Virtual Assistant For
Cleaning Services
Virtual Assistant For Cleaning Services
If you own a growing commercial or residential cleaning services company, things can get a little hectic. In the cleaning services business, the key to success is the services getting delivered as per the client’s expectations. And this involves meticulous planning, scheduling, inventory management & managing other admin tasks. These are a few of the many tasks that you as the owner of a cleaning services company are required to manage.
Your time, in simple terms, is cash. This needs to be invested in growing the business and leaving the rest of the tasks for extra hands to manage. While hiring a local gets you, someone who has the feel for the local culture, the cost of that resource can be beyond your budget. And that’s where the cost & skill advantage that a virtual assistant for cleaning businesses brings to the table, tilt the decision in their favour.
Are you wondering –
1. How a virtual assistant for cleaning services (VA) can help you better manage your cleaning services business?
2. What are the benefits of a virtual assistant for cleaning services?
Let’s take a look at tasks/activities that a VA can manage –
Vendor Management
Ever been in a situation where the same cleaner has been assigned to more than one job at the same time of the day? A job has been scheduled for the cleaner but a confirmation was not sent. Double-booking cleaners wastes time and disappoints clients. A cleaning service virtual assistant can manage the following tasks to free up your time –
– Match the customer’s requirements with the cleaner.
– Send confirmation emails and texts to the cleaner(s) for confirmed jobs.
– Respond to any queries raised.
– Plan and schedule jobs to maximize a cleaner’s workday. For companies that partner with short-term rental/Airbnb businesses, prioritizing same-day arrivals.
– To ensure smooth service, the VA keeps the clients updated on any schedule changes and works to find a backup cleaner if needed.
– Update cleaners' access codes in calendar tasks.
– Manage late check-out and early check-in requests by communicating with cleaners.
– Ensure receipt of time-stamped pictures of cleanings and attach them to tasks created in the CRMs if the cleaner is unable to.
– Prepare the weekly/bi-weekly payroll sheet for cleaners based on the hourly rates assigned to them.
– Assist in searching for new cleaners by posting hiring Ads on various platforms. A more seasoned VA can also assist in completing the initial screening and setting up the final interviews for you to screen them.
– Onboard and integrate new cleaners into the CRM.
Customer Management
The key to success in any business is managing customers & that is equally true for the cleaning services business as well. A virtual assistant for cleaning business can help you manage the following tasks/activities –
– Provide initial insights for the cleaning request - estimated time taken to complete the request, hourly rate, etc.
– Create service proposals - here the VA needs to be given complete information and insights that will help him/her prepare the quotes/proposals.
– If the clients want to negotiate the fees associated with the said job, provide all necessary information required to make a decision.
– Create contracts & share them with the clients.
– Ensure contracts have been signed by both parties.
– Generate invoices and send them to the clients as soon as cleaning is completed.
– Follow up with the clients for pending invoice payments.
– Managing customer complaints.
Customer Relations
Have you ever been in a situation where you missed a call and it turned out to be a call from a potential client? A client has sent an email inquiring about your services and you did not respond on time. Someone who has been managing the cleaning services business all by himself would know this. A virtual assistant for cleaning services can manage the following tasks to free up your time –
– Answer phone calls from potential and existing clients.
– In case, a call was missed, call back on your behalf.
– Respond to customer emails.
– In case a particular call/email needs your attention, give you all the relevant details.
– Respond to inquiries received on platforms like Thumbtack, Porch, Turnoverbnb, Booking Koala etc.
– Follow up with the leads generated from these platforms.
– Gather information from leads & provide estimates based on pre-defined parameters.
Social Media
Management
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram reach more potential clients than just referrals. A lot of commercial and residential cleaning companies are not on social media and that is where most of your clients are. If you are not very comfortable using social media, don’t forget that a cleaning service virtual assistant can help you with –
– Create your social media accounts & manage them.
– Post relevant postings and show the work you have done for other clients at regular intervals to engage potential clients.
– Respond to comments/messages received on these platforms.
– Help in creating targeted pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, and track their effectiveness and leads generated. (Note - This comes at an additional cost.)
Other Admin Tasks
As we’ve mentioned, you as the owner of a cleaning services company need to manage a multitude of tasks/activities. Here is the list of other important tasks that a remote virtual assistant can help your business with –
– Keep your CRM updated.
– Create property checklists on platforms after receiving them from the clients.
– In case other options like Google Sheets are used, keep them up-to-date.
– Manage inventory and ensure there is never a shortfall.
– Create content for marketing emails.
– Send marketing emails and engage responsive clients. Here the content that needs to be added to the emails needs to be provided to the VA. If the content also needs to be created, that is a separate skill set for which a different VA is deployed.
– Keep the lead database updated.
– Getting an estimate of the competitor's pricing. This helps to make sure that your business continues to stay competitive and feasible.
– Work on creating or editing business charter documentation that could be shared with potential clients, vendors or employees.
Now that’s an exhaustive list of tasks/activities that a virtual assistant for cleaning services can help a cleaning services company.
Do you need a virtual assistant services company that can help you prepare a mutually rewarding plan? Contact us and we will assist you.
Let’s Connect to make your business less tiresome.