Communicating with Your Residential Cleaning Clients is Key

As a residential cleaning contractor, you not only need to provide a good service, but you also need frequent communication with your client to ensure that both parties understand their responsibilities and that there are no misunderstandings.

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communicating, residential cleaning clients

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Copyright 2006 The Janitorial Store

People hire a residential cleaning service to make their lives easier. As a cleaning contractor, you not only need to provide a good service, but you also need frequent communication with your client to ensure that both parties understand their responsibilities and that there are no misunderstandings.

Before taking on a new client, it is important to specify what services are included in their cleaning service. As you walk through the home with the client discussing the specifications list of what will be cleaned, be sure to ask plenty of clarifying questions. For example, "so you DON'T want us to dust the curio cabinet?"

Give your client the written specifications list so they know what is covered in their routine cleaning. Your specifications list may also include the additional services you can provide such as carpet cleaning or window washing, the fees for those services, and how much advance notice you need before taking on any additional tasks.

You may need to explain to your clients that your crews are scheduled to clean several homes on a particular day and therefore, any added services must be requested in advance. This not only ensures that your crew can spend the additional time needed to clean, but that they will have the right supplies for the job.

Good communication is also important in the case of accidents, mishaps or broken items. Instruct your employees to leave a note whenever a problem or accident occurs, and to contact you immediately so you are aware of the situation. It is handy to have a pre-printed form that contains a check off list (broken item, stain that would not come out, cracked window, etc.) to leave at the home and contact information for your cleaning company.

Your cleaning crew can also leave notes if they notice additional tasks that need to be done. Is it springtime and the windows need washing? Are the carpets looking soiled and need cleaning? This not only shows the client that you care about their home but can also lead to additional services you can provide and charge for.

Cancelled appointments or missed appointments can cause problems if you don't communicate with your client about your policies. Outline your cancellation policy in your customer contract and discuss it with your customer so they are fully aware of your policy. Conversely, if your employees miss an appointment, you need to have a policy in place that will keep the customer happy - perhaps a discount on the next service.

Don't let a simple misunderstanding of the services you provide escalate into losing a client. Keep open a good line of communication to help ensure your success. Make sure your crew leaves notes and check up with follow-up phone calls to keep your clients happy and your profits flowing!

Communicating CEOs

CEOs may do more than communicate, but almost everything they do will be driven or influenced by communication processes inside and outside the organization.

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CEO, CEOs, senior managers, executives, communication, business communication

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I see a PR firm has done a survey on the amount of time Canadian CEOs spend on communication. According to the survey, CEOs spend almost half of their time on communication.

I think we're supposed to be impressed that CEOs spend that much time on communication. But, quite frankly, what else does a CEO do? And, if you consider both direct and indirect communication, wouldn't that be more like 90%?

So, what do CEOs do, and how much of that involves communication of one kind or another?

Well, they make decisions. But before they make them, good CEOs get information from specialists in their organization. They also may check other options by reading newspapers and magazines, attending conferences, and talking to their peers. All of which involve communication.

For example, let's say a CEO must decide whether or not to launch an important new product line. Before she makes that decision, our CEO will have had discussions with, and reports from, senior members of the sales department. She will also consider the country's economic outlook in the coming months and years, talk to others about what competitors might do, and review the financial implications with the VP of corporate finance.

It's all about gathering, distilling, and transmitting information: what we call communication.

Turning to another CEO function, what about envisioning a new future for the organization and developing a strategy based on it? Again, communication can't be taken out of the mix.

After all, you can't just pick a vision out of the air. It's the outcome of reflective thinking combined with information, knowledge, and insight. All of which come from communicating.

And, there's often a kaleidescope effect before a vision emerges. All sorts of information tumbles around in the mind, over and over, like clothes in a dryer, until eventually a new and promising pattern reveals itself.

For example, suppose a Vice President of Human Resources has just been promoted to Chief Executive Officer, and the board made it clear it expects him to put his own, unique stamp on the company.

He might retire to his office and spend a lot of time inside trying to think of a new direction. But, it's far more likely he'll reach out, rather than withdraw. He'll talk to staff on the front lines as well as managers. He'll read everything relevant he can find in books and magazines.

As that information pours into his mind -- as the communication process enriches his imagination and knowledge -- he'll start to envision possibilities. Some will be more promising than others, and he'll talk about them with others in the organization. Eventually, some sort of consensus will likely emerge about the most promising vision.

Those are just a couple of examples from the work of CEOs, but you can see why I'm skeptical about the 50% figure: There's not much about a CEO's job that does not involve communication of some kind.

In summary, CEOs may do more than communicate, but almost everything they do will be driven or influenced by communication processes inside and outside the organization.

Communicating Our Attitude

Long lasting relationships with your prospect is the goal of successful marketing. When you are not excited about what you are doing, it makes a successful marketing campaign almost impossible. By remembering what your passion for your business is, communicated through your attitude, you can be more successful in your marketing goal.

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Communicating, attitude, business, punctuality, marketing, responsibility, body language, action, dress for success, change thinking

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The goal of successful marketing is to create long lasting relationships with your prospects by marketing your business with passion. When you're not excited about what you're doing, no one else will be either. Our passion for what we do in business is communicated through our attitude. Our attitude comes shining through in a variety of ways. How can you create an attitude that paves the way to success for you and your business?

1. You are what you speak. The words we use say everything about who we are and what we are about. Our spoken words are probably one of the most obvious ways we communicate our attitude to others. Think about what you say before you speak. Will it serve to build connection, community or relationship with others? If not, consider saying something else or even saying nothing. There's a lot of wisdom in the words …”if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.”

2. Dress for success. How you dress and the colors you wear communicate a lot about who you are. Find clothing that accents your best features. Make sure your clothes are properly tailored, neat, and wrinkle-free. If necessary, work with a personal shopper who can help you select apparel that is stylish and fits for the image that you wish to communicate. Consider how different colors look on you and how they make you feel. Wear clothes that you enjoy so you'll come across in a more powerful way with potential customers or clients. While “clothes don't make the man or woman”, they certainly speak volumes about what we think about ourselves and what we wish to project.

3. Be punctual. Thomas C. Haliburton said, “Punctuality is the soul of business.” Arriving on time for customer meetings, speaking engagements, meetings with vendors, or anything else you do in your business, shows that you respect others. Respect is the foundation for creating great long-term relationships with your clients. Showing up and on time is one of the best ways to show someone that you care about them. By keeping your commitments to others, you are acknowledging them and their needs. Caring about your customers must be your number one priority since it is through your relationships that you build your business. No one knows how much you care until you show them… by showing up.

4. Respond to emails several times each day. Nowadays, email is the most frequently used method of communication. Make it a goal to answer emails within eighthours. If you cannot answer emails during that timeframe, at least send back a reply that you have received the person's email and that you will respond by a certain date and time. Never leave people wondering about whether you've received their email or not. If you don't answer promptly, you are perceived as not being on top of things, that you aren't detail oriented or, worse, that you don't care about your customers. Don't hesitate when it comes to communications. Set aside a couple times per day when you will concentrate solely on reading and replying to your email.

5. Return calls within hours. Time is of the essence when it comes to doing business. The difference between getting a new client can hinge on returning a phone call in a timely manner. You never know when you might be missing a time critical opportunity. A prompt response communicates an attitude that you value serving others and that you respect their time and their deadlines. In today's competitive environment, if people don't get the prompt attention they desire, it's easy for them to seek out your competitor. Avoid missing opportunities to grow your business; plan two to three times each day to return calls.

6. Take responsibility. We communicate our attitude through the responsibilities we take upon ourselves. People can sense when we take full responsibility for our actions and the resulting outcomes. We communicate an aura of strength, confidence and leadership, which makes us even more attractive to the people with whom we do business. Think about how you can step up and take even more responsibility for your business and the results you achieve.

7. Take action. Successful business owners are people in action. They don't wait for life to happen, they make life happen. Taking action communicates an attitude of excitement and accomplishment, which others find extremely attractive. Action tells others that you are a leader, that you move things forward, that you can make things happen, and most important, that you are confident doing what needs to be done. Just as people watch things that move, they watch people that move.

8. Body language. Along with the words that we speak, our bodies are probably the next most obvious way that we communicate our attitude to others. It's as if we are walking billboards. Everything from your facial gestures to the way you sit and position your arms and legs, communicates volumes about who you are and your attitude towards others. Observe people who exhibit positive, open, and welcoming body language and try to emulate them. Read about body language and create a new way of being that represents what you most want to convey. One book I recommend is I Know What You're Thinking by Dr. Lillian Glass.

9. Change your thinking; change your attitude. We all know that thoughts influence how we feel. They also influence the words we speak as well as our body language. Our thoughts become the filters through which we perceive the world. By changing our thoughts, we'll automatically change our attitude. We wear our thoughts everywhere we go. Make sure you're showing your best self at all times.

10. Smile. A smile is the universal sign of welcome and friendship. Nothing warms the heart of another, melts the tension of a situation, or endears people to us, than delivering a smile with sincerity. Practice smiling at everyone and everything. Incorporate it as a healthy habit. Not only does a smile affect others, it has an automatic effect on how you perceive everything around you. People are attracted to people who make them feel good. Start attracting people to you and your business by wearing a smile.



© Copyright 2004 by Alicia Smith