“We Clean Windows Better Than the Other Companies!”

How convincing is this to you? Is this claim, possibly true in some way, an actual guarantee? There are a host of other catchphrases that are used by not only window cleaners, but by all types of service companies, to stand out from the crowd. I discussed at length in a previous blogpost that many marketing statements are largely meaningless in themselves. A guarantee is substantiated to a customer only when it is needed and used.  Quite honestly, when it comes to window cleaning, being better at the actual task of cleaning a window is hard to measure and substantiate. Would you as a homeowner rather have your windows cleaned by a team to 99% perfection in 2 hours or to 100% perfection in 7 hours? Would you rather have team A give you 100% clean windows in 1 hour and leave the house a mess or team B give you 98% clean windows in 2 1/2 hours and leave your house as tidy or more tidy than when they started? Expectations on the part of the recipient dictate the perceived level of ‘good’.

Guarantees That Mean Something

When a luxury item or service is in the picture, the guarantee that the recipient might expect should be a bit beyond the basic and minimum promise. While storefront owners generally expect, at minimum, from their window cleaner to keep the windows presentable, and for them to show up as often as agreed upon, it is common and reasonable for a homeowner to expect a bit more. Occasionally, a homeowner truly only wants cleaner windows and will look for the lowest price to get that. But overwhelmingly, homeowners are willing to pay a bit more to alleviate the ‘pain’ of staring at filthy windows or the embarrassment when friends and family come to visit. And many happily pay for the joy of a vast improvement in the aesthetics of their surroundings. The happiness that results from the singular act of gaining  sparkling windows is not to be underestimated. It may be a slight stretch to say they’re expecting magic to happen, but even when half of the transformation is complete, the excitement is there. I can’t tell you how many times a homeowner has exclaimed how great the windows look after I’ve only cleaned the insides at that point. They see a large difference from what they have been seeing, while as a technician, I see how dirty the outsides still are. So, the experience is just as important as the simple action of cleaning glass. A fear that some have is not knowing what kind of persons will be in their home or on their property and if their belongings will be treated with care and respect. Wouldn’t it make sense that to curate an amazing experience, a business owner should guarantee more than just clean glass? Perhaps a guarantee that the homeowner will be completely satisfied from beginning to end. This could include the behavior of all the crew that is onsite, their respect for property, and the neatness and thoroughness of the process. One of our promises to homeowners is “no smoking, no swearing, no snooping”. Some may not feel the first two things are any big deal, but it is how I have chosen from the start to do business. While some may not feel smoking or swearing are offensive, absolutely NOBODY will think that refraining from these things while on someone else’s private is offensive. Many in my experience have actually commented that this policy is respectful. Protecting their sensitive items such as flooring or personal items with an appropriate covering would be another way to prove a company cares about the homeowner. Taking off shoes as standard practice or wearing safe covers is usually noticed and greatly appreciated. There are other details of this sort that can elevate the experience for a homeowner when having the windows cleaned.

There is another guarantee with ‘teeth’. It is termed ‘social proof’. When you see that many of your friends and neighbors report having had a good or bad experience with a contractor, you likely give that some weight in forming an opinion or making your own decision. If there are consistently good reviews that focus on the same attribute and a small handful that are completely opposite, it puts more into question the negative reviews. If quality, respectful conduct, and professionality are often mentioned, would an occasional complaint about how quickly the company finished a job as compared to the amount they charged be a dealbreaker? Some homeowners may not like the idea of paying a service contractor $XXX per hour regardless of the end result, while others are thrilled to pay $XXX in total for amazing results without having to spend the whole day waiting for it to happen.

The Purpose of Guarantees

There are two major things that guarantees offered by a business accomplish. One is to put prospective customers at ease. This is essentially assuring them that their risk is minimized or eliminated all together. Here is an example- “If you are not completely satisfied with the results and we can’t make it right, you pay nothing.” The assertion on the part of the contractor is that the risk is all on his or her company and not at all on the customer. This won’t necessarily account for lost time and frustration experienced by the customer, but potentially a solid reason to give this company the nod. How much better than the ambiguous guarantee that “we are the best!” As I stated earlier, a guarantee is substantiated to a customer only when it is needed and used. In other words, if for some reason there is poor workmanship, neglect, or failure to do what was agreed upon, the contractor making the guarantee will back up his words with actions. It doesn’t necessarily mean he will allow himself to be walked over but he will go to any reasonable length, often beyond, to make a bad situation right. The likely result is he or she will gain further trust and respect from the homeowner.

A Note About Thoroughness

One area that can become clouded or unclear when it comes to residential window cleaning and guarantees surrounds the thoroughness expected by homeowner and promised by the contractor. Here is a question to think about: What is a window? To some it might be obvious that it is just the glass, the part you see through. But to others it is the glass, the frame it is in, the sill, the tracks when present, and the screen. Big difference for sure. How specific a contractor is will help make the guarantee more clear and easy to test out. Many window cleaning companies offer pricing on glass only and then separate prices for the other areas mentioned. That is fine as long as there is a mutual understanding between the two parties. Another aspect of thoroughness and how it may affect the price has to do with extra contaminants on the window. These can be things that are not removed by normal window cleaning methods. They might come from the surroundings or from a lack of regular maintenance. Shotgun fungus (those little black dots that are very difficult to remove completely) and tree sap are common ‘extras’ that get on windows. Screen burn as it’s often called is the result of oxidation from a metal (generally aluminum) screen that transfers onto the glass on the outside. When aluminum screens are not cleaned regularly and left on over time, the weather elements in essence ‘bake’ this oxidation onto glass. It can be extremely difficult to remove and certainly not removed by normal cleaning. The time and resources required to get it off glass will change a cleaning into a restoration. This can become a difficult issue to work out with a customer if it is not brought up at the proper time. Ask me how I know!

One other class of items on glass that goes beyond the normal cleaning is from other contractors’ carelessness. This can be paint or wood stain that gets on glass that was not protected. Also mortar from masonry work done nearby. Or perhaps a house or building was power washed and the chemicals that helped to clean the siding and windows wasn’t rinsed thoroughly enough. These things can create a dilemma for window cleaner and homeowner if they are not discussed. The time required to clean may sometimes double or even triple. Time clearly has value to a worker. In fairness to homeowners, they are paying a good amount of money to get beautiful results. A guarantee in this context needs to be qualified so that both parties have an informed understanding of what is promised for a certain price and what is reasonably expected for that price.

Guarantees That Might Seal the Deal

Some guarantees are designed to be enticing enough to coax a prospective customer to go ahead and book. One common one is risk reversal as alluded to earlier here. For instance, “if you aren’t completely thrilled with our work you don’t pay a cent”. This one is normally with the condition that if there is a valid complaint and the company can’t make it right, there will be such refund or waiving of charges. Another one that window cleaners often provide is a rain guarantee. “If any windows get dirty as a result of rain in the next 5  days, let us know and we will reclean them at no cost.” There are others, of course.

In summary, guarantees when crafted well and backed up by actions can be a true win-win, for customer and business owner.