Online Cleaning Service Estimates

We receive a number of requests via email to give quotes for cleaning services.  This is an area that can be dangerous for both the prospective customer as well as the cleaning service provider.

The fundamental issue with an email quote is that it is an effort to commoditize what is generally a very personal service.  A secondary issue is that the initial conversations with a customer set up a trust relationship that is necessary when a cleaning service is going to be let into one's home.

Commoditization

Not all cleaning services are the same.  Email exchanges make it difficult to clearly establish what cleaning services are desired, identify how our business differentiates from the competition, and to finally establish a fair and competitive price.

Desired Cleaning Services

Just about every person who is interested in hiring someone to clean their home has a hot button.  They can be generally categorized into those who want the bathrooms cleaned, those with a lot of dust, and those to whom the kitchen is the most important.  There are also categories of different customers; time pressed, pet owners, those with sensitivities due to allergies or asthma, those with physical limitations; the list continues.  Understanding the personal reasons behind needing a cleaning service is critically important to us as it helps us to gain insights into how we can best be of service.

Competitive Factors among Cleaning Services

I discuss this elsewhere in the blog, but it's important that one does consider the issues of insurance, products, and the employee base among many other factors.  Some customers absolutely love it that we take credit cards and can lock up a copy of their key on site.  I generally don't bring this up in an email quote because it may end up in too much text for the reader to digest.

Fair Pricing for Cleaning

It's extremely difficult to judge the seriousness of an email shopper.  In turn, it makes it difficult to identify how much effort to put into preparing a response.  We often receive emails that simply ask, "How much?"  I'm not sure that there is a way to answer that without getting more information.  I'm pretty sure that any answer given to that question (including asking clarifying questions or just giving a price) will be wrong.

Relationship Building with Your Cleaning Service Provider

One of the most important elements when a new relationship is established is in trying to decide if we should do business together.  At The Maids, we see the buying process as one of a developing relationship where both the buyer and the seller are trying to figure out if it makes sense to work together.  When we win an email quote, I'm very cautious about any expectations as we've generally had very few conversations with the customer.  It's very easy for us to miss out on an element that we did not realize was important.

My suggestion: if you are serious about a cleaning service in your home, pick up the phone and make a few calls.  You'll get a first hand idea as to responsiveness and professionalism and also an opportunity to see if your values match with the managers of the cleaning service you'll have in your home time and time again.