PressureWashingBossPro Blog — Crew App

The Arrived Text: Telling the Homeowner the Wash Crew Is Here

A pressure washing rig is not quiet. Between the truck, the trailer and the pump, most homeowners know when the crew pulls up. But knowing someone is outside is not the same as knowing it is your washing crew, ready to start, and that now is the time to move the car or bring the dog in. That is what the arrived text is for.

The Second Half of the Heads-Up

The first half is covered in Automatic On-the-Way Texts From the Pressure Washing Crew App. The on-the-way text says the crew is coming. The arrived text says the crew is here.

Like the on-the-way text, the arrived text is automatic. The washer does not type anything. The customer chooses whether they want it, along with the night-before reminder and the when-you're-next alert.

What the Arrived Text Does for the Customer

Customers like the arrived text for a few reasons:

• It confirms the visit. People who are at work can see the crew showed up on the day promised.
• It is a last call. If a car is still in the driveway or the dog is in the back yard, this is the moment to deal with it.
• It feels safe. Strangers in your back yard with a wand and a hose are less alarming when your phone just told you who they are.
• It sets up the invoice. When the invoice or the card charge shows up later, it lines up with a visit they already know happened.

What It Does for the Crew

The arrived text saves the washer from the most awkward part of the stop: knocking on the door. Plenty of customers want to know you are there but do not want to come to the door in the middle of a work call. With the arrived text, the homeowner can text the office if something needs to change, like “give me five minutes to move the truck,” and the crew can start on the house while they wait.

It also helps when the customer is home but forgot. A shut garage, a running sprinkler, a cracked window: the arrived text is often what reminds them.

Replies Go to the Office

When a customer replies to an arrived text, the reply goes to the office through two-way texting. The office can then pass it to the washer by text or phone call. This keeps customer conversations in one place and keeps the crew's personal numbers private.

A good office habit during the busy season: when a reply comes in that changes the job, like “please skip the back deck today,” get it to the crew quickly and adjust the job before the crew taps Complete. Otherwise the invoice may include work that was not done.

Commercial Stops and the Arrived Text

Commercial managers often do not want texts at all, especially for night routes where the crew is working after close. Their alerts can simply be turned off. For commercial customers who do want to know, an arrived text at a drive-thru or storefront tells the manager the crew is on site, which matters if someone has to open the dumpster enclosure, turn on the outside water or move a delivery truck out of the drive-thru lane. Without that text, the crew stands around waiting for a manager who does not know they are outside.

Accounts set to Monthly get one statement for every location at the end of the month, so the arrived text is often the only per-visit message the manager sees. That makes it a quiet proof that the work is happening.

Keep the Message Short

Plans include a monthly text allowance counted in segments sent and received. A short arrived text uses one segment. A long one with extra characters can use more. Keep it to the point: who you are and that the crew is here. Customers do not need a paragraph.

Short messages also get read. A one-line text is glanced at and understood. Three lines get saved for later, which defeats the purpose of a last-call heads-up.

Putting It Together

Night before, when they are next, and arrived. Three automatic texts that mean fewer cars blocking driveways, fewer dogs in the yard, fewer phone calls asking where the crew is, and a customer who already knows the job happened when the invoice arrives. Payment at completion is next, in Charging the Card on File When the Washer Taps Complete. For the rest of the crew app, see the pressure washing crew app overview.