[Mike55]

Wondered of the merits of phoning custys the night before you intend to go round and how many of you guys use this?

Can see the benefits of arranging access and leaving money ready but can anyone give a low down on the pros cons they have found with this?  Not being able to work the following day due to weather I can see being the main con.  Main pro I can see is less collecting (if any) or is that too optimistic?

Cheers
Mike

[martinsadie]

i would never do it as it ties you down,somedays i dont decide till dinner what im going to clean in the afternoon

[Sean Dyer]

Im starting to get more and more of these mainly about access, saves missing a job, if i didnt ring them i could be anywhere upto £40 down on the day, not worth it for a few texts

[luther1]

i would never do it as it ties you down,somedays i dont decide till dinner what im going to clean in the afternoon

I agree. Might decide to go elsewhere after my salmon salad! It also gives them a chance to say no thanks,especially if bad weather is predicted. I just turn up around the due date and crack on.

[dave.e]

i phone and text most off my custy's the night before save;s me going back out after tea to collect and if there's any problems i know the night before

[luther1]

What do you do if people are on holiday or out or whatever other reason there maybe for not answering the phone? Leave it or carry on? If you carry on then you might as well not have rung and if you leave it then you've lost out?

[wizard]

I call my some of my costomers for acces als some a window open with my fee inside on the sill.so I call to tell them when and I do not need to collect.

[dazmond]

i ring the odd bigger accounts that a do 2monthly mainly cos theyve got electronic gates. ::)some give me the code which makes things easier.i always say ill be round every 4 to 5 wks to most custys that gives me a bit of leeway for bad weather etc but to text or ring most custy?never

[Blue Frog Systems]

I ring/txt/email all my custys the night before as I don't climb over locked gates.

I've found people like to know your there. If the weather gets bad its just another message.

If there on hols I just clean the front.

Very rarely I get, leave it this time. If they say that I inform them that its an extra £2 due to windows being more dirty.

[peter holley]

15-  30 messages sent in the night before?

[Barryy]

I phone each customer the evening before, mind u I only clean about 6 houses a day 

[karygate]

i only do about 10 a day but ring them the night before and 99% leave money out for me so do not have the hassle of collecting,waiting for money through post etc. also know what i will be doing that day and is a plus to picking up new custys.

[pingu]

Perhaps the coders of wcp & george could look at this and write an additional option that:

Will allow for pre-scripted message/s to be sent both as date, timed sent and for ad-hock messages to be sent via txt, email, fax if required.

This could be used for many things...but be carefeful using this facilty if we do get it.

Cheers
Dave.

[gerard mcmanus]

I call my some of my costomers for acces als some a window open with my fee inside on the sill.so I call to tell them when and I do not need to collect.

I had one customer ask me to do this, but said no as I really dont like how it looks to someone passing by and see me sticking my hand in the window then sticking money in my pocket. They may get the wrong idea and could create a bad image for my company, so that is a big no no for me.

I personally don't call the night before, however I do tell them when I will be coming by next and tell them to stick it in their diary. If I miss them they get a note telling them, and if I cant do it I call them up then to re-arrange.

However I have been thinking about also sending a text message to the home numbers or mobiles of my customers who I miss, as I cant always post a note if its a security door in the afternoon with no service button.

Its still only a minority though and manage to keep it at bay with my customers by stipulating they must be in or sent a cheque.

[collins82002]

I phone/txt all my custies this way its makes sure that the gate is unlocked and to leave money this frees my evenings up without collecting.
 All my custies have said how well i am organised as their previous w/c didnt call the night before and turn up when they felt like it.  I think it makes good business practice and make you look good because all the recommendations ive had from custies are not just about doing a good w/c it was also about the way i run my setup. 
Thats what the new custies tell me so it works for me.  Regards the weather i have a set template in my mobile and if the weather is bad i txt the custies that the w/c has been cancelled and will reschedule,  this has also been noted by my custies. I make sure that i get the contact details of home phone and mobile so i can do the above.

[dazmond]

i couldnt b bothered with texting or phoning every time i clean.some days we get up and dont feel like cleaning that day or like at the moment my girlfriends in hospital :(just hope shes gona b ok.or something similar to hold us up then havin to ring/text again.no thanks.i would think some custys wouldnt like it.most custys not bothered when i turn up as long as its 4 or 5 wks.just like i told em in the first place ;Dcollecting once a wk not a problem.i do use S.A.E. on some though.

best wishes to u all

dazmond