[paul alan]

Had the new guy out today, wfp seems so natural to me but obviously not to a new guy.

How do people go about training your new guys? 

Today I had him learning to clean the top frame mostly, how do you more experienced trainers go about the task?

[Splash & dash]

Had the new guy out today, wfp seems so natural to me but obviously not to a new guy.

How do people go about training your new guys? 

Today I had him learning to clean the top frame mostly, how do you more experienced trainers go about the task?

Initially I would show them how and where to take the hose get them used to avoiding problems ie car tyres flower pots ornaments etc, then get them to watch how I clean the different type of windows for a few jobs then get them to have a go offering advice if needed , then monitor them very closely for a while I think it takes several weeks at least to get used to doing a good job , accuracy with the pole and where it’s going seams to be the major issue with ones I have had with me some struggle to get the pole on the window initially 😂😂😂😂😂

[nathankaye]

Not experienced with wfp training of others, but I've helped out friends who have wanted to go from trad to wfp and basically they have spent several days just coming out with me and learning from watching for first couple of days and then letting them do some windows and finally letting them do a full house.
My wife is still in training and I've used this method with her too, but I've left her to practice on our own windows as well I between coming out.
Don't know if that helps any tho for ya

[Arnold Palmer]

Our new guys are on new customers (under supervision) for three months. After three months of first cleans they are as fast as anyone on maintenance cleans.

[John Mart]

I think it depends on the person. My latest guy took to it straight away and after a week was out on his own and both he and I were totally confident. The one before was out on his own after two weeks and still has only had two complaints (both on first cleans) and he’s been with me 8 months. But he wasn’t used to being self reliant so I’d get lots of moaning and him stressing. Rarely hear from him through the day now though.

The difficult bit isn’t the actual cleaning I don’t think. It’s much more about learning the round and becoming self confident.

[dazmond]

i think lee pryor trains new employees for 7 days before letting them loose on his work....maybe he could give you a few pointers?

[paul alan]

The second day was much better, I've got to the point where I can leave him to certain windows now while I go off and do others.

I have just been drilling the importance of the top frame and going over and over how to cut in, he's picking it up nicely.


We did a first clean today so been showing him the difference between that and maintenance cleaning, it'll be so nice when he can go out alone. As long as I do a good job of training him it shouldn't be too bad, I'll pick the right work for him and that should make things smoother. He seems keen, and more importantly listens to me.

[Oliver James]

I spent a few hours training them on customer service.

Then we start on the tools.

I've developed a seven stage process that guarantees almost perfect results every time.

We used to employ, and I've trained up 3 people who had never cleaned a window before.

There was a wide variance in results. Two out of the three ended up staying for over a year and they ended up being goodish window cleaners.

The third member of the team only worked with me a few months before I changed my business model from employing to working in partnership with local window cleaners.

The third member of the team was exceptional. He was a young,  ex mechanic and he was regularly turning up at my house having finished all the days work (up to £450) before 2pm.

And yes, I did check about 10% of the work he'd done to make sure it was to a high standard.

We monitor all the complaints we get, and on average, we get one or two a month per window cleaner. Our young superstar got zero complaints in all the time he worked for me.

Now we no longer employ, we work in partnership with local window cleaners. I do the scheduling, the notification and provide the work, all the payment is done using Go Cardless, and the two partners I have on board work 3-4 days a week.

I still train them in customer service and show them the 7 stage technique I use, but I let them clean the windows how they want.

I monitor complaints. One partner has had one complaint in 7 weeks. The other partner? Well, let's just say that he is on a learning curve!

[paul alan]

I spent a few hours training them on customer service.

Then we start on the tools.

I've developed a seven stage process that guarantees almost perfect results every time.

We used to employ, and I've trained up 3 people who had never cleaned a window before.

There was a wide variance in results. Two out of the three ended up staying for over a year and they ended up being goodish window cleaners.

The third member of the team only worked with me a few months before I changed my business model from employing to working in partnership with local window cleaners.

The third member of the team was exceptional. He was a young,  ex mechanic and he was regularly turning up at my house having finished all the days work (up to £450) before 2pm.

And yes, I did check about 10% of the work he'd done to make sure it was to a high standard.

We monitor all the complaints we get, and on average, we get one or two a month per window cleaner. Our young superstar got zero complaints in all the time he worked for me.

Now we no longer employ, we work in partnership with local window cleaners. I do the scheduling, the notification and provide the work, all the payment is done using Go Cardless, and the two partners I have on board work 3-4 days a week.

I still train them in customer service and show them the 7 stage technique I use, but I let them clean the windows how they want.

I monitor complaints. One partner has had one complaint in 7 weeks. The other partner? Well, let's just say that he is on a learning curve!

Could you tell me some more about the 7 stage process please?

Thanks

[Oliver James]

It is a systematic method for cleaning windows using water fed pole, developed over the course of cleaning about a quarter of a million windows.

It is a mix of the techniques that are spoken about on here and added one or two of my own.

The idea behind is that the process, if it is followed, gives surety of outcome.

I teach it to all new partner-window cleaners.

[Splash & dash]

It is a systematic method for cleaning windows using water fed pole, developed over the course of cleaning about a quarter of a million windows.

It is a mix of the techniques that are spoken about on here and added one or two of my own.

The idea behind is that the process, if it is followed, gives surety of outcome.

I teach it to all new partner-window cleaners.

Sounds like a reply from a politicaian , very vague 😂😂😂😂

[Go]

I’ve got two stages.

Scrub

And

Rinse

[anderclean]

hey OJ

very interested in this;

"Now we no longer employ,
we work in partnership with local window cleaners.
I do the scheduling, the notification and provide the work,
...the two partners I have on board work 3-4 days a week. "


could you elaborate on how this works ?


we employ

we also franchise...

[Oliver James]

How it works is that the local Birmingham window cleaners we partner with get provided with a uniform and magnetic signs with our logo on that they stick onto their vans when they are working with us.

One of the team has  van that is already sign written and our branding goes alongside their own branding.

They can have as many days as they wish.

For every day they take on, they need to do ALL the first cleans to make up that days work.

All our work is 12 weekly, So, if a days work is 12 jobs, then to have a full days work they need to 12 weeks x 12 jobs = 144 first cleans.

Doing all these first cleans does not impact their takings too much because:

1. I tell the client who is the first job of the day that our normal working hours are 8am to 6pm; but because we are going to be giving their home a very thorough clean, would they be so kind as to let us start at twenty five to eight.

2. A lot of the first cleans include gutter clearing and fascia cleaning so they can still make good money.

3. I give them about 4-8 first cleans per week if they are doing 3-4 days.

On the days they are not working for me they do the work on their own rounds.

If they get approached by new customers they can either add these customers to their rounds or sign them up on the spot using a google form on their phone.

I ask them for a list of Birmingham postcodes they want to cover with their own work and if bookings come up in those postcode sectors (and we don't already have established rounds in those postcode sectors) then I let them have those leads.

All payment is Go Cardless so they just invoice me at the end of the month with what they've billed and I transfer the cash (minus our partner fee of 25%.)

I guess it is a bit like being a part-time franchisee; but they don't have all their eggs in one basket in terms of being dependent on me for all their work. It is a probably a bit like how Uber work.

There is no partner fee, but from 2019 it will be £200 per year.

Happy to answer any more questions about this.

[anderclean]

thanks v much for the info oj

seems like a good way to supplement your income while building your own business,

when their own rounds are full - don't they just stop partner/working with you/for you and earn 100% of their own work ??

what am I missing ?

[Oliver James]

As they fill up their own rounds they can reduce the amount of work they do in association with us.

However, many of them are finding that the work we have is more lucrative than their own work because:

a) It is all 12 weekly.
b) There is good margin, even with the 25% partner fee. (you can see the prices we're charging on my website).
c) They don't have the hassle and expense of sales and marketing
d) They don't have the hassle of processing and chasing payment (all done by Go Cardless).

[anderclean]

Interesting
Thanks oj

[Smudger]

OJ - yes your website does make for INTERESTING reading 

Darran