I have yet to see any old glass industry document that states no razor blades should be used because they might scratch the glass. But I can show you several window manufacturers "glass cleaning documents" that were changed from 2002 - 2006 as a result of GANA's new BULLetins.

Dan Fields
Fields Construction Services, Inc. - Livermore, CA

We had this discussion a while back; it’s not just the pre-oven that is an issue. Guardian will be the first to tell you they have no more control over the issues than anyone else that practices good PM and housekeeping techniques throughout the heat-treating process. They have fabricating debris, don’t kid yourself.

Cliff Monroe
Arch Aluminum & Glass Co.

Looks like we do agree on that last point. But you should be stating the same thing another way. "Other" fabricators have the same control as Guardian, but choose not to implement it, which shows in their surface quality and the resulting scratches to their clients glass.

We agree Guardian has fabricating Debris, but it's so little, it hasn't seemed to matter. It's the amount that matters my friend.

Dan Fields
Fields Construction Services, Inc. - Livermore, CA

Why doesn’t everyone have a stringent maintenance plan like Guardian?

Craig Aldrich
Sparkle Window Cleaning - Canyon Lake, CA

I would guess for the same reason some people clean glass different than maybe your company may. We are all different (thank goodness).

Cliff Monroe
Arch Aluminum & Glass Co.

We rarely get a cancellation from commercial. I charge a $50 re-schedule fee for appointments canceled less than 48 hours for residential customers. Some residential refuse to pay. Good, we don't want to work for them. I got this idea from the dental industry. My dentist charges $20 for every 15 minutes of missed appointment time.

When a residential cancels at the last minute we suggest that we can do the outside (thermo pane homes only) and are willing to come back for the in later. When you explain professionally why - people understand.

Ron Friman
Expert Window Cleaning - Chicago – Hawaii

This is the business we’re in and it will happen. I think, in the whole, that you have to lump it. Commercials, it rarely happens as they know as they are in business too, just as you are. Shops, route work happens a little more often and they rarely call you. That is really rude, but if you have windows soaped up and if they rush out to cancel, you just walk away leaving them with a mess.

Residential happens a little more often still, due to the foibles of some scatty brained individuals who couldn’t remember an appointment if their life depended on it. Unfortunately, you can’t get angry otherwise you would lose half your jobs. Same as if you charged a cancellation fee. Just let them know how much of a problem short notice incurs, make a note of it and give them a blast if it happens again.

Brett Curtis
Master Window Cleaners - Perth, Western Australia

When a customer cancels, postpones or reschedules an appointment regardless of the time frame I always say "no problem ". I can take this attitude because I always have contingency plans. I discuss the possibility of moving up their appointment with customers when they call to schedule. In situations where no one needs to be home for the work to be done, such as out only, I don't make appointments I just give them a time frame like " this week, or early next week". This gives me the flexibility to use them as fill in for changes in my schedule. Back up jobs like CCU’s, outside / anytime accounts, commercial work, and customers who are scheduled at a latter date who want to be moved up if a opening comes available. This last one is the most fun because they are so appreciative when I call.

The bottom line to me is that in the service industry one of the things that differentiate us from our competition is our customer service, being flexible and understanding is a big part of it. If you want to make them feel guilty or penalize them for asking for your help and understanding with a schedule conflict then chances are that they will remember that when they are making the decision about who to hire next time.

Robert Lariviere
Looking Glass Window Cleaning - Cleveland, OH

What I have been able to do is realize that people are who they are when they first become a customer and are the same after 10 years of being a customer. If it takes 3 tries to get a new customer on the schedule it will most likely be the same years down the road and for every appointment in between. I'll start double booking the time slot with a flexible job - then I pride myself at beating the game if they turn us away yet again.

Usually though, if a customer does a turn away and leaves a big hole in the schedule that day 2,3,4 times (it becomes obvious this is going to be a long term trend) - they aren't a regular customer and I take them off the list and have no regrets and move forward in creating a customer base of HIGH quality customers

Bruce Ferguson
Bruce Ferguson Window Cleaning - Murrieta, CA

For residential, we generally call a day or two in advance to reconfirm the appointment; that saves a lot of frustration. Normally the only cancellations you get after that are true emergencies. And always get their cell or work number so that if they do forget and are not at home, you can still contact them. You can start cleaning the outside until they get home and unlock the door. For commercial, I have little patience for a manager who skips service for no good reason. When we set up the account, we establish the frequency; if they later prove to be irregular, they’re not worth my time.

Douglas W. Hodgson
ABS Professional Window Cleaning - Greensboro, NC

I had a 2 story office building today which could be seen from all sides from Google's street view. I saved about 45 minutes of drive time & onsite counting time. I called the person back in 5 minutes with a bid. Now I just have to wait to see if I got the job. Whether or not I did, I still saved a lot of time and gas.

You can download Google Earth for free http://earth.google.com.

John Kieser
Metropolis Window Cleaning - Longmont, CO

When I pick up a number on caller ID, I plug it into switchboard.com, and often the name and address come up. Then I open a new window at zillow.com. Now I know where the house is, how many rooms and stories it is, and how old it is. Most important for me, I find out the square footage and the Fair Market Value of the house and the neighborhood.

When I talk to the prospective customer, I can give a very accurate bid for the home in most cases. Anything to kill windshield time. It is pretty funny when you return a call to a customer and sound like a mind reader.

I use a rate per square foot for my phone bids--which I adjust for location and number of stories. For example, I would adjust a 2000 square foot one story home differently than a two story home by about 20%, since it takes me about 20% longer to do that two story home. The cost per square foot works very well in my experience for quick ballpark estimates.

Google Earth is great for confirming the home info and pointing out skylights and glass rooms the customer might fail to mention.

Mike McCullough
A Touch of Glass - Gig Harbor, WA

Solar electric panels too! I look around the neighborhood on Google Earth to find more potential clients.

Steve Wellington
American River Window Cleaning - Sacramento, CA