Three cleans behind and still smiling at the door
Mrs Harris is lovely. She is also out every time you call, and she owes for the last three cleans. You put a note through the door each time, and she always means to pay. The round is full of customers like her: a few who owe for one clean, a handful for two, one or two for more. None of them is a bad payer. Together they are a noticeable amount of money sitting with your customers instead of you.
Chasing means evenings spent writing texts, knocking on doors on a Saturday, or getting round to it next month. Most window cleaners put it off, because the amounts are small and nobody wants to sound pushy with people they see every four weeks.
Paying later is easy for customers and easy to forget
Arrears on a round rarely come from people who will not pay. They come from people who were out, meant to pay, and have no easy prompt to do it.
- Notes through the door are thrown away with the junk mail.
- Customers have no quick way to pay after the fact.
- Reminders depend on you finding the time to send them.
- Nobody sees the total owed until it has grown.
- There is no agreed point at which cleaning pauses for unpaid customers.
Money owed and a growing reluctance
Money owed to you is money not in your bank for fuel, water filters and wages. The longer a customer owes, the harder it is to raise and the more likely they are to cancel rather than settle. And the time spent chasing is time taken from the round or from your evenings.
A reminder routine that runs without you
We build a reminder process on top of your round and payment records.
- When a house is cleaned and not paid on the day, the customer gets a short text after you leave: the date cleaned, the amount and a payment link for card or bank transfer.
- If it is still unpaid after a set number of days, a second friendly reminder goes out.
- If a customer owes for more cleans than your limit, the system flags them. You choose whether their next clean is paused or goes ahead.
- Customers who owe get a text before their next clean reminding them of the balance, so it can be settled at the door.
- You get a short weekly list of the few customers who need a personal word, with the total owed and their history.
- Payments made through the link update the customer's balance straight away.
| Stage | What happens | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Unpaid on the day | Text with payment link | Automatic |
| Still unpaid | Second friendly reminder | Automatic, on your timing |
| Over your limit | Flag and optional pause | You |
| Next clean due | Balance reminder before you arrive | Automatic |
| Persistent | Personal conversation | You |
The wording, the timings and the pause rule are yours. We would suggest starting gently, because these are long-term customers, but it is your business and your call.
Arrears shrink without the awkwardness
Most customers pay as soon as they get a link, because they always meant to. The ones who remain are few enough to speak to in person. You stop spending evenings sending texts. And your total outstanding is visible, so you notice if it starts to creep up.
Here is how a normal week runs. You clean as usual and tap each house done. Customers who were out get their text while you are still on the street, and many pay before you reach the end of the road. On Friday you glance at the short list of three or four names, and mention it to them next time you see them, knowing exactly what they owe and since when. Mrs Harris pays by link the evening you clean, and you both stop feeling awkward about it.
Are arrears building on your round?
- Some customers owe for more than one clean.
- You rely on notes through the door.
- Customers have no easy way to pay if they were out.
- Chasing is done in the evenings, when you have time.
- You do not know your total outstanding.