How Do You Deal With Cleaning Clients Who Always Ask For More?

Most of the time we love our clients. After all, they're the ones paying our bills! But once in a while we get a client who always seems to ask for more. "Can you water the plants for me? Can you wipe down my lawn furniture when you come to clean? Can you take that pile of boxes out to the trash?"

Sure, you can do ALL of those things! But the question is, will you be paid for your extra time and effort? In many cases it's a simple, one-time request that will take five minutes -- no problem. But some clients may ask for cleaning that will take substantial time and possibly specialized equipment such as a carpet spotting extractor. In these cases, you must make sure your customer understands that this is outside the scope of your cleaning specifications and they will be charged for the additional service.

In a commercial cleaning situation, be sure you have a signed agreement that outlines your cleaning specifications. Also include prices for additional services such as carpet spotting, carpet cleaning and window washing. You should also include an hourly rate that you will use for any other services requested that are not covered in the agreement. That way you can say to the client, "Yes, I can do that for you. Per our agreement, it will be $30 per hour for that service."

For the residential customer who asks for additional services, say something like, “I'm so sorry, I don't usually have time left over for extra requests, so I'm not able to do that today. But I'm happy to accommodate you in the future with just a little advance notice.  If you'd like, I can schedule an extra 30 minutes next time for this task and I'd be happy quote a price for you." 

This is a nice way to get the message across to the client that they will have to pay for always asking for more service.  They'll get the message and will either ask you to quote a price or they'll stop asking for additional "free" services!

How do YOU deal with clients who always ask for more? Post your comments by clicking on the Comments link below.

Comments

[Joao Reis]

i understand that we are not talkung about the client that asks 'if we can move those boxes in his office today' - i have been a cleaner for many years and had to do it once in a while so i could get my job done properly. but i'm concerned about those clients who have lots of boxes in treir offices that your boss doesn't want to loose... so he can pay you! cheers.

[Joyce Prell]

I have my cleaners call me if the request is going to take extra time. I then make that judgement call based on the days Schedule as to weather we can or not. I have most of our clients call ahead if there is some "extra" thing they need done. Ie: fridge cleaned out. Bed change, I dont nessarily charge for the small stuff. But if it's for extra DEEP cleaning we do try to capture extra $$ for the time.

[Deb]

One of my former clients was notorious for this! When she refused to pay for the kitchen cabinets we cleaned, that was the last straw. The sad thing is that this woman can more than afford it.

[Rick]

We make it quite clear in our service agreement that we will be happy to accommodate the occasional extra request, with 24 hrs. prior notice.

But if any request turns into a frequently requested task, additional hourly charges will apply.

This way it is fair to all parties.

[Jean Hanson]

Rick - This is how it should be handled - up front and in the agreement. Unfortunately some newer cleaning business owners have to learn this the hard way.

[Tina]

What about the client who is never home, leaves a key and also obviously the washer and dryer full of clothes knnowing you will have to do it in order to use the washer and dryer for bed linens that day? What about the client that leaves 3 beds to be made but thinks nothing of it since she had already washed the sheets. What about the client who leaves the kitchen sink slam full of dirty dishes from the night before's dinner grease in pans and more. What about the client whom you agreed to wash sheets for however the blankets need to be washed to I mean you feel obligated to wash the blankets and not put them back on filthy? These are some of the things I run into and in a tiny tiny town you don't want to offend anyone since there is no high demand for cleaning, I have enough work to keep me busy Mon-Fri. and cannot afford to lose a single client however I feel taken advantage of a bit sometimes.
Thanks

[Liz]

When we go over our service agreement with the client, we tell them that we love to do any little extras that they can think of - extra money for us! If they are able to give advance notice, they will get our preferred rate and a guarantee that it will be done at the time requested. If we receive a note on the day of service we will always do the work if at all possible - like I said, more money for us! The Team Coach for the job will make the determination about whether there is time in the day to perform the task (more money for her) and will leave a pre-printed carbonless note stating the cost (at the premium rate) or that there wasn't time in the schedule and that they have scheduled it for the following visit. The copy is returned to the office for billing and/or scheduling as appropriate. Everyone gets what they want with this plan – client gets the service they want, staff gets extra money, company gets acclaim (more clients) for always doing what the client wants. Win/Win!

[Jean Hanson]

Great ideas Liz, thanks for sharing! The whole key is to be up front with the customer on how this works. You as the business owner are the one in charge. That way it DOES become a win-win for all!

[Chris Collucci]

As a cleaning company delivering both residential house cleaning and commercial office cleaning, Clean4Me (www.clean4me.ca) faces this challenge from both markets.

There is power in clarity. When you clearly scope the work in your original proposal there is no wiggle room for a client. We are happy to meet the client's request as an additional service which would represent a charge of approximately $$$.

That said, when we are serving an area like Markham, Vaughan or North York we will fill a soft spot in our schedule by performing a complimentary service for select clients at no charge. You can imagine their surprise and satisfaction when they see the proactive service work. :-)

[Deb]

Does anyone have any suggestions for Tina? I know what it's like to live in a teeny, tiny town! She doesn't want to lose clients, but can't afford to do work above and beyond what she is being paid.

[c w]

If Tina has not already made some contract or at least a cleaning schedule for clients she needs to now. Explain as you are a busy woman and have found it necessary to implement these procedures. Run through it with them, Explain the time you have quoted for the job and that it only covers what is in the schedule. Read above blogs about "extras". You need to let these people know you are a cleaner not a maid. Have a communication book if needed. Only clean where you are able, if the sink is to overloaded to be cleaned, it will be left until accessable. These guidelines work fairly well for all size companys. And are only reasonable. (if you feel guilty about leaving the sink use the time to do a little extra somewhere and leave them a note - guarantee they cant complain and will soon move the dishes so u can clean)

[Toronto House Cleaning]

We as a company have to deal with the client.
Our rates are per hour, if the client ask for something more, it gonna take more time and obviously more money (nobody work for free).
That why we bring an estimate on the complete cleaning, but it sometimes take less time(means less money) or more time.

House Cleaning Services Toronto Ontario Canada