[AuRavelling79]

I also refused payment after I'd cleaned and said I'd collect on Friday (this evening) only if she was happy with the job.

Good angle that Tosh - I'm impressed - especially if I can adapt it to customers like mine who all send cheques if they're not in when I call.

[windows_chepstow]

I also refused payment after I'd cleaned and said I'd collect on Friday (this evening) only if she was happy with the job.

Good angle that Tosh - I'm impressed - especially if I can adapt it to customers like mine who all send cheques if they're not in when I call.

Thanks Malc,

I can't take the credit for that line though.  It belongs to Roy Harding when he was approached by a customer who wanted a window cleaner but didn't trust WFP, as they had received a shoddy job by their previous WFP window cleaner.

He just gave them an envelope and said 'post the cheque if you're happy with the job'.

Three days later the cheque arrived.

If your confident you'll do a good job versus skeptical customers; it's the best way to go.

There's no losers or loss of face.

[Trevor Knight]

This all brings back fond memories of why i hated collecting lol. 18 months ago I went around every customer 1100 of them and took their telephone numbers, asked them if the wanted to pay by cheque/DDM/Standing Order/ PAYPAL and that we would not be pestering them on thier doorstep to collect anymore. Now, the first month was a little hit and miss but as each month went by the task became easier, this is how I do my winter collecting, I make a coffee, sit in my nice warm office, open my database of debt's and spend an hour chasing my customers or leaving messages, sometimes I may have a snack if I am hungry. I can telephone more customers in 1 hour than you can visit in 2!! No waiting on a doorstep getting the hump cos they don't come to the door, no freezing my nuts off and I acheive a collecting ratio of approx 98%  Food for though I hear Millets are selling some thick coats for this winter hahahaha

[Easyclean Windows]

This all brings back fond memories of why i hated collecting lol. 18 months ago I went around every customer 1100 of them and took their telephone numbers, asked them if the wanted to pay by cheque/DDM/Standing Order/ PAYPAL and that we would not be pestering them on thier doorstep to collect anymore. Now, the first month was a little hit and miss but as each month went by the task became easier, this is how I do my winter collecting, I make a coffee, sit in my nice warm office, open my database of debt's and spend an hour chasing my customers or leaving messages, sometimes I may have a snack if I am hungry. I can telephone more customers in 1 hour than you can visit in 2!! No waiting on a doorstep getting the hump cos they don't come to the door, no freezing my nuts off and I acheive a collecting ratio of approx 98%  Food for though Huh I hear Millets are selling some thick coats for this winter hahahaha

I do hope whith all these phone numbers and paypal etc you are complying with the data protection act?

[Chris Cottrell]

I Often wondered how much info can you keep on your customers

[Sarah Sarill]

Dont know about the oters but know you cannot keep Credit Card details on a computer even with the customers permission.

Would check the rest out if you are thinking of going down that route.  Would make life so much easier though.

Sarah

[Trevor Knight]

Phone numbers yes but credit card details?? I don't have them, the customer pays direct over the internet and S/O and DDM's are also prcessed by the bank so where and why would I have their details? As for Data protection, well the phone numbers are stored for our use only, we do not sell them on and we ask the customer and if they do not wish to give us their number we spell it out that should they fall behind with their payments we will discontinue their service. So far had to do that to 2 customers, can live with that.

[AuRavelling79]

Data Protection:- the key is this:-

If they have given you the information personally (eg phone numbers) then you can certainly keep it and use it for the reason you gave them.

You cannot, without their expressed permission pass it on to any other person outside your firm or use it for other purposes aside from that which was explained at the time. You have a duty of care to maintain confidentiality too.

So if you say to your customer:-

"May I have your phone number so that I can contact you in relation to our window cleaning arrangements?" then you may use it for that and that alone.

That means anything to do with your window cleaning service - things such as reminding them about money outstanding, telling them you'll be around so can they leave their gate open, holiday arrangements, new methods of working etc.

[windows_chepstow]

This all brings back fond memories of why i hated collecting lol. 18 months ago I went around every customer 1100 of them and took their telephone numbers, asked them if the wanted to pay by cheque/DDM/Standing Order/ PAYPAL and that we would not be pestering them on thier doorstep to collect anymore. Now, the first month was a little hit and miss but as each month went by the task became easier, this is how I do my winter collecting, I make a coffee, sit in my nice warm office, open my database of debt's and spend an hour chasing my customers or leaving messages, sometimes I may have a snack if I am hungry. I can telephone more customers in 1 hour than you can visit in 2!! No waiting on a doorstep getting the hump cos they don't come to the door, no freezing my nuts off and I acheive a collecting ratio of approx 98%  Food for though I hear Millets are selling some thick coats for this winter hahahaha

Trevor, that is food for thought. 

When you phone, how do you inform your customers you want them to pay?  Obviously you do it in a tactfull but firm manner; I suspect.

But what do you say to them?