Choosing software for a window cleaning business: 8 things to check

1. Your rounds, as they really repeat

Customers want cleaning at different intervals: every 4 weeks for some, every 6 or 8 weeks for others, monthly for offices. Check the software can repeat each customer on their own interval, not just weekly or monthly, and that you can move a single visit (for rain, or a customer away on holiday) without breaking the rest of their round.

2. The van's day, in order, on a phone

Whoever's driving needs the day's work in a sensible order from where you start, with directions a tap away. Check it works on the phones your team already has, keeps working with no signal (back gardens and estates often have none) and catches up when you're back in range.

3. Getting paid, and knowing who owes

• How do your customers pay: cash on the day, card, bank transfer, or monthly on an invoice? The software should record all of them, against the right visit.
• Can you see at a glance who owes what, and how long it's been outstanding?
• If it takes card payments itself, what's the fee per payment, and does it replace the card machine you already have? Some systems process payments, others just record them; both work, but know which you're buying.
• Can it send reminders for unpaid invoices, and do you decide when they go?

4. Proof of the clean

"You didn't do the back" is easier to answer with a dated photo. Check you can take before and after photos and notes on the phone, attach them to the visit, and send the customer a short report when it matters, especially for commercial clients and letting agents.

5. Keeping customers informed

Customers like to know you're on the way, and commercial clients like to see what's booked. Check what the customer can see (an arrival time, upcoming visits, invoices) and whether messages go automatically or when you choose to send them.

6. Commercial and contract work

Offices, shops, schools and letting agents usually need things domestic customers don't: several sites under one account, access notes and contacts per site, invoicing on payment terms, and evidence of each visit. If you do or want contract work, check these are built in rather than worked around.

7. Your team

• Can each person sign in without needing a work email address?
• Does it record start and finish times, so wages and overtime are straightforward?
• Can it hold training and safety records, with dates? Working at height is the big one for window cleaning; the Health and Safety Executive's guidance on the Work at Height Regulations is the place to check what applies to you.
• If you run more than one van, can one crew pick up another's work on a busy day?

8. What it really costs, and how you leave

• Is it priced per user, per van or by bands, and what happens to the price as you add people?
• Are there extras on top: text message credits, card fees, set-up fees, add-ons for features you'd assumed were included?
• Is there a contract, or can you cancel any month?
• Can you download all your customers, rounds and history if you leave?

Questions to ask in a demo

1. Show me setting up a customer on an 8-weekly round, then moving one visit for rain.
2. Show me a driver's day on a phone with no signal.
3. Show me recording a cash payment on the doorstep, and where I see who still owes.
4. Show me what my customer sees.
5. What will I pay each month for my team today, and with two more people?

Write down your own must-haves before any demo. It's easy to be impressed by features you'll never use and miss the one thing your round depends on.