CleanerPlanner helped to franchise the business

Please can you tell us a little about your business?

Sunshine Window Cleaning started trading in 2005 – we franchised the business in 2015 and now have 3 franchisees on board, each with their own vehicle. We carry out mainly residential window cleaning, along with some large commercial work throughout Swindon and the surrounding areas. We provide all the cleaning services that can be offered with the water fed pole system, along with gutter cleaning.

What window cleaning software did you use before CleanerPlanner, and why did you move?

I used Excel to manage my round and printed sheets each week that I worked through. It was incredibly manual, took up lots of admin time and it was very easy to make mistakes. As the business grew, it became obvious that I needed something far more powerful, organised and automated.

How easy was it to move over to CleanerPlanner and how long did it take you to get to grips with the system?

The CleanerPlanner team imported my data from Excel so coming on board was an easy process and I picked the basics up fairly quickly.

Has CleanerPlanner allowed you to take on more business?

Yes – I just wouldn’t have had the confidence to expand and franchise my business without CleanerPlanner. Since franchising in 2015, our growth has been fairly rapid, and that wouldn’t have been possible without CleanerPlanner.

Has your debt management improved since using CleanerPlanner?

Definitely, unlike Excel where debts get lost in a huge list and things get missed, the system keeps you on top of your debts before they become a problem. You know exactly who owes you money, how much they owe and how long they’ve owed for. Then you have GoCardless – that has helped hugely with our debts. We insisted any bad payers sign up to pay us via GoCardless, and now we control when they pay us. At the click of a button we can bulk-process our GoCardless payments and the system records who has paid us automatically, which makes it even more convenient than getting paid via bank transfer.

Are there any CleanerPlanner features you couldn’t live without?

The way CleanerPlanner caters for franchised window cleaning businesses is brilliant. Each of my franchisees have their own separate CleanerPlanner account which is easily accessible from my account. They get full control over managing their own work, but if I need to I can take a look at their account and see where work has been missed or where quotes I have fed them haven’t turned into jobs.

The forum is also great, as you get the opportunity to get advice from other on-the-ground window cleaners that use the system day in, day out.

What advice would you give to window cleaners that may be considering using CleanerPlanner?

Don’t even hesitate! If you’re serious about growing your business, CleanerPlanner is a must. There are no headaches getting set up, the support you get is great and, unlike using Excel, you have the peace of mind that your data is constantly being backed up.