DumpsterBossPro Blog — Running a Dumpster Business

Fewer Where-Is-My-Dumpster Calls: Customer Texts for a Dumpster Business

The most common call a roll-off company gets is some version of "When is my dumpster coming?" or "When are you picking it up?" Each one takes a minute or two, interrupts whatever you were doing, and usually ends with someone calling the driver to find out. Multiply that by a busy week and it adds up to hours.

This guide follows Quotes That Close: Sending Dumpster Quotes Customers Approve Online. Here is how to answer those questions before customers have to ask.

Automated Texts at the Right Moments

The simplest fix is to tell customers what is happening as it happens. An automated confirmation when the job is scheduled. An on-the-way text when the driver heads to the site. An arrival text when he gets there. Each one answers a question the customer would otherwise call about.

In DumpsterBossPro, the driver sends on-the-way and arrival texts from the driver app, and automated texts and emails go out for other updates, invoices and payment reminders. Customers who know the truck is twenty minutes away do not call to ask.

Keep the messages short and plain. Your company name, what is happening and roughly when. Avoid long texts full of terms and conditions; save those for the quote. A customer should be able to read the whole message at a glance while standing in the kitchen.

Live Driver Map in the Customer App

For customers who want to watch, the customer app shows a live map of the driver on the way. A homeowner waiting to move the car out of the driveway can see when the truck is close. A contractor's superintendent can see whether the swap will arrive before his crew needs to start loading again.

The same app shows invoices, lets customers pay online, keep a card on file and request a service. A homeowner who is done loading can request a pickup without calling, which also gets the request onto your Waiting List immediately.

Fewer Dry Runs

Communication cuts dry runs too. Many dry runs happen because the customer did not know the truck was coming: a car is parked where the can should go, the gate is locked, or the can is not ready for pickup. An on-the-way text gives them time to fix it.

For tricky jobs, confirm the day before with a quick two-way text. Ask them to move vehicles, unlock gates or confirm the can is ready. A minute of texting saves an hour of wasted driving.

Pickups deserve the same care as deliveries. Customers often keep loading right up to the day of the pickup, and a can piled above the top or with something it should not contain can turn a pickup into a dry run. A reminder text the day before — keep the load level with the top and remember the items we cannot take — prevents a lot of those trips.

Two-Way Texting From the Office

Many small roll-off companies text customers from the owner's personal phone. It works until you hire someone else to answer, take a day off or lose track of a conversation in a personal thread. Two-way texting from the system keeps every customer conversation in one place the office can see.

That matters as you grow. Your office person can see what was said, answer questions and update customers without asking you. Customers get answers faster, and you get your phone back.

It also protects you. When there is a disagreement later about what was promised — the placement spot, the pickup day, an extra charge — the conversation is on record in the system, not lost on a phone that has since been replaced. Your office can look it up in seconds.

Set Expectations Clearly

Texts work best when they match what you promised. If you tell a customer delivery will be Tuesday, do not let it slide to Wednesday without telling them. If a pickup is delayed, text them before they notice. Customers forgive delays far more easily when they hear about them first.

Use time windows, not exact times, unless you are sure. "Tuesday morning" is a promise you can keep. "9 a.m. sharp" often is not.

Measure the Difference

After a few weeks of automated texts and two-way texting, notice how often the phone rings with where-is-my-dumpster calls. Most owners find it drops noticeably. That time goes back into selling, planning and running the trucks.

The next guide covers hiring your first office person, which gets easier once communication runs through the system. For an overview of automated texts and the customer app, see the dumpster rental business software page.