Beginner Questions

[GreenBlue]

Hey everyone, I've been looking over the forum alot and I haven't come across these questions, so I want to ask them and get some opinions for my own knowledge. First Question: If a customer calls and needs to postpone their scheduled service, should you charge them an Inconvenience Service Fee or some type of fee for this? Second Question: If the customer wants to reschedule their mowing from needing to postpone it should you charge them an additional fee on top of their mowing price to mow it off schedule if you can? Third Question: What should you tell a customer who wants their property mowed but there is excessive pet waste? I haven't seen much discussion on these subjects, so I needed to ask them and see what others do in these circumstances. I can't learn unless I ask, and as I've said I'm trying to learn everything I can. More questions will pop into my head eventually and I'll be asking more. LOL

[Hedgemaster]

Lawn care business tips

The first and second questions sound identical. Your call. Depends on how badly altering your schedule will screw things up. I've only had one or two requests to change a mow day due to a birthday party, or something. I just did it with no extra charges. As for dog crap, I wouldn't need to tell them anything because I've already addressed this before an agreement was made. I don't mow if the dog waste isn't picked up. Adding a fee for cleanup helps motivate them to make sure the lawn is clear before you arrive.

[GreenBlue]

Originally Posted by Hedgemaster

The first and second questions sound identical.

Your call. Depends on how badly altering your schedule will screw things up.
I've only had one or two requests to change a mow day due to a birthday party, or something. I just did it with no extra charges.

As for dog crap, I wouldn't need to tell them anything because I've already addressed this before an agreement was made. I don't mow if the dog waste isn't picked up. Adding a fee for cleanup helps motivate them to make sure the lawn is clear before you arrive.

Yeah I met for it to be one question and only have two questions but I didn't edit it before I posted, but thanks for your input.

[MBLC]

If you are looking to make a few extra bucks without having to do extra driving, offer the customer your service in picking up poop. Yeah kinda gross, but you are there, you don't want it on your wheels or shoes or god forbid you hit it with a trimmer and..... ewww, and they obviously are not taking care of it themselves.
As for pricing- per dog. You are handling crap (potentially). As with mowing, you figure out what you need to make per hour to turn a profit. I personally will not do anything for less than $60 per hour, even that is LOW (imo)
Throw the poop in with your clippings and dump as usual. You make them happy with no poop, you happy with no poop, and you just added a valuable service without any added travel time, wasted fuel.

[SNethercutt]

Definitely tell them that the waste either needs to be picked up. I had it on my mower tire one day and loaded up and went to the next house. Needless to say we left poop on the driveway every foot or so and they did t even have dogs. They were pissed. Explain to your customers that the poop is unsanitary to you and your employees. When trimming it slings all over the place in your nose mouth and on you. You cannot accept the liability of you or a customer getting ill or a parasite from the doggy waste. They can pick it up themselves, or pay you 10 each dog to pick up the poop.

And I tell me customers your either scheduled EOW or EW. If you don't want your yard mowed the day its due it is moved to the next service date. If you want it mowed on a certain day for a party or whatever, I need 14 days notice to put you in schedule. Simple as that. You can't let your customers start that on you. It will be never ending. One day you will drive to there house, unload and now a strip or two and they will come out there yelling theybdont want it done. Then you have wasted all that time. I give my customers days, your yard is due Mondays, yours Tuesday. And so on. That's the way it goes. You can't revolve your business schedule around one customer.

Try to group your customers close to each other on the same day. Give your longest running customers first choice if possible.

[Steve]

And I tell me customers your either scheduled EOW or EW.

What is EOW or EW?

[MBLC]

every week, every other week?

[GreenBlue]

Originally Posted by MBLC

every week, every other week?

I was thinking the same thing Steve, thanks for explaining that MBLC.

[Hedgemaster]

If they say they want a 10-day schedule, or "I'll call when it needs cut", run away!

Weekly, or biweekly. That's it.
(And biweekly accounts suck for the most part)

[MBLC]

Dear lord if they are biweekly jack the heck outta that price!