CREATIVELY ORGANIZING
Sub-contracting manual
The Way of
OrganizingCreatively
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How To Customize This Manual
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About the “Picture” Icons
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Section Breaks are Key
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About Pictures and Captions
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How To Generate a Table of Contents
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How To Customize This Manual
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About Pictures and Captions
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How To Generate a Table of Contents
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How To Create an Index
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How To Change Headers and Footers
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How To Save Time in the Future
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How To Create a Document
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More Template Tips
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What do you need to Know?
There are several steps you will be taking in order to become prepared to become a sub-contractor with Creatively Organizing.
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ssentially you are your own independent business person. As such, you have entered into a subcontracting agreement with Creatively Organizing to provide organizing services to a variety of customers. By the time you read this you will have already signed the:
Sub-contract agreement Agreement for your compensation Training agreement (if necessary) There will be three parts to your training: 1. Administrative Responsibilities 2. Theory and Concepts of Professional Organizing in the Creatively Organizing way. 3. Ethics 4. Internship/On the job training
Administrative Responsibilities In order to prepare and begin working with customers on your own you will be signed up for and introduced to four online systems to manage your customers, bill and receive payments, and schedule your customer appointments. It would be optimal for you to have an Iphone or Android device in order to utilize these online systems remotely when you are with customers. However, you can manage using a
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laptop with a wireless internet connection or your home computer. If you are using your home computer you will need to be a good note taker. Some of the benefit to having an Iphone or Andrioid device is the ability to use Square, a credit card processing app. There are four websites/Apps that you will use as a Creatively Organizing subcontractor:
CRM (customer relationship management) system: www.Upvise.com: $50 annually Invoicing system: Zoho.com Receiving Credit Card payments, Square: 2.75 % of $ received Scheduling: Full Slate: $20 monthly
CRM: Upvise.com
Customer management: You will be responsible to familiarize yourself with and utilize this system for all of your customers. Of course, we provide initial training and on going support. It is a cloud based system, which means that all the information is stored on a remote server and you can access it from any android or Iphone devise or from a PC. Once you are signed up for the service and access it you will see that it is very user friendly and easy to learn. This CRM system has many features that we will not require you to use. The following is a list of our expectations regarding your use of the Upvise CRM system: 1. Contact Information: Insure that complete contact information is entered into the system. When you receive a referral for a customer it should come with complete contact information already entered into this system. As a check’s and balance measure you are to check the information and complete any information that is not entered such as email, etc . 2. Notes: When you receive a customer there should be a note with information on particulars that were discovered during our initial conversation with the customer. We will expect that you complete a note after each interaction with your customer. This is to insure that if something were to happen to you, we would be able to know what their status is and other pertinent details that would allow someone else to take over or follow-up for you. It is also a great asset for us to support you in trouble shooting as you work with your clients. We are a team and I am always available to discuss with you any client, their challenges or to give ideas. Having the notes makes it easy for me to update myself on and expeditiously jump right into meaningful conversation with you. Finally, as you become busier it is easy to forget the nuances of a customers situation.
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On occasion a customer will have to take a break from their organizing and it is good to have these notes to refresh yourself once your work presumes. There are two types of notes needed. a. Initial Consultation Notes a narrative on the assessment you have done. All notes should end with statement for next action to take. b. Session Notes: This note contains a narrative of what happened during the session such as accomplishments, goals reached, any work the customer agrees to do between sessions any action that you need to take between sessions. Remember there is a button on the android app to insert date. You will have to insert the date on the Andriod/Iphone. If you are accessing from a PC it will automatically add the date to any note. You are welcome to take a picture of your summary sheet that you give to your customer as your note. We will show you how to do this. 3. Forms: An Assessment form has been created in this system to guide you through your initial telephone conversations and Initial Consultation. 4. Tasks: Tasks are for scheduling to do’s for you. When you set them up it will allow you to set a “due date” and the system will send you an email. You will use this for things like shopping lists, referral gathering, idea gathering for a particular system to put into place, what to bring to the next session, etc. You will also use tasks to assist customers in creating new habits and send them reminders of their “homework”, so to speak. 5. Pictures: You can also take pictures under the main activity screen. However, you will you’re your before and after pictures using the Assessment form. “Take Pictures” is to be used to take before and after pictures. These pictures are taken so that you have a reference to ponder the space after your initial consultation and also to show the customer the progress they are making. It is preferable for you to ask each customer if they mind us using the pictures confidentially in our marketing. However, often it is obvious because of what you observe in the client that they would likely be uncomfortable having their pictures used. In these cases don’t ask for this. Let them know that you are taking the pictures only for them and assure them that you would never use them without their permission. These are the only components of this system that you are expected to use. However if you, feel that some other component would be helpful to you in managing your customers, feel free to use them. Invoicing with Zoho.com:
Zoho.com is an invoicing system where you will create invoices for your clients. This system will create “Creatively Organizing” invoices on your android phone while you are with your client. Once you accept payment by check or cash you can then email them a copy of the paid invoice or a statement from the zoho mobil app. Square: Square is a method for taking payments through credit cards. You will download the app to your phone and we will provide you with a password, user name and account number. You can go to staples and purchase the device that will plug into your Iphone, Android or tablet that scans the cards. We will walk you through this process.
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Scheduling:
We have an online scheduler which your customers or you may access from our website. This is a straight forward process and a user friendly system, easy to learn. Always try to schedule your next session during the one you are wrapping up. If you are running short of time, it is easy to leave the scheduling until later. We want to remember that our clients are very busy and their schedules fill up quick. You want to get them on the schedule because they won’t think about calling you to say we need to schedule so that I can make my dr. appointment, etc. Next thing you know their week will be full.
Handling the Money Payments are due from your customers at the end of each session. If your customer has extenuating circumstances and would like to make payments contact Judy to explore whether payments can be taken. When you receive payments from Creatively Organizing customers they will may check payable to Creatively organizing. You are responsible for: Receiving Payments:
All checks will be endorsed “Deposit Only” with the account number (to be provided) and mailed to Judy Mauer. Complete the form in the dropbox shared folder “Subsonctactor Payment” Checks received by Friday will be processed on the following Monday and you will receive payment for your invoice by Friday of that week. Mail to: o Judy Mauer o 10567 98th Street, Largo, FL 33773
Should a customer pay you cash you can either send a money order or one of your own personal checks with your weekly mailing. Do not mail cash. If you send money orders, check with your accountant about whether or not the cost of the money order is a deductable expense for you.
If there are payments due from you to Creatively Organizing for training, you will deduct them as shown on the “Subcontractor Payment” form. When you sell a package and collect payment you will: You will create a credit note in the Zoho.com invoicing system. Each time you complete a session with the client you will create an invoice for that session and apply the appropriate amount of credit. We will deposit checks for packages into an escrowed account and you will add each session that you are owed payment for onto your Subcontractor Payment form. Packages Sold:
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Theory and Concepts Fundamentals of Organizing We are going to take you through the process of learning the fundamentals in an order from initial phone contact to end of project with a customer. Initial Phone Contact: Is to sell the client on Creatively Organizing, after all we are the best. This call is essential for relationship building and finding out any details that are important to you prior to visiting. After completing a couple of calls on your own you will settle into a style of your own for handling the initial call. These are guidelines to help you get started and some concrete logistical todo’s for this call. To Do’s:
When responding to a message or referral review notes so that any particulars they customer has already expressed are fresh in your mind. It is a good conversation starter to be able to restate what their needs are from the notes.
If the customer schedules an Initial Consultation enter their data in schedulicity, schedule their appointment for them and update or input their information into upvise.
Most often people are sensitive to having a stranger come into their home and see the chaos/mess. Ask them how they feel about it. If it is uncomfortable reassure them that their mess is your inspiration and that you don’t have a judgmental bone in your body. And let them know that it is important for them not to clean for you. You do need to see things just as they are get the full picture as part of the assessment.
Review what the flow of the initial consultation will be and ask them if they have any questions. Ask them if they are ready to schedule. Call Flow:
You have entered their information into the Upvise system: o
Click on “Forms”
o Click on “+New” in the top right hand corner o Fill out the demographics section. o Review the section for “Initial Call” the next several questions will guide you through this call.
Call the customer: Introduce yourself and ask them to tell you why it is that they have called. Let them keep talking until they finish, but no more than 10 or so minutes. Take notes as necessary. At times you may want to interrupt them politely to ask them clarifying questions.
Repeat back to them key points you pick up as areas of concern for them so that they know they have been heard. They may add a couple of points at this time.
Then you will move the conversation in a different direction by saying, “Ok, let me share with you how we work.” Then you will cover the following points: o First, we come out and do an Initial Consultation, which we charge for . . . (see the description below for initial consultations.
Initial Consultation: “script” It is more than an estimate! So we want you to be sure that I am the right organizer for you before we schedule. This is the foundational appointment which will set the tone for the organizing work that will be done. The only time that an initial consultation is not scheduled is when a customer is certain they only want one or two areas such as the kitchen, kids room, or maybe the garage to be organized. All other customers will need to have an initial consultation prior to completing sessions. For you it sounds like ___________________ (you want your whole home, or only two rooms organized). Where do you live? For you this appointment will be $____________, and it takes about 2-3 hours. *Note: When long driving distances are involved you can combine the initial consultation with the first session. However, we do not ever compromise price for the initial consultation whether combined or separate. Use your best judgment there are circumstances that may arise that will cause you to want to combine them. The reason for this is the time and thought that goes into processing the information that was gathered during the consultation. You will spend time thinking about this client and coming up with ideas after you leave. It is preferred to try and schedule several days between the initial consult and the first session. The initial Consult has 5 major components and can take anywhere from 1 ½ - 3 hours. For families it can be a little longer.
Visioning Relationship building (where we get to know each other) Assessment Clearly defining the priorities 7
ď ˛ Creating a vision and sketchy plan of action and picking a definite starting point for the first session. *Note: I always explain that organizing is a process and that often the plan we start with changes because of life circumstances, a better way reveals itself, or the customers priorities change. So we talk about the big picture and the over all plan, but basically we pick a starting place for our first session Preparation: You will want to bring in with you a notebook for taking notes or your
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