August focus: Domestic Cleaning Service
Handling Problem Situations
In this article we are going to discuss some very important points that will save you from the heartache of not getting paid for the work that you do. As in every area of life there will always be those people who will try to prey on your trust, honesty and inexperience. You must protect yourself from potentially being used as a free service provider. Please read and memorise the following procedures to avoid working for no payment from those clients that would like to have you do so.
What to do when the client has forgotten to leave out the payment – If your client is not at home when you arrive and you have their key, unless you have a good relationship with them and they have simply forgotten to leave you the payment it is best not to start work with any new client who has not left your payment out for you. At this early stage in the arrangement it is always a bad indication of what they will be like in the future with their payments. This is especially important when you clean for a client who is vacating their residence – a Vacate Clean. If your client says to you, “Just start work, I am going up to the bank to get your money for you and I’ll be back shortly,” I would be VERY suspicious of their actions. There is a high chance that you won’t see them again, so I suggest that you say to them “I’m sorry, but it’s my policy not to commence working on a Vacate Clean until I have been paid.”
What to do when the client constantly leaves you waiting at the door before letting you in to start work – If you arrive to clean for a client, and they as yet have not returned home to let you in (and they do this on a consistent basis), you are entitled to charge your client from the agreed time of commencement. Some clients are very lax in keeping their commitment to you to be there when you arrive. So, if you feel that your client is giving you the ‘run-around’ you may charge them for your inconvenience. Do use discretion when applying this rule as there will be times when unforeseen circumstances delay your client and they have no way of contacting you. If your client is normally very prompt and reliable, then make allowances in this situation.
What to do when the client has not fully described what needs to be done when asking you to estimate the booking over the phone – there are times when the client doesn’t fully described what needs to be done so that they can get a lower estimate on the fee for the work. When you first arrive at the booking have a look around and make sure that the work can be done in the time that is booked. Should the client require that you work for any longer than what you have estimated, then further charges will be incurred. In later articles I will list the tasks that are part of Regular cleaning, and the tasks that are part of Spring-Cleaning. You can charge quite a lot more for Spring-Cleaning so keep those tasks separate from Regular cleaning and charge differently on those.
If there is not enough time booked to do the work required of you, then either ask the client if they would like you to do what you can in the time booked, or would they like you to stay longer and complete the job. This will teach you how to negotiate with your client, and after a bit of practice you will gain the confidence, communication skills, and knowledge to give the right quote. It would be very unrewarding for you to work overtime with all good intentions only to find that the client wanted to pay only for the hours that you had first discussed. Sometimes too, the client changes their mind about what they want done from the time they make the booking to the time you arrive to do the work. Guard yourself against being underpaid by getting them to agree to pay the appropriate amount before you do the job. Make them aware that what you said on the phone was based on the information they gave you, which wasn’t a full picture of what needed to be done.
When to collect the payment – You should make it a habit to ask for your payment before you begin to work. When you run your business without the backup of an umbrella company like an Agency, clients think that they have more say over you. It is wise to collect the payment from your client at the start of the job. Also, I have seen many cleaners not get paid by clients that had an unrealistic idea of how much could be done in a certain amount of time. You need to protect yourself from this, and also from people who set out to purposely not pay you. It leaves a very bitter taste in your mouth when you find that you have been duped. Always ask for payment before you commence the job or as you go along.
You can read in next article about: Collecting your Payment Assertively – Part II