To Call Or Not To Call

Do you Call your customers (residential) to get them on the schedule or do you just simply wait for them to call.

We started doing this last year and it worked really well. With out it this year wed be REALLY slow.

Always making calls,even with regulars whether or not there in rotation for scheduled service.Too much can take place on even quarterly service,never mind bi-yearly etc. so…you have to stay on top of it.

I do however appreciate those that are “A-N-A-L” about clean windows that call you but…can’t expect that from everyone.

Cold calls are down for us this year anyhow…if i rested on my laurels too long we’d be in a world of hurt. Thank God for a good steady client base & the killer referrals we get as well.

Incoming calls (YP and internet) are WAY down for me. I too need to be out there making it happen.

This spring I called my entire list for the first time, I booked 73%!

Some of the other 27% has booked since then, but that is amazing for taking a day to dial a phone.

I will NEVER not call my entire list in the spring and fall. (I used a double negative there :rolleyes:)

I have been known to accidentally call the wrong Jenny or Debbie :smiley:
If you get my drift…

You never know where a call might lead. There was a customer I didn’t hear from this spring so I called and left a message last week. She called me back a few days later to thank me for the call and to let me know she’s getting new windows and she’ll call after they’re installed. But in the meantime, she instructed me to call her sister to do a window cleaning quote. I did the quote today which resulted in $240 for exterior window clean next week, gutter cleaning for next fall $130 and complete in/out window cleaning next spring. Hmmmm almost $800 in work because I picked up the phone and called an old customer. Yeah, I’d say it works!

that happens to me also

We call all the time. Not just to book jobs but also for quality control. I have a few washers and you can’t watch them all. So we call the customers a few days after completion and ask them how the service was and if there is anything they had questions about. If they are happy we then ask if they have any referals they would like to share. this is any easy way to weed out bad employees fast. It’s rare that we get a complaint but when it does happen this way we can handle it ASAP and the customer is very happy.

Hey All,

Without question, follow up works. In this day and age, it’s easy for customers to forget about you and your service. What I did after completing a new customer’s job was explain the advantages of having their glass professionally cleaned, and then I simply asked them how often they’d like their windows cleaned. If they hemmed and hawed w/o giving me an answer, I’d put 'em down for all callback in 6 months and start following up with them then.

I think some window cleaners consider it an intrusion when calling customers. Kind of like what a telemarketer must go through when they call you around dinnertime. But that’s not the case. We’re not calling 'em cold out of the phone book. They’ve used our company in the past and appreciated our service (hopefully), so we actually have an obligation to call customers for repeat business. We’re leaving profits on the table if we don’t.

And many, many customers will actually thank you for the phone call. They really do appreciate the fact that you thought enough to pick up the phone and call 'em. Plus it’s a win-win for everyone. The customer gets another top notch window cleaning job and you’ve increased your profits. Not bad just for making a quick phone call.

As a side note, if a customer isn’t ready to use your service yet, no worries. Keep on calling 'em. I generally made 5 to 7 phone calls over a 2 to 3 week period to attempt to secure their business. If they were still beating around the bush at that point, then it’s time to move on. But it’s necessary to make multiple attempts sometimes. Persistance pays.

Steve

Steve Wright? This Steve Wright?- http://www.yourwindowcleaningbiz.com/

If so I look forward to hearing more from you.

Paul

Hey Steve,

Good to see you on here…

Steve,

I second that motion!

Stuart

Hi Paul, Doug, and Stuart:

Thanks for the warm welcome. I appreciate it. Have a great day.

Steve

Hey Steve. Ordered your package and received excellent customer service, which I appreciated.

I appreciate your comments. If you need any assistance, please give me a jingle. I’m available 7 days a week. Have a great night.

Steve

That’s cool, Steve, no assistance needed.

Just thought I’d take a closer look at what you had to say.

I do remark at your willingness to make yourself available, though, 24/7. I’d never even consider doing that.

I admire your open-hearted spirit.

I guess that explains why you don’t answer when I call.:wink:

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?!?

Everything cool Kevin?

Good to see you back homie.

Thx Louie…been training a NEW crew…SOOO annoying and frustrating and expensive, but a necessary evil to achieve what I want…

I’m feeling great, thx.

Caffeination maximus.

I feel the more time we are willing to give, the more time people will take.

Time is not a renewable resource, once it is gone it is gone forever.