CarpetBossPro Blog — Tech App

Charging the Card on File When the Carpet Tech Taps Complete

The old way of getting paid on a carpet job goes like this. The tech finishes, writes a ticket, stands in the kitchen while the customer looks for a checkbook, and drives off hoping the check clears. Or the office sends an invoice a week later and spends the next month reminding people to pay it. Charging the card on file at completion skips all of that.

From Texts to Payment

The texts that get the customer ready are covered in Automatic On-the-Way and Arrived Texts From the Carpet Tech App. At the other end of the visit, Complete is where the money happens.

When the tech taps Complete in the CarpetBossPro tech app, the invoice is created from the job's line items. If the customer has a card on file and your company has auto-charge on completion turned on, the card can be charged right then. The tech does not run a card reader, write a receipt or talk about money at the door unless they want to.

Where the Invoice Comes From

The invoice is built from the job, which is built from the estimate or from the home's last job. If the customer approved an estimate for three bedrooms, the hallway and stairs with pet odor treatment, those are the line items. Sales tax is added based on your settings.

That is why it matters that the job card is accurate and that changes on site get noted. If the customer added a loveseat at the door, the tech notes it, and the office adds the line item. If the customer dropped the basement, the tech records the rooms actually cleaned and the office removes the line before billing. The checklist and notes are what keep the invoice honest.

Some companies prefer the office to review every job before charging. Others charge on completion and fix the rare exception afterward. CarpetBossPro supports auto-charge on completion or on a schedule, so you can choose what fits.

Getting the Card on File

Charging at completion only works if there is a card on file. Customers can get there a few ways:

• Sign-up form. Your website sign-up form captures a card when a customer signs up for a service, such as a yearly cleaning plan.
• Customer app. Customers can add or update their card in the customer app.
• The office. The office can help a customer put a card on file.

Repeat customers are where card on file pays off most. A homeowner on a yearly whole-house plan, priced at, say, $349, gets cleaned, charged and reminded next year without anyone touching an invoice.

Customers Without a Card on File

Not every customer wants a card on file. For them, Complete still creates the invoice. The customer can see it in the customer app and pay online. If it is not paid, past-due follow-up helps the office keep after it without chasing every invoice by hand.

Some techs still collect a check or cash at the door for these customers. If your company allows that, the tech hands it in and the office takes care of the rest. The point is that the invoice exists the moment the job is done, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Offices, Apartments and Property Managers

Commercial and property manager accounts usually do not want a charge per visit. An office building on monthly carpet maintenance, or a property manager with a dozen move-out cleanings, wants one bill.

For these, set the client to monthly account billing. They get one statement each month covering every address, with each line labeled with the address. The tech still taps Complete at each job, and each job still lands on the record, but the client is billed once for the month. That is covered more in After-Hours Office Carpet on the Tech App: Running the Commercial Van at Night.

What the Tech Should Say

With card on file, most customers expect the charge, but a short line at the final walk-through avoids surprises: “Your card on file will be charged for today, and the invoice will be in your app.” If the customer asks about something on the bill, the tech can point to the job card or let the office handle it.

The rule that matters most: tap Complete after the final walk-through, not before. Charging a customer who has not seen the work yet is the fastest way to turn a happy customer into a complaint.

Payment is one part of a full day on the tech app. The time clock is another, covered in The Time Clock in the Carpet Cleaning Tech App. For the full picture, visit the CarpetBossPro carpet cleaning app page.