[Dave Willis]

Talking is the worst waste of work time and customers who wait 'till you've finished before writing out a cheque, so I knock the door before reeling in and just keep one eye out for the front door to open.
Carry a wooden wedge on windy days to jam the side gate open.
Plan your route to avoid the school runs - never try to cross town for the first jobs - same on bin day.
Keep spares in the van - hose connectors, fuses, tape, superglue, o rings, spare pole even a spare battery if you can carry it.

Take your time - I get more work done when I'm relaxed than when I'm trying to batter it out all stressed.

[trevor perry]

dont sit in van in between jobs, just pull up and get started imediately

[gary999]

with all these tips i will at least save 5 mins a day

i simply set a target of customers per day more in summer than winter
with more hours available.work morning have nice lunch work afternoon
chat to occasional customer finish day go home happy to tiring to worry
about the seconds i could be saving mulitiplied by the hours im working
mulitiplied by the number of days i work multiplied by the number of weeks
a year i work :-\zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


may i suggest you all stop worrying about the seconds you could be saving
be happy

and most importantly get a life!

[andyM]

Skip lunch .........."lunch is for wimps!". 

[William McCafferty]

learn how to place you vechicle.

use a variety of different equipment, some are faster to use than others on certain propertys.

Do a thoughy 1st clean, you will find further cleans faster, with a deep clean every 6 months or so.

if you work in a team, get one to always do the back and one the front, the front guy starts off by feeding the hose out for the back guy, he also collects the money, as he normally has less glass to clean.

Always phone/text the night before, saves going back to collect or to clamber over gates or roofs.

[bobplum]

with all these tips i will at least save 5 mins a day

i simply set a target of customers per day more in summer than winter
with more hours available.work morning have nice lunch work afternoon
chat to occasional customer finish day go home happy to tiring to worry
about the seconds i could be saving mulitiplied by the hours im working
mulitiplied by the number of days i work multiplied by the number of weeks
a year i work :-\zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


may i suggest you all stop worrying about the seconds you could be saving
be happy

and most importantly get a life!

which could equate to 50 mins in a week which would be on average 3 houses at a average £10.00 per house an could have earned you £30.00 a week,£120.00 a month,£1,200 a year(allowing for weather holidays etc) which helps you get a better life?

[Johnny B]

Interesting thread.

My take is this. I am probably the slowest window cleaner on the planet. I am near OCD in the attention to detail that I expect of myself.

I have tried speeding up, but when I have done, I find that I need to check my work more, and lo and behold, I find mistakes which I have to put right. All this takes more time.

So now I just take as long as I need to, and by doing so, the job gets done right the first time, my stress levels return to zero as I love this business, and I can earn enough even at my snail's pace! Also, I can't say no to a cup of tea and a chat. 

John

 

[Richard iSparkle]

We've found the gardiners super lite sill brush has sped us up.  much faster on doors, windows with small bits of glass, and much easier to incorporate frames in with glass cleaning.

[richardlingard]

when going to the toilet wipe properly because if you miss stuff you will be scratching away all day not only wasting time but looking bad in front of the customer 

[Lakes and Pennine]

Turn flow rate up to a higher setting, makes you quicker on the glass, and i find it actually saves water.
Also never rinse frosted glass, as spotting wont be an issue.
I have found switching to fan jets has sped me up (some may not agree)
Txt the night before for gates to be left open.
I have recently bought a few buffing mitts, as used for polishing cars, i slip one on prior to rewinding, as it will clean the hose off automaticly, again saving time.
If i think of anymore things i will post

Yes it does. I was asked to do the insides after i had not rinsed the toilet window...Boy did it show

[Perfect Windows]

with all these tips i will at least save 5 mins a day

i simply set a target of customers per day more in summer than winter
with more hours available.work morning have nice lunch work afternoon
chat to occasional customer finish day go home happy to tiring to worry
about the seconds i could be saving mulitiplied by the hours im working
mulitiplied by the number of days i work multiplied by the number of weeks
a year i work :-\zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


may i suggest you all stop worrying about the seconds you could be saving
be happy

and most importantly get a life!

It's easy to take the mick, but between me and my Joey we do twenty-odd houses a day.

So, assuming we can save a minute a job by using some good ideas, that leaves us able to fit in another job a day.  Our average job price is just inder £21, so That's an extra £21 a day.  Or over £4,000 a year for working not a minute longer.  Alternatively, if you prefer, have an extra 20 minutes sitting in front of Jeremy Kyle.

You'd have to be barmy not to bother either way.

Vin

[LWC]

Make sure you have tickets ready and that are easy to write on, for example, on mine it says everything and all i have to fill in is the date, price and tick which payment they need to do. Also i have all my envelopes printed and stamped.

Although a small thing this saves time at end of job.

Agree with faster water as we have turned flow up recently, been much quicker and not used any more water and maybe saved some!

[Perfect Windows]

There's one not been mentioned yet.

Don't faff about.  It's easy (especially two man working) just to be standing for a few secnds doing not a lot. Have the mindset that you're going to get through the work then relax.  You can show the truth of this by remembering the last time you were short of time - somehow you managed to fit in all the jobs.

Vin

[PurefectWindowCleaning]

Go to the gym...

[britishwill]

I would second that!
We have timed every job we have even done. Even a first clean. This enables you to manage your day and know if you are doing well for time.
We and the guys who works for me naturally want to do the job in the same time or faster so we time it and review as we are leaving. We also have a fAg and eat lunch on the way to the next client.
Bearing in mind this works for me but I can see on shop front or very small house this may take longer to write down than its worth.
We have only really marketed for larger houses and therefore it works a treat as I book in 5-6 hours working on the glass a day. Start at 8.15-8.30 get home (40 mins from the area we work in) approx 3.30pm.
We also have a system where if a client comes out to chat and they are taking up time the other person comes and makes an excuse to get us away. I can quiote easily chat for ages but you have to remember time is def money

[gary999]

with all these tips i will at least save 5 mins a day

i simply set a target of customers per day more in summer than winter
with more hours available.work morning have nice lunch work afternoon
chat to occasional customer finish day go home happy to tiring to worry
about the seconds i could be saving mulitiplied by the hours im working
mulitiplied by the number of days i work multiplied by the number of weeks
a year i work :-\zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


may i suggest you all stop worrying about the seconds you could be saving
be happy

and most importantly get a life!

which could equate to 50 mins in a week which would be on average 3 houses at a average £10.00 per house an could have earned you £30.00 a week,£120.00 a month,£1,200 a year(allowing for weather holidays etc) which helps you get a better life?

yawn...im happy with my life

[GB Window Cleaning]

Have confidence in your tools; maintenance cleans only need a once over with the brush and a quick rinse.

i agree with this, and ive been doing it for a week now! no need i find to go over glass twice (mostly)

[gary999]

with all these tips i will at least save 5 mins a day

i simply set a target of customers per day more in summer than winter
with more hours available.work morning have nice lunch work afternoon
chat to occasional customer finish day go home happy to tiring to worry
about the seconds i could be saving mulitiplied by the hours im working
mulitiplied by the number of days i work multiplied by the number of weeks
a year i work :-\zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


may i suggest you all stop worrying about the seconds you could be saving
be happy

and most importantly get a life!

It's easy to take the mick, but between me and my Joey we do twenty-odd houses a day.

So, assuming we can save a minute a job by using some good ideas, that leaves us able to fit in another job a day.  Our average job price is just inder £21, so That's an extra £21 a day.  Or over £4,000 a year for working not a minute longer.  Alternatively, if you prefer, have an extra 20 minutes sitting in front of Jeremy Kyle.

You'd have to be barmy not to bother either way.

Vin

life isnt all about money it helps but my happiness is most important,you could save a minute
on a job then you might hit a traffic jam on the way to the next job and lose half hour

you can calculate your seconds all you like but in the end its unlikely to make a iota of
difference in the end as anything can throw you out,

make your targets achievable everyday even if you have to stretch yourself a little
and you wont go wrong

[clearviewwc]

when going to the toilet wipe properly because if you miss stuff you will be scratching away all day not only wasting time but looking bad in front of the customer  

There is something seriously wrong with this guys mind!
Made me laugh though   Does that mean there something wrong with me too!?

[Perfect Windows]

you can calculate your seconds all you like but in the end its unlikely to make a iota of
difference in the end as anything can throw you out,

What a weirdly pessimistic way to look at it.  If you're consistently a minute or two a job quicker then over the year you'll either have a lot more time with the kids or earn more, regardless of whether you get caught in traffic jams occasionally.

If you want neither then carry on as you are.

Vin