WindowBossPro Blog — Routes & Scheduling

ETA and Arrived Texts: Telling Window Cleaning Customers When the Van Is Coming

Window cleaning has a timing problem most trades do not. For an inside cleaning, someone has to be home. For an outside cleaning, the dog needs to be in, the patio furniture out of the way, and the car moved off the side of the driveway where the ladder goes. A customer who does not know when you are coming can cost you a stop. A customer who does is ready when you pull up.

Why Texts Matter on a Window Route

The previous article, Same-Day Add-Ons: Fitting an Extra Window Cleaning Job Into Today's Route, ended with how texts keep add-on customers informed. This article covers the texts themselves.

WindowBossPro sends automatic texts as the route runs. The tech does not type anything. Because the texts follow the route order on the tech's phone, a well-ordered route means accurate texts.

The Three Alerts

Customers choose which alerts they want. There are three:

• Night before. A reminder that the window cleaning is tomorrow. This is the one that gets dogs inside and gates open.
• When I'm next. A text when the crew is heading their way. This is the on-the-way text.
• When the tech arrives. A text when the tech gets to the address. For inside cleanings, it means “open the door.”

Some customers want all three. Some want only the arrived text. A storefront manager might want just the night before so the staff knows to expect you. Letting customers choose keeps the texts welcome instead of annoying.

It is worth asking about alerts when a customer first signs up. A homeowner booking an inside-and-outside cleaning almost always wants the arrived text. A landlord with several rentals may want none at all and prefer to hear from the office directly.

On the Way, Without Typing

On paper routes, an on-the-way text means the tech pulls out their phone, finds the customer's number and types a message, usually while standing next to a ladder with wet hands. Most of the time it does not happen.

In WindowBossPro, the tech app sends on-the-way and arrived texts automatically as the tech works the list. The tech focuses on glass, and the customer gets a heads-up every time. Replies go to the office through two-way texting, so a customer who answers “Running late, can you do the back first?” reaches someone who can act on it.

The Live Map

Texts tell customers when. The customer app shows them where. On the day of service, customers can see today's route on a live map with their place in line, along the lines of “You're stop 12 of 20 — the crew is 5 stops away.”

That is especially useful for customers who need to plan, like someone working from home who will step out of a call to open the door for an inside cleaning. More in You're Stop 12 of 20: What Window Cleaning Customers See on the Route Map.

Texts and Route Order

Because the “when I'm next” text is based on route order, the order on the dispatch board matters. If the office moves a stop up, the customer who is now next gets their text at the right time. If a stop is skipped, the tech simply moves on to the next card in the list.

That is one more reason to set the order carefully in the morning and keep it updated during the day. A route that matches what the tech is really doing produces texts customers can trust.

Text Allowance

Automated reminders and alerts go out by text and email. Plans include a monthly text allowance of 500, 1,000 or 2,000 segments, sent and received, on Start, Pro and Crew. For most companies, the customers who choose all three alerts are a minority, and many choose one or two. It is worth keeping messages short, since longer messages use more segments.

Fewer Calls, Fewer Missed Stops

The payoff shows up in two places. The office phone rings less, because customers are not calling to ask when the crew is coming. And fewer stops get skipped for a locked door, a dog in the yard, or a car blocking the ladder spot. Each of those is a trip back or a lost day of revenue on a single address.

If a stop does get skipped, the tech's note goes to the office and the job stays due. See Skipped Stops: What Happens When a Window Cleaning Job Can't Be Done Today.

Let the Route Do the Talking

Automatic texts turn your route into customer service. Customers choose their alerts, the tech app sends them, and replies reach the office. For more on how routes and scheduling work together, see the WindowBossPro window cleaning route software page.