The problem
Window cleaning is hands-on from the first job to the last. You're up a ladder with a squeegee, or driving to the next street. Neither hand is free and neither moment is right for a proper conversation.
Three things follow from that:
- You don't sell jobs, you sell rounds. One new domestic customer is a clean every four or six weeks for years. A commercial contract is monthly income that renews without being asked.
- Your hours are the wrong way round. Commercial work starts before 7am. Domestic customers ring in the evening. The overlap between when you can answer and when people ring is thin.
- Your existing round rings too. Regulars moving a clean or adding a conservatory roof. Not new revenue, but losing those calls quietly erodes what you already have.
The phone rings in your pocket all day, and every unanswered one costs you a relationship rather than a job.
The calls you miss
- Mid-round, both hands occupied. You're halfway up an extension ladder with a squeegee. The phone rings in your pocket and you can't safely get to it. By the time you're back on the ground, there's no missed message – just a caller who moved on.
- On the road between jobs. Driving from one street to the next is when most calls come in. You can't pull over for every enquiry, and hands-free answers sound rushed and unprofessional.
- Early-morning commercial starts. Commercial and office contracts often begin before 7am. Potential new clients calling during normal business hours reach nobody, and your voicemail greeting doesn't inspire confidence.
- Existing round customers rearranging. A customer on your regular round wants to push their clean back a week or add a conservatory roof. If you don't answer, they'll text – or worse, find someone else.
How Telphi answers for a window cleaner
When a call comes in, Telphi greets the caller and handles the conversation from start to finish. A typical new-customer call looks like this:
Caller: "Hi, I'm looking to get my windows cleaned. Do you cover the Harrogate area?"
Telphi: "Yes, we cover Harrogate and the surrounding area. Are you looking for a one-off clean or a regular round?"
Caller: "Regular if the price is right. It's a three-bedroom semi."
Telphi: "Understood. And are you looking for just the exterior windows, or would you like the frames and sills done as well?"
Caller: "Exterior plus frames."
Telphi: "Brilliant. Is there any access issue – side gates, a dog, anything like that we should know about before we come out?"
Caller: "Just a side gate that's sometimes locked, but I can leave it open."
Telphi: "Perfect. I'll text you a link so you can pick a convenient time for a first clean and quote."
You get a structured summary: property type, job type, access notes, frequency preference, and the booking link the caller received. You call back a qualified lead, not a guessing game.
What you get after every call
Every answered call produces a full summary, word-for-word transcript, and recording in the Telphi app. You review the details on your phone between jobs.
If a caller signals genuine urgency – an existing customer with a problem, or a time-sensitive commercial contract – Telphi can transfer the call to you in real time. Routine new enquiries are handled end to end without interrupting your round.
Spam and sales calls are filtered automatically. You only see calls worth your attention.
Booking
After qualifying the caller, Telphi texts them a booking link. They pick a date and time directly from your calendar and the appointment is confirmed. No back-and-forth. No missed slots.
