WindowBossPro Blog — Billing & Payments

Invoice Texts and Emails: Keeping Window Cleaning Customers in the Loop on Billing

Most billing problems in a window cleaning business are communication problems. The customer did not know you were coming, so the charge looked strange. They did not see the invoice, so it went past due. They had a question, called, got voicemail and stopped thinking about it. A few well-timed texts and emails solve most of that before it starts.

Messages Around the Moment of Billing

Everything that happens at the tap of Complete was covered in What Happens to Billing When the Window Cleaning Tech Taps Complete. This article is about the messages around that moment: before the visit, right after it, and if the bill is not paid.

In WindowBossPro, automated reminders and alerts go out by text and email, and the office can text customers directly with two-way texting. Plans include a monthly text allowance of 500, 1,000 or 2,000 segments sent and received on Start, Pro and Crew.

Before the Visit: No Surprise Charges

The best billing message is the one that makes the charge expected. Customers choose their alerts:

• Night before. “Your window cleaning is scheduled for tomorrow.”
• When they are next. The crew is on the way.
• When the tech arrives. The crew is there now.

A customer who got those messages is never surprised by a charge to their card that afternoon. Customers on quarterly or twice-a-year plans especially benefit, because months pass between visits and it is easy to forget.

The customer app adds the live route map on service day, so the customer can see the crew coming: “You're stop 12 of 20 — the crew is 5 stops away.”

After the Visit: The Invoice

When the tech taps Complete, the invoice is created. The customer can see it in the customer app with its line items, and can pay it online if a card on file was not charged. Sending it the same day matters. An invoice that arrives while the windows are still clean gets paid. One that arrives a week later competes with everything else on the counter.

For a customer whose card was charged, the invoice is their receipt. Clear line items, window count, extras and tax, mean they can see what they paid for without calling.

When It Is Not Paid: Past-Due Reminders

Past-due follow-up in WindowBossPro reminds customers about open invoices by text and email. Every reminder should do three things: be friendly, say which invoice, and say how to pay. “Your invoice from the March 12 cleaning is still open. You can pay or update your card in our app. Thanks!”

For the full routine, see Past-Due Window Cleaning Invoices: A Follow-Up Routine That Gets Them Paid.

Two-Way Texting for Billing Questions

Customers would much rather text a question than call. “What's the second-story charge?” “Can I pay next week?” “I got a new card.” With two-way texting, those questions reach the office and the answer goes back from the same place, with the conversation kept on the client.

A few billing texts the office sends often:

• “The card we have on file didn't go through for today. You can update it in our app.”
• “The second-story add-on covers the upper windows done from the ladder. Happy to explain more.”
• “Your monthly statement for all three shops is ready in the app.”
• “Our prices are changing on April 1. Your next quarterly cleaning will be $X.”

Keep Texts Short

Texts are billed by the segment, not by the message. A plain text message under about 160 characters is one segment; longer messages use more. Some characters, like curly quotes, em dashes and emoji, can switch a message to a different encoding that fits far fewer characters per segment. Keep billing texts short, plain and to the point. They are more likely to be read anyway.

Inbound replies count toward your allowance too, which is one more reason to keep conversations focused.

Email for the Paper Trail

Texts are best for quick nudges. Email is better for documents and for business customers whose accounting office needs a record. Property managers on monthly statements and builders on post-construction jobs usually want the statement or invoice by email to the person who pays. Get that email address at setup.

Keep Customers Informed

Alerts before the visit, the invoice right after, reminders when something is open, and two-way texting for questions. That is how window cleaning customers stay in the loop and bills get paid without friction. To see how WindowBossPro handles billing messages, visit the window cleaning billing software page.