How Bin Fairy saved hours, boosted profits and provided a better wheelie bin cleaning service to their customers by switching to CleanerPlanner
We spoke to Alex Dugard, Managing Director at Bin Fairy, about how his wheelie bin cleaning business has benefited since they switched to using CleanerPlanner as their dedicated wheelie bin cleaning business software:
Please can you tell us a little about your business?
[pullquote]Before we started using CleanerPlanner we were using an Excel sheet which…became harder and harder to keep a track of[/pullquote]
We have been trading for nearly a year now, and in that time have amassed a modest customer base of around 250 regular customers made up of a mix of domestic and commercial work. Operating out of Mid-Sussex, we cater for domestic customers based in the Haywards Heath & Burgess Hill area predominantly, with some commercial work further afield. We clean anything from domestic size recycling, landfill and garden bins, right up to 1100 litre 4-wheeled commercial bins.
What wheelie bin cleaning software did you use before CleanerPlanner, and why did you move?
Before we started using CleanerPlanner we were using an Excel sheet which took a long time to update and as the business grew, became harder and harder to keep a track of. We wanted something that would automate a lot of what we were doing manually, allow us to take job sheets out with us on a mobile device, and make invoicing easier. After some searching around we found CleanerPlanner, which seemed to offer everything we were looking for and more, and after using it on a trial basis initially, we were pleased with how easy it was to use and didn’t look back.
How easy was it to move over to CleanerPlanner and how long did it take you to get to grips with the system?
[pullquote]CleanerPlanner has definitely saved us time – at least several hours per week[/pullquote]
We found CleanerPlanner very intuitive, logical and easy to use. We were able to pick up the system straight away, and the support team were on hand to answer any questions we had. We felt comfortable with most features on the system within a week.
Has CleanerPlanner saved you time, and if so, can you guesstimate how much time per week?
CleanerPlanner has definitely saved us time – at least several hours per week – which over the course of a month adds up to a lot of time you can spend on other money-making tasks. We’re also well aware that the time the system saves us will only increase as our customer volume goes up and our business grows.
Has CleanerPlanner allowed you to provide a better service to your customers and if so, how?
[pullquote]GoCardless integration has allowed us to take complete control of when a lot of our customers pay us…we get paid sooner, with less admin required[/pullquote]
CleanerPlanner allows you to present your business and communicate with your customers in a more professional way. Features like branded invoices and quotes and bulk text message notifications allow you to not only provide a better service, but also give the impression that you run a serious, modern business. And of course, our customers benefit from more accurate and reliable scheduling.
Has your debt management improved since using CleanerPlanner?
Yes! Debt management is so easy to control using CleanerPlanner – we can easily and quickly identify who owes what and for how long, a great improvement on our previous method using a Excel spreadsheet.
Are there any CleanerPlanner features that you couldn’t live without?
[pullquote]I would strongly suggest that anyone who runs a wheelie bin cleaning business take a look at using CleanerPlanner. [/pullquote]
GoCardless integration has allowed us to take complete control of when a lot of our customers pay us. We can process the payments straight from CleanerPlanner, in bulk, with the system automatically updating itself as to who has paid when the money arrives in our bank account. We get paid sooner, with less admin required – and it’s also very convenient for our customers
The text notifications have also saved a huge amount of time over manually sending them individually. CleanerPlanner also allows you to schedule a time for the messages to go, which means the task doesn’t have to encroach on evenings to example.
And finally, the way CleanerPlanner records all of our accounting data is also something we couldn’t live without – we simply download this data in Excel format and send it straight to our accountant.
What advice would you give to other wheelie bin cleaning businesses that may be considering using CleanerPlanner?
I would strongly suggest that anyone who runs a wheelie bin cleaning business take a look at using CleanerPlanner. Take out the free trial and you won’t look back.
