CarpetBossPro Blog — Upholstery, Rugs & Tile

When a Stain Won't Come Out: Recording It on the Job and Writing the Customer Note

Every carpet and upholstery cleaner has stains that don't come out. Old ones, set ones, mystery ones, and the ones somebody already tried to scrub out with something from under the sink. The cleaning itself isn't the problem. The problem is the customer finding the stain after the van leaves and wondering whether anyone even tried. A clear record, made at the time, fixes that.

Where This Fits

Spot removal as an add-on was covered in Deodorizer and Spot Removal: The Small Add-Ons That Belong on Every Service List. Whether the stain was part of an add-on or just part of the normal cleaning, the way to handle one that won't lift is the same: tell the customer before you leave, write it down and take a photo.

The CarpetBossPro carpet cleaning checklist has a place for exactly this. Along with the cleaning steps, it records stains that did not come out, a condition for the job and a note for the customer.

Tell Them First, in Person

The checklist ends with a final walk-through with the customer and dry time explained. That walk-through is the right time to show the customer any stain that didn't come out, before they find it on their own.

Keep it simple:

• Show them the spot.
• Say what you did, in general terms.
• Say honestly what you think: lighter, unchanged, or might improve as it dries.
• Tell them what to do if it comes back or changes.

Customers handle bad news much better in person, with the tech standing right there, than they do from a stain they discover on their own the next morning.

Recording It on the Checklist

Then record it on the job. The stains-that-did-not-come-out field is for where the stain is and what it is, as best the tech can tell: “Sofa, left arm, dark spot, customer says coffee from last year.” “Hallway, by the bathroom door, rust-colored spot.”

Next, set the job condition. CarpetBossPro gives three options:

• Good. The job went normally.
• Needs attention. Something should be looked at again, like a stain worth a follow-up.
• Repair recommended. The carpet or furniture has damage beyond cleaning, such as a burn, a tear or a seam coming apart.

The condition gives the office a quick read on every completed job without opening every note.

Writing the Customer Note

The note for the customer is the most important piece. It's what the customer reads later, so write it the way you'd talk to them:

• “We worked on the spot on the left sofa arm. It lightened but didn't fully come out. If it looks different once it's dry, text us.”
• “The spot by the bathroom door didn't lift. It may be a dye stain rather than dirt. We didn't charge spot removal for that area.”

Avoid blame, avoid technical jargon and avoid promises. Don't promise it will come out on a second visit unless you're confident. And don't write anything you wouldn't want the customer to read out loud to a friend.

Photos Back Up the Note

Before-and-after photos taken in the tech app are saved with the job, and the customer can see them in their customer app. For a stain that didn't come out, take a before photo and an after photo of that spot specifically. Together with the note, they show that the tech noticed it, worked on it and was honest about the result.

The office sees the finished checklist on the job, including the stains, the condition, the note and the photos. If the customer calls a week later, whoever answers can pull up the job and see exactly what was said. More on photos is in Before-and-After Photos for Upholstery, Rugs and Tile: Proof the Customer Sees in Their App.

Following Up and Billing Fairly

Jobs marked Needs attention are worth a follow-up. Two-way texting from the office makes that a one-line message a couple of days later: “Checking in on the sofa arm. How does it look now that it's dry?” That small step turns a possible complaint into a good impression.

On billing, be fair. If a spot removal add-on was sold for a stain that didn't move, decide whether to remove or adjust the line before the invoice goes out. When the tech taps Complete, the invoice is created and the card on file can be charged, so the note and the invoice should agree. For how stain notes fit with the rest of your upholstery and add-on work, return to the CarpetBossPro upholstery cleaning software page.