How window cleaners get paid on time

Ask on the day

The best day to be paid for a clean is the day you did it. The customer can see the windows, the job is fresh in their mind, and nobody has had time to wonder whether you came. Leave an invoice or send a message that says what they owe, how to pay it and what reference to use. For cash customers who were out, a note through the door saying the amount and when you will call back does the same job.

Tell them before you come

A message the day before, with the price in it, is the easiest way to get cash left out and gates left open. It also means nobody is surprised by the amount when the invoice arrives.

Give every customer one easy way to pay

Bank transfer is the default for most customers now. Put your account name, sort code and account number on every invoice, and ask for one reference, their postcode or their surname, every time. A consistent reference is what lets you tell who has paid without a phone call. Every extra way to pay you offer is another thing to check, so offer the ones your customers actually use and no more.

Direct Debit, for the customers who will take it

With Direct Debit, the customer gives permission once and you collect after each clean, so there is nothing for them to remember and nothing for you to chase. Customers are covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee, which gets them an immediate refund from their bank if a payment is taken in error, so it is a fair thing to ask of them. Providers such as GoCardless charge a small fee on each payment you collect, so it costs you something per clean. For regular customers who never have cash in, it is usually worth it.

Chase on a schedule, not a mood

Decide once when the first reminder goes out after a payment is due, and when a firmer one follows, then stick to it for everyone. A polite nudge a week late, a clearer message a week after that, and a knock or a call after that is plenty. Chasing when you happen to remember teaches customers that paying late usually works.

Match what comes into the bank

Go through your bank statement every week and tick each transfer off against the invoice it pays. Watch for the awkward ones: a customer who pays for three cleans in one go, a part payment, and a transfer with no reference at all. Put those to one side and check them rather than guessing, because a wrong guess leaves one customer chased for money they have paid and another who never gets asked.

Tips and overpayments

When someone pays £20 for an £18 clean, decide what it is. If it is a tip, record it as a tip so your takings are right. If they meant to pay ahead, hold it as credit against their next clean and say so on the next invoice. Either way, write it down against the customer, or in March it will be a mystery sum in the bank.

Doing it in Hero

Every completed job in Hero produces an invoice, and the customer gets a WhatsApp from your own number saying the job is done and what it came to, with your bank details for the ones who pay by transfer. Stragglers are chased on a schedule you set. Drop in a bank statement and Hero matches each transfer to the invoice it settles, holding back anything it is not sure about for you to confirm. Tips and overpayments are recorded against the customer, as a tip or as credit against their next clean.