TrashCanBossPro Blog — Routes by Trash Day

On-the-Way and Arrived Texts on a Bin Cleaning Route

A bin cleaning customer rarely sees the work happen. They leave for the day with dirty cans at the curb and come home to clean ones. That is the point, but it also means they wonder: did you come? When? Was it today? On-the-way and arrived texts answer those questions without anyone picking up the phone.

How They Fit With the Night-Before Reminder

The "Leave Your Cans Out" Text: Reminders That Keep Bin Cleaning Routes Moving covered the reminder that goes out ahead of a cleaning. On-the-way and arrived texts are the route-day follow-up. The reminder gets the cans to stay at the curb. The on-the-way text tells the customer the trailer is close. The arrived text tells them the tech is there.

Together they cover the whole route day, and the customer never has to call to ask where you are.

Sent Automatically From the Tech's Phone

In TrashCanBossPro, these texts go out automatically as the tech works the route. Nobody in the office has to watch the route and send them by hand, and the tech does not have to type anything. The tech works the stops in order, taps Start and Complete, and the customer messages follow along.

Because the texts follow the route order, a well-ordered route means well-timed texts. If dispatch moves a stop, the texts follow the new order.

What Customers Do With the On-the-Way Text

For bin cleaners, the on-the-way text has one big job: it is the last chance to stop a customer from rolling the cans in. A customer who gets "Your bin cleaning crew is on the way" and glances out the window sees the cans at the curb and leaves them.

It is also the moment to fix a problem before the tech arrives. "Cans are on the side of the house today" or "dog is out, please use the front gate" sent as a reply reaches the office through two-way texting. If the office is watching replies on route days, the tech can know before pulling up.

What the Arrived Text Does

The arrived text tells the customer the tech is at their address. For many customers it is reassurance: someone is there, it is your company and the job is happening. For customers with a gate or a dog, it is a signal to step outside.

It also helps with the "nobody came" call. A customer who got an arrived text at 10:42 knows the tech was there. Combined with the before and after photos the tech takes on the job, it settles questions quickly.

Customers Choose Their Alerts

Not every customer wants every message. In the customer app, customers can pick their alerts: the night before, when they are next, and when the tech arrives. Some want all three. Some only want the night-before reminder. Letting them choose keeps the messages welcome instead of annoying.

The "when they're next" alert is especially useful for bin cleaners. It goes out when the customer is the next stop, which is usually just enough time to make sure the cans are still out.

The Live Map Goes Further

Customers who use the customer app can see more than a text. A live map shows today's route with their place in line, such as "You're stop 12 of 20, the crew is 5 stops away." That is the most useful thing you can give a customer who wants to know when you will get there. "You're Stop 12": The Customer's Live View of Your Bin Cleaning Route goes through it.

Fewer Calls, Fewer Interruptions

Every customer who knows where the trailer is does not call the office. Every call the office does not take is one the tech does not get forwarded while running a pressure washer. On a busy route day, that adds up.

Texts also help the tech. When a customer replies "on my way out to open the gate," the office can pass it along, and the tech waits a minute instead of skipping. When a customer replies "please skip us this week," the office can pull the stop before the trailer drives there. Small replies like these, read in time, save whole stops.

Keep an eye on your monthly text allowance. Plans include 500, 1,000 or 2,000 segments sent and received on Start, Pro and Crew. Route-day texts are short, but on a big route with all alerts on, they add up. Customers who prefer fewer messages can turn some alerts off.

The Short Version

On-the-way and arrived texts go out automatically as the tech works the route, give customers one last nudge to leave the cans out, and cut down on "did you come?" calls. Customers choose which alerts they want. For the rest of the routing tools, go back to the TrashCanBossPro bin cleaning route software page.