weeks in advance when they will be cleaned next.


As regards to shops - we have a set day for these usually sat - so it does not interfere with residential and clean all the exteriors then work back doing internal

nice relaxed hour or so before finishing for the week

Darran

[Portisgreg]

Dave - how can you specify the date? surely the weather doesn't allow you to do that? Do you just skip them or go when the weather improves?

I just say "your next clean is due in: 6 weeks/1 week/2weeks/" but I prefer the flexibility if I go away or I'm ill etc.