WindowBossPro Blog — Recurring Cleanings

Monthly Storefront Window Cleaning Plans That Come Due Without a Phone Call

Storefront work is the steady paycheck of the window cleaning business. The tickets are small, but the stops are quick, the glass is easy to reach, and the work comes back every month whether it is April or January. The trick is that nobody at a storefront is going to call you and ask for their monthly cleaning. You have to show up on your own, every month, without being asked.

Why Storefronts Belong on a Monthly Plan

Residential plans tend to follow the seasons, as described in Twice-a-Year Window Cleaning Plans: The Spring and Fall Rhythm. Storefronts follow the calendar instead. A shop owner wants the front glass clean every month because customers see it every day.

Monthly storefront customers are some of the most loyal customers a window cleaner has. Once they trust you to show up, they stop thinking about it. That is exactly the relationship you want, and it only lasts as long as you never miss a month.

Setting the 30-Day Cycle

In WindowBossPro a monthly storefront plan is a recurring service on the address with a minimum of 30 days between visits. When the tech completes the cleaning, the count starts over. About a month later, the storefront appears on the Waiting List as due now. If it is still not scheduled after a 7-day grace, the pin turns overdue.

That color change is the safety net. A storefront route might have forty or eighty stops. With a spreadsheet, a missed shop can go two months before anyone notices. On the Waiting List map, an overdue storefront stands out the moment it slips.

Recording Each Storefront

Storefronts look simple, but each one has its quirks. Put them on the address once:

• Window count and sides. “12 windows · 1-story · Outside Only” or inside and outside for shops that want both.
• Access notes. Which door to use, what time the shop opens, whether to check in with the manager, where to park the van.
• Timing notes. “Before 10am only” for a restaurant, “not on Saturdays” for a busy boutique.
• Tags. Storefront and Commercial, so you can filter the whole route in one click.

Every one of these details shows on the tech's phone under the address, so a new tech can run the route without a ride-along from the owner.

Building the Storefront Route

Storefronts cluster along main streets, shopping centers and office parks. On the Waiting List map, the due ones line up the same way. The office assigns them to the storefront van for a day, then uses auto-route Closest First or Furthest First from the shop, or sets the route order by hand to hit the early-opening restaurants first.

A common setup is one van that runs the storefront route every week and a second van on residential work. The storefront van's days fill themselves as shops come due, and the schedule looks about the same month after month. For a closer look at that two-van split, see One Van on Homes, One on Storefronts: Routing Recurring Window Cleaning Plans.

Billing a Monthly Storefront

There are two clean ways to bill storefront plans in WindowBossPro:

• Card on file, charged on completion. The tech taps Complete, the invoice is created and the card is charged. Best for single shops where the owner just wants it handled.
• Monthly account billing. A business or property manager set to Monthly gets one statement each month covering every location, with each line labeled by the address. Best for owners with several shops or a manager overseeing a whole center.

Either way, invoices show line items and sales tax, past-due follow-up handles the stragglers, and customers can pay online from the customer app.

Reminders Most Storefronts Actually Want

Storefront owners usually do not need a long reminder. Many prefer an arrived text so they know the crew is out front, and some want nothing at all. Customers choose their own alerts: night before, when they're next, and when the tech arrives. Automated reminders by text and email are there for the shops that want them, and replies come back to the office through two-way texting.

Keep an eye on your monthly text allowance as the route grows. Each plan includes 500, 1,000 or 2,000 segments sent and received on Start, Pro and Crew.

Every Month, On Time

A monthly storefront plan is the definition of quiet, dependable work: thirty days, a clean front window, a paid invoice, and repeat. Set the 30 days on each address, tag the route and let the Waiting List tell you who is next. For how storefront plans fit with homes, billing and routing, visit the recurring window cleaning software page.