JunkBossPro Blog — Running a Junk Removal Business

Keeping Customers Informed: Texts and Reminders in a Junk Removal Business

“What time are you coming?” is probably the most common question a junk removal office hears. Customers want to know when to be home, when to open the garage, when to move the car out of the driveway. Answering that call by call eats hours every week. Answering it automatically, before the customer even asks, gives those hours back and makes the business look more professional.

Paid Jobs Start With Informed Customers

Getting Paid Before the Truck Leaves: Billing in a Junk Removal Business covered collecting quickly. A customer who knew when the crew was coming, was ready when they arrived and saw the job done is a customer who pays without fuss. Good communication is where a smooth job starts.

The Night-Before Reminder

A reminder the night before does a lot of work. It confirms the customer is still expecting you, gives them time to clear a path, and catches cancellations before the truck rolls. A customer who forgot can reschedule the evening before instead of leaving the crew at a locked gate.

In JunkBossPro, automated reminders go out by text and email. Once tomorrow's schedule is set, the night-before reminder goes out on its own for customers who want it.

On the Way and Arrived

On the day of the job, two more texts help. An “on the way” text lets the customer know the truck is headed to them, so they can open the garage, put the dog away or tell the neighbor about the truck in the street. An “arrived” text lets them know the crew is out front, which helps when the customer is in the backyard or at work and has left access instructions.

JunkBossPro sends on-the-way and arrived texts automatically from the crew app as the crew works the route. The crew does not have to type anything or remember to send it.

Let Customers Choose Their Alerts

Not every customer wants every message. Some want a reminder the night before and nothing else. Others want to know exactly when the crew is next. In JunkBossPro, customers set their own alert preferences: night before, when they're next, and when the crew arrives. They get what they want, and nobody gets buried in texts.

A Live Map of Today's Route

For customers who like to see for themselves, the customer app shows today's route on a live map, with their place in line: “You're stop 12 of 20 — the crew is 5 stops away.” That answers the “when are you coming” question better than any phone call, and it updates as the crew moves.

The customer app also lets customers request service, update their card, see invoices and pay, and rate and refer. One link does a lot of the office's work.

Two-Way Texting From the Office

Automatic texts handle the routine. For everything else, there is two-way texting from the office. Customers can reply to ask a question, add an item or change a time, and the office answers in the same thread. Nobody uses a personal cell phone, and the whole conversation stays with the customer.

Plans include a monthly text allowance: 500, 1,000 or 2,000 texts sent and received on Start, Pro and Crew, for the US and Canada. For most small junk removal businesses, that covers reminders, on-the-way texts and everyday conversations.

Tips for Good Customer Texts

• Keep them short. Time, crew, what to expect. Nobody wants a paragraph.
• Sign with the company name so customers know who is texting.
• Tell them early when plans change. A late truck is forgiven when the customer hears about it first.
• Do not overdo marketing texts. Save them for a seasonal message or two.

The guide on Owner Time: Getting Off the Truck in a Junk Removal Business covers how automatic texts free up the owner's day.

Communication matters after the job too. A short message once the job is done, with the invoice and a thank-you, closes the loop. It is also a natural moment to ask for a review or a referral. Customers who were kept in the loop from the reminder the night before to the thank-you afterward tend to remember the business, and they are more likely to call again when the next pile of junk builds up in the garage.

Read through the messages your customers get from time to time, as if you were the customer. If a reminder sounds stiff or confusing, rewrite it. Small changes in wording can cut down on the calls you were trying to avoid in the first place.

Fewer Calls, Happier Customers

Reminders, on-the-way and arrived texts, customer-chosen alerts, a live route map and two-way texting together answer most customer questions before they are asked. For every topic in this series, visit the running a junk removal business page.