Doesn’t it feel great to have a trusting relationship with the businesses that you have dealings with. For example, the housekeeper that you can trust with a key to your home or the young gentleman who has serviced your car for the past 10 years that has never missed a beat. Maybe you enjoy your peace and quiet, which means you and your gardener get a long like a house on fire because he understands that. The client and service provider relationship is any interesting one. We come in and out of your lives for fleeting moments but these moments can have a huge impact on how smooth your life runs. From a pragmatic point of view, it’s also necessary for you to get the most value out of your money when engaging a business for their services. This is no different when looking for a window cleaner. When looking for a window cleaner for your home or even your office, it is important to establish what you want out of the arrangement, especially if your looking for a window cleaner on a long-term basis.

So how is this possible? Well, between your initial contact and going ahead with a quote there are opportunities to, first, get a gauge on what the window cleaner is like, and secondly, ask him or her some pertinent questions. As a professional window cleaner I’m going to give you some inside tips for finding the best window cleaner for your needs. So let’s get into it, here are some key points and questions to take into consideration.

1. What is their reputation.
   In our technologically driven society you can have a wealth of information about a business available to you in the click of a couple of buttons. Online reviews, particularly on Google or Facebook, are a great way to check out a business’s reputation when you are searching for a window cleaner. It’s interesting how people get excited when they’ve found a great cleaner and, often, they want to share their positive experiences with others. However, if someone has a bad review or two it’s not the end of the world, often they have the opportunity to reply to negative feedback and this creates an opportunity to see how they react.

2. Presence and branding.
   How do they position themselves in relationship to their competitors? Do they have a decent website? Do they seem put together? Perhaps with a decent logo and a portfolio of their work. These may be superficial aspects of a window cleaning business, however, in my experience if a window cleaner has taken the time to establish a local brand and web presence it may indicate they take pride in their business and what they do.

3. Initial contact.
   First impressions can tell you so much about a window cleaning business. How do they answer the phone? If they don’t answer, how quickly do they get back to you? Do they write back to your email? Again it’s good to be reasonable, a good window cleaner will be busy, but they won’t let you wait for an extended time period without getting back to you regarding your enquiry.
   Another important factor is the tone of your interaction. Remember that they are getting paid to clean your windows so they shouldn’t be “bothered” by your enquiry. There should be an air of mutual client-contractor respect straight off the bat.

4. The quote.
   Similarly to your initial contact, the manner in which a quote is delivered can tell you a lot about the potential service. A good window cleaner will explain what is, and isn’t, included in the pricing. They will be flexible to your needs to a reasonable degree. You may have questions regarding the service and if you want to maintain a good long-term relationship it pays to be upfront and gauge the responses.

5. The work.
   So you’ve been given a quote, checked out some reviews and chosen a window cleaner. Now the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.
   Have they delivered the service that was outlined in the quote? Ideally they have done the job to the standard that they outlined in the quote and in your verbal interactions. If they have missed something it isn’t necessarily the end of the world, it is just another opportunity to see how they respond. A good window cleaning business or contractor will offer to return to fix what they have missed, or explain why it was left. Everyone makes mistakes, it’s how we deal with our mistakes that counts.

In conclusion. It’s such a relief when you find a service that offers quality work and client satisfaction. Finding and building a rapport with a good window cleaner will make your life easier. You may only see them twice a year, but why not find someone who is a good fit and who you trust to be in your home. Our lives are made up of a series of daily interactions, applying these principles ensures that you will have more positive interactions each week.