[Window Lickers]

Has it helped with your cash flow?

[Arnold Palmer]

Not really.

[Mike #1]

As I don't go collecting yes , I only have 40 custys signed up currently but it's 40 less people  I have to chase for money

[PoleKing]

Yup.
Nearly half pay on one day.
Happy days!

[Arnold Palmer]

Yup.
Nearly half pay on one day.
Happy days!

Did you have cash flow issues to begin with?

[Mike #1]

I think most businesses like ours have cash flow issues to a point , As we have to wait on people paying us after the jobs are done which runs into £100's .

In order to get a hold on cash flow we as windys have had no choice but to introduce various payment options , which some new custys are quite surprised at when you tell them you don't call back for money

[Arnold Palmer]

I think most businesses like ours have cash flow issues to a point , As we have to wait on people paying us after the jobs are done which runs into £100's .

In order to get a hold on cash flow we as windys have had no choice but to introduce various payment options , which some new custys are quite surprised at when you tell them you don't call back for money

I'd say that window cleaning businesses (in particular - domestic window cleaning businesses) should't really have cash flow issues.

[Window Lickers]

Shouldnt but they can.

[Arnold Palmer]

Shouldnt but they can.

Not if you have an auto suspend feature on your window cleaning software.

Vote here:

https://app.cleanerplanner.com/forum/auto-suspend-262

[Window Lickers]

In an ideal world it would be sunny every day.

Its a good idea Im have voted for it but would be reluctant to hand control over to run my business as opposed to be an aid to it, which is what CP is.


You're always going to get slow payers, simple as, having that feature wont delete the customers from your brain, you'll still KNOW theyre due when you clean the two you do on either side. And it wont actually deal with the long standing issue of people being unable to pay as required by the cleaner, its just a plaster over the wound. The next one you take on as a replacement once youve binned Mrs Crapwithherfinances may well be Mrs Evencrapperwithherfinances.

[Arnold Palmer]

In an ideal world it would be sunny every day.

Its a good idea Im have voted for it but would be reluctant to hand control over to run my business as opposed to be an aid to it, which is what CP is.


You're always going to get slow payers, simple as, having that feature wont delete the customers from your brain, you'll still KNOW theyre due when you clean the two you do on either side. And it wont actually deal with the long standing issue of people being unable to pay as required by the cleaner, its just a plaster over the wound. The next one you take on as a replacement once youve binned Mrs Crapwithherfinances may well be Mrs Evencrapperwithherfinances.

You will always get bad payers, yes. Most of them are just forgetful though, like it or not we are low on their list of priorities. GoCardless helps because it gives you control.

The auto suspend that I currently use actually gives me more control. It's difficult to always keep track of all debts, all the auto suspend does is highlights the worst offenders and ensures that overdue customers are not inadvertently cleaned by mistake, the system does not have control - you do. The customer can be re-instated at the click of a button if you want. With the right system in place the worst payers are switched to GoCardless and as such become the best payers.

[Window Lickers]

With the right system in place the worst payers are switched to GoCardless and as such become the best payers.

I might put that on or GC marketing literature.

'Yes, Mrs Tightwad, you too can be promoted from our crappiest to our best payer overnight, with one easy click of the mousepad'.

[Arnold Palmer]

With the right system in place the worst payers are switched to GoCardless and as such become the best payers.

I might put that on or GC marketing literature.

'Yes, Mrs Tightwad, you too can be promoted from our crappiest to our best payer overnight, with one easy click of the mousepad'.

I like it.

[Mike #1]

I think most businesses like ours have cash flow issues to a point , As we have to wait on people paying us after the jobs are done which runs into £100's .

In order to get a hold on cash flow we as windys have had no choice but to introduce various payment options , which some new custys are quite surprised at when you tell them you don't call back for money

I'd say that window cleaning businesses (in particular - domestic window cleaning businesses) should't really have cash flow issues.

From my view i dont current debt list is over £600 . If i owned a shop typically all payments would be upfront so the debt list would be very low or non existent .

Someone who has always been an employee looking in might be shocked , If a typically employee of a business was told that despite of the expected wage per month they at times would only be paid approx 75% of their they would be a bit miffed

[bobplum]

They still have to have money in the bank, unlike one of mine , so if it fails second time, i will door knock and probably delete them

[sunshine windows]

Instead of an auto suspend so you can no longer see the customer. Why not just have it change the customer to bold red letters so you know they're further behind with payments than you'd like.

I have a few customers that I'll happily clean up to 4 or 5 times for before I catch up with them for payment. They always pay when I see them, it's just a matter of catching them home.

As has been said, if the job isn't visible then you can't deal with it.

[Arnold Palmer]

Instead of an auto suspend so you can no longer see the customer.

No no no. Not so you can't see the customer. Remove them from the round and put them somewhere you CAN see them!!

[Arnold Palmer]

We found that with our current (soon to be old) software what was happening was that if the lads felt that a customer was overdue then they would miss them, if I wasn't informed of this for whatever reason on the day it would be left for another month, same again next month and so on.

To avoid this happening we added an Auto-Suspend which meant that as soon as the system deemed a customer to be overdue it is removed from the round and put onto "Round 0".

Round 0 automatically generates this:


Dear Mrs Scammer

Your account is overdue, in order to keep our costs down it is vital that our customers pay their bill within 30 days. Your account is now overdue.

To make the payment process even easier for you and to help reduce overheads we are now switching all our customers to Direct Debits. Once set up you won't have to worry about remembering to pay your window cleaning bill, we will debit it automatically 3 days after we clean your windows.

You can set up a Direct Debit for your account by:

Visiting our website www.thegreatestwindowcleanerever.co.uk and going to the payments page.

Or, if it is easier for you;

Give us a phone on 0123456789 (we can take payment by card over the phone if you prefer to pay the outstanding balance that way).

If you think that you are not due this money please contact me ASAP.


Regards

Stuart Souter

Round 0 is monitored every day, and the letter above can be amended to suit, say, if they ignored the first letter, you get more stroppy, ignore the second and the puppies get it, that sort of thing.

Cleaner planner already has in place features which would make this process more effective (texts, emails, a direct link to gocardless). I really think it's a must have option.

[PoleKing]

Yup.
Nearly half pay on one day.
Happy days!

Did you have cash flow issues to begin with?

Not cash flow, per se.
I pay myself a wage each month, like a salary and what goes into the business account goes in but I (as opposed to the business) get paid regardless.
But rather than hundreds coming in over the course of the month as a trickle its more of a torrent at the beginning of the month and trickles later.

[Arnold Palmer]

Yup.
Nearly half pay on one day.
Happy days!

Did you have cash flow issues to begin with?

Not cash flow, per se.
I pay myself a wage each month, like a salary and what goes into the business account goes in but I (as opposed to the business) get paid regardless.
But rather than hundreds coming in over the course of the month as a trickle its more of a torrent at the beginning of the month and trickles later.

So, when you said "Yup", what you actually meant was "no"?