While customers might see it as trivial, late payments can stall cash flow and cause real issues. At the very least, it means wasting time chasing up invoices when you could be completing more jobs.
So, what can you do about it? In this post, we’ll list five simple steps to get paid promptly for carpet cleaning work.
Even if you have hundreds of customers, it’s important to nurture your relationships with them. Carpet cleaners often have a huge repeat customer base, and this helps to tailor the service to meet their needs, even when it comes to invoicing. Ensure the invoicing details are correct so there’s no need to amend and delay the payment process.
If you’re considering joining the NCCA, a vital part of the Code of Practice focuses on communication. From start to finish, communication should be clear and transparent so the customer understands your requirements for payment from the beginning. Also, be sure to agree on payment terms and invoice as soon as you’ve completed a job while you’re still fresh in your customer’s mind. If you’re slow at sending invoices, you might find that your customers are equally slow at making payment.
Following up with the client after the invoice has been sent is a great idea. This clears up any issues quickly, avoiding delays. It’s not enough to just do the job and invoice if you hope to get paid on time.
A great way to get payments on time is to make the payment method as simple as possible. Invoicing with bank details is a top choice for carpet cleaners. However, why not consider using a card reader to take payments faster? It's often more convenient for your customers, some may even pay straight away.
If you’re owed money from carpet cleaning jobs, making a reminder schedule to chase up the monies owed is helpful. It’s not the nicest job, but if there are no issues or open disputes, a gentle reminder will nudge the customer to pay. By creating a schedule, you can ensure you’re not hassling the same customers too frequently. Instead, you could check in after 7, 14 and 28 days for example.
Sending emails is often a great way to communicate late payments, as you have it in writing. But it’s also the easiest to ignore. A tiered communication system is advisable, with phone calls to follow up on ignored emails, for instance.
It’s always helpful to have experts to turn to for business tips and assistance. This is where joining a trade association like the NCCA brings many benefits.
From free helplines when you need support or tips to downloadable templates you can use in your business, there’s a host of exclusive resources tailored to carpet cleaners. In addition, if you encounter disputes, a dedicated arbitration service is available.
Growing your carpet cleaning business is much easier when you’re a member of the National Carpet Cleaners Association. From resources and support for issues like late payments to networking events and exclusive training, we’ll help you become the go-to carpet cleaner in your local area.
For more information about NCCA membership benefits and becoming an accredited member, contact us today.
However, our beloved pets also bring a unique set of challenges, including muddy paws, odours and shedding fur. Fortunately, whether you have a cat or a dog, you can still enjoy a fresh smelling, spotless home – read on for our top house cleaning tips for pet owners.
Prevention is the best cure. By keeping pets clean, owners can enjoy a fresher, healthier, and more pleasant living environment. Regular washing and grooming will minimise the amount of dirt and excess fur your pet carries around, meaning less gets onto your carpets and furniture.
With dogs in particular, it’s a good habit to wipe them down when they come back from a walk, before they come back into the house. Leave some towels by the front door or in the porch.
Pet hair is easily the biggest pet peeve (pun intended) for those with cats and dogs. It gets everywhere and sticks to surfaces such as upholstery and carpet. If your vacuum doesn’t do the trick, here are two other ways to try:
It might be tempting to try and clean up muddy paw prints from carpets and furniture straight away. But it’s often better to let them dry first. Once the mud is dry, you can use a brush and vacuum the rest away. This is a great carpet cleaning tip for pet owners that don’t want to spend hours scrubbing off wet mud.
If you share your home with dogs or cats, they’ll likely make their way onto the sofa or bed every now and then. By using protective covers on your soft furnishings, such as washable slipcovers or throws, pet owners can easily remove and clean them, preventing dirt and pet hair from embedding into the fabric.
Wondering where that pet smell is coming from? Their toys could be to blame. Pet toys harbour a range of stinky bacteria and pet smells – especially soft toys. With this in mind, it’s important to pop them in the wash regularly to keep dirt and odours at bay.
The living areas aren’t the only spots that need cleaning – your bathroom needs some TLC after you bathe them. Pet hair can block drains and plugs, which can lead to stinky water and more severe blockages over time. To avoid this, use a pet hair catcher in the plughole. That way, you can easily remove the build-up into the bin.
After washing your pet, the bath or shower also needs a good clean with antibacterial products to ensure optimum hygiene for the whole family.
Pets often don’t mix well with carpets and as a carpet owner with a pet it’s recommended that you vacuum lightly soiled areas on a weekly basis, medium soiled areas twice a week, and heavily soiled areas daily. If you want to take it to the next level, a deep clean from a trusted professional will ensure your carpets look their best and smell great.
If you want to give your carpets a an expert clean, The National Carpet Cleaners Association makes it easy to find trained, insured and fully vetted cleaners near you. Simply enter the service you need along with your postcode, then hire a local cleaner without having to worry about their professionalism or quality of work.
Set up in 1968, the NCCA has over 600 members throughout the UK that are vetted, trained, insured and ready to help you. We clearly and fairly set out the professional standards that all carpet cleaners must maintain to ensure you find someone near you to deliver the best service and results.
By using an NCCA member for your carpet cleaning, you can be sure you are making the right choice. But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s why you can trust the NCCA to put you in touch with reliable local carpet cleaners…
Not everyone can join the NCCA. Our members are professionally vetted to ensure they meet the high standards expected of a Trusted Local Cleaner. These checks are designed to ensure we endorse the right cleaning companies, those that are committed to providing great service, customer focused and trustworthy.
You have to know your craft before you can join the NCCA. Before being approved as a member, all applicants must undertake a training course in Professional Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning and achieve the standard pass mark in the NCCA entrance examination that follows. This exam is recognised as one of the toughest in the industry and ensures only the very best individuals join the association.
Alongside recognised training qualifications, all our Trusted Local Cleaners have adequate insurance to cover them in the event of a problem or accident. A Public Liability insurance policy is required, which is standard for companies offering services to the public.
Unfortunately, in our industry, there are cowboy companies who charge over the odds for poor service. If you want to ensure you will get great value for money, NCCA professionals are a top choice. Members charge a fair price for services and always strive to provide the best value during the work carried out.
In all cases, you will receive a quote for the work, and this is a fixed price without hidden costs. In some cases, additional charges may apply if other services are requested at the time. But you can rest assured that you will not be pressured into using other services.
In addition, NCCA carpet cleaners do not charge upfront for services (either full or part payment). Instead, payment is invoiced once the work is done.
NCCA members have profiles on the Trusted Local Cleaner website, featuring their contact details, information about their business, pictures of their work and reviews from customers.
These reviews are particularly important as they help other consumers make an informed choice about who to hire. For this reason, we encourage feedback about our members and both positive and negative feedback is welcome. All reviews are moderated for authenticity so you can build up an accurate picture of how the company operates.
We recognise that occasionally things don’t go as planned and it is important that if this happens, consumers can access a clear, user-friendly process.
As such, all NCCA members have signed up to a self-regulatory Code of Practice and a complaints policy to use when dealing with complaints from customers. To give consumers an additional layer of protection and to reinforce our commitment to quality and consumer protection, if things go wrong the NCCA can act as an independent arbitration service.
The NCCA logo is a sign of reputation and trust; helping consumers choose the right cleaning company for them and giving good businesses the recognition they deserve.
If you are ready to hire a Trusted Local Cleaner, you can use our online directory. Simply enter your postcode and the services you need. Then choose from vetted, fully trained, professional cleaners near you.
We have members across the country that specialise in cleaning carpets, upholstery, hard flooring and soft furnishings to keep your home looking great. Get started today!
That’s why the National Carpet Cleaners Association has a Code of Practice, which all members have to follow. The code is intended to provide consumers and commercial clients with additional security and peace of mind when employing the services of a carpet and upholstery cleaner who is a member of the Association. Read on as we discuss what it is and how it works.
The NCCA is a professional body that upholds the standards of professionalism, quality and skills required by trained carpet and upholstery cleaners. To do this, a Code of Practice is in place that sets out aims and objectives to protect customers, both domestic and commercial.
The motto of the NCCA is ‘Service with Integrity’, and all members of the associations are expected to adhere to these practices and keep up to date with regulations.
The Code of Practice set out by the NCCA includes a range of points that cover excellent customer service and satisfaction. This helps to reduce customer complaints and resolve issues in a timely manner.
The Code of Practice sets out specific criteria that members have to adhere to. This has several benefits for customers, such as:
As a customer, you can expect to receive professional standards from members at all times. That’s because the Code of Practice covers training and obtaining relevant industry practice to meet adequate levels of service.
With this in place, customers have specially trained carpet and upholstery cleaners with relevant experience and a roster of successful projects behind them. So there’s peace of mind you’ll get a job well done.
Customers also benefit from excellent communication from start to finish. The Code of Practice sets out what is required, and as a result, customers receive prompt responses and punctual appointments. That’s paired with clear and transparent information about costs, the time needed and outcomes.
It’s essential that customers feel they are getting great value for money. When choosing a carpet cleaner with NCCA accreditation, customers benefit from fair pricing when they receive a quote. The same is true for any additional work required while the job is being carried out. Rest assured, you won’t experience hard or pushy sales tactics either.
When you see an advert for carpet cleaning from an NCCA member, it will always adhere to the Code of Practice in regard to honest, transparent, clear and unambiguous communication. This ensures that customers have a good idea of what they’re going to receive before getting a quote.
There are many benefits of using a carpet cleaner with NCCA accreditation. Overall, you have greater confidence in the level of service you’ll receive, with peace of mind that these professionals adhere to a Code of Practice that goes beyond the typical service agreements.
Looking to book a carpet cleaner? Search for nearby NCCA carpet cleaners via our handy tool.
All registered members can be found on the NCCA’s Trusted Local Cleaners directory.
Members can edit their profile on the directory by adding:
Customers can submit enquiries for potential jobs and also leave reviews. We've also created a unique embed code that you can use on your own website to display the reviews from your listing.
Many Members have already taken advantage of this, and made
their listing stand out by adding a logo, photos, videos, social media links, a company description and that all important back link to your own website.
The website is regularly reviewed to ensure we can be as optimised as possible when it comes to SEO. Updating your own listings massively helps with this. If you need assistance with anything technical, our office team are always happy to help.
Members can benefit from the ‘members price’ on all training courses, which can mean up to £100 off standard training fees. A further discount is automatically applied at checkout if booking two or more delegates from your company on the same course. We run a variety of courses throughout the year, including a number of member-only programmes such as Textile Insect Pest Control.
Our Professional Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning course is now CPD accredited, which means cleaning professionals undertaking course will also earn CPD points, which will help reflect their ongoing skills in training and competence in their field.
Did you know? As a member you have FREE access to FOUR essential business services; Health & Safety, HR, Legal and Tax from Quest. With these services you have access to document libraries where you can download from a bank of hundreds of templates. A helpline is also available for further advice and support. All schemes and important details can be found under the Membership Benefits page in the Members Area.
The NCCA Members group is a private environment where fellow members can network, in a professional capacity, about all things industry related. We also have a Corporate specific group where multiple Corporate Members can openly advertise, engage and respond with brand specific answers.
The NCCA Directors have been involved in the carpet and upholstery cleaning industry for many years and are on hand to offer free advice and generally assist with any cleaning related problems. As the Directors are not based in the NCCA office and offer their time voluntarily, we have a technical advice form on the Members Area of the website. We receive weekly enquiries ranging from tricky stains to unusual designer fabrics.
Following on from technical support, sometimes the NCCA need to provide further assistance to Members. ADR is now a lawful process within the UK legal framework to find a resolution to disputes to endeavour to free up more court time for the most important cases. If you have a dispute with a consumer who wishes to progress the matter to court, the court will refer the matter back to both parties to instigate the ADR process before it is returned to the court. The cost of employing an outside ADR representative will cost on average, anywhere between £50-800 per hour. The NCCA will act as an intermediary on the behalf of both parties to use our knowledge and skills to determine a resolution between both parties, without the need to engage expensive legal representation.
All official NCCA documents, membership upgrade application forms, TrustMark application documents, general meeting minutes/reports, complaints guidance and many more can be found in the secure Members Area of the website. Being a member of the NCCA means you have agreed to abide by the Articles of Association, Code of Practice and other rules and regulations. Please take the opportunity to fully review and understand these documents.
We have created a bank of images, audio & video clips and guides under Member Documents, which members are free to use on social media pages, websites and any other marketing materials.
The online shop has bespoke membership merchandise, including leaflets, decals, survey forms and other items available to purchase from the NCCA.
Corporate Members are industry suppliers, manufacturers and service providers registered with the NCCA. We recommend our Corporate Members for equipment, chemicals, insurance and much more. The list can be searched by category and location online. Many Corporate Members offer member-only schemes and discounts such as:
Factotum - Telephone Answering Service
Coversure Kidderminster & Movo Insurance Brokers - Insurance
Sitewizard - Web design services
The Rug Laundry - Commission on rug cleaning referrals
Various suppliers - Discounts of spot & stain kits and chemicals following our Advanced Spot & Stain Removal course
The NCCA are working in partnership with Controlaccount Plc to assist members in dealing with slow paying customers. A fast, efficient, low cost solution to outstanding account management by the UK’s leading Collection Company to the service industries. NCCA members are entitled to a discounted rate for the collection of accounts. Controlaccount are able to collect outstanding accounts utilising the LPA (late payment act) to cover the majority of recovery costs reducing fees. This service works on a no collection, no fee arrangement, and so if they are unable to recover your debt there would be no charge for using our service.
Membership fees can be spread across 12, 9 or 6 month Direct Debit plans. All Direct Debit plans are interest free and no additional charge. If you want to pay over a bespoke plan, such as every 6 weeks or every quarter, not a problem!
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, we introduced payment holidays and extended due dates for invoices. We've extended our usual 30-day terms to 90 days for all invoices for membership fees. Direct Debit plans also have the flexibility of having payment 'holidays' so can start paying in July or September when paying over 9 or 6-month plans.
TrustMark is the Government endorsed initiative to help consumers find reliable and trustworthy local tradespeople to carry out repairs and maintenance within and outside the home. It is widely supported by consumer protection organisations, local Trading Standards authorities and the Office of Fair Trading.
The NCCA was awarded Scheme Operator status for the Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning industry category, and TrustMark membership within that category is only available to NCCA members (who meet the eligibility criteria). All the relevant TrustMark documentation and application can be found on our dedicated TrustMark page.
Your unique membership logo will be provided following your welcome email. Feel free to use this on your website, social media pages and any other marketing materials. Tip: If you're using the logo on your website, be sure to link the image back to your Trusted Local Cleaners listing to help with SEO!
We also have a number of logo branded merchandise available to purchase from the NCCA online shop.
As of 27th January: