TivloYou win the contract. The client is pleased. You've made promises about quality, reliability and communication. Now comes the hard part: making sure the client actually knows what they agreed to and what to expect from you.
Most cleaning companies don't have a welcome pack. They have a signed contract, a WhatsApp message and a verbal briefing. That works for very small operations. For any business managing ten or more contracts, it's a system that creates confusion and complaints.
A client welcome pack is a short, practical document you send every new client before their first clean. Here's what to put in it and why.
What a welcome pack is not
Before the contents, a word on what you're not trying to build.
This is not a brochure. It's not a sales document. You've already won the contract. The welcome pack is operational, not promotional.
It's also not the contract. The contract covers legal obligations. The welcome pack covers practical expectations.
Keep it under four pages. One is better.
Section 1: Your point of contact
The first question every new client asks is: who do I call when something's wrong?
Give them one name. One number. One email address. Make it clear whether this person is available outside office hours, and what the process is for genuinely urgent issues.
If you have different contacts for different types of issues (billing versus operational problems) make that distinction clear. But keep it simple. Clients should never be uncertain about who to contact.
Section 2: Your cleaning schedule
Include the agreed schedule for the first month, or the recurring pattern if it's fixed.
Days, times, frequency. Which areas are in scope. Which areas are out of scope (this is important, because clients sometimes assume more is included than was agreed).
If the schedule is subject to change, explain how the client will be notified when changes are made, and with how much notice.
Section 3: What you'll report and when
Tell the client what information they'll receive from you and when. Inspection reports, visit confirmations, any snagging lists and how those get resolved.
If you do monthly reporting, say so. If you send inspection reports after every visit, say so. The client doesn't know what to expect unless you tell them.
Clients who don't receive the information they expected don't usually ask for it. They note the absence and add it to the list of things that aren't quite right.
Section 4: How to raise an issue
Make this simple. One channel. One process.
"If you want to raise something, email [address] or use [portal/form]. We aim to respond within [timeframe]."
Do not give clients three ways to contact you unless all three are monitored equally. A WhatsApp number that sometimes gets checked is worse than no WhatsApp number at all.
Section 5: What you need from them
This section is often missed. What do you need the client to do for the contract to run smoothly?
Access: who provides the key or access code, and what's the process for changes? Contacts: who should your operatives speak to if there's a problem on site? Notifications: if the site is closed for a holiday or event, how should they let you know, and with how much notice?
Clients often don't realise they have responsibilities in a cleaning contract until something goes wrong because those responsibilities weren't met. Get this in writing up front.
Section 6: Service standards
Include a brief summary of your quality standards. Not marketing language ("we pride ourselves on excellence"). Specific and measurable ("we conduct a formal inspection every four weeks and share the report with you within 48 hours").
This serves two purposes. It sets expectations. And it gives you a benchmark to measure your own performance against.
Sending the welcome pack
The welcome pack should arrive within 24 hours of the contract being signed. Earlier is better.
Format matters less than timeliness. A clear PDF or a well-formatted email both work. What doesn't work is a set of attachments and verbal explanations sent the day before the first clean, when the client is already anxious and has no time to read anything carefully.
The return on a well-built welcome pack
It's a two-hour project to build a welcome pack template. Once you have it, filling it in for a new client takes 20 minutes.
The return is fewer complaints in the first 90 days, fewer repeat visits from miscommunication, fewer early contract losses from unmet expectations and clients who feel, from day one, that they've hired a professional operation.
That feeling is hard to put a number on. But the absence of it is what drives clients to look elsewhere.
Ready to see how your client communication and onboarding compares to best practice? Take the Tivlo Cleaning Business Scorecard in 10 minutes. Visit score.tivlo.app.
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