Making Tech Feel Human: What Cleaning Businesses Can Learn About Implementing Software and AI in Systems
If you’ve ever wondered whether software and AI can actually make your brand feel more human, not less, this episode was built for you. In our latest Five Door Media Podcast, we sat down with Michelle Jeppesen, Director of Business Development at SendJim, to unpack how today’s smartest home service operators are scaling trust, retention, and referrals using multi-touch marketing, personalized automation, and practical AI.
Below, we’ve distilled the most actionable takeaways from that conversation, so you can steal the plays, skip the guesswork, and start compounding results in your own cleaning business.
Automation isn’t a shortcut for connection - it’s the system that makes connection reliable.
The Big Shift: From “New Leads Only” to “Monetize the List You Already Have”
Many owners chase the next shiny object, usually “more leads.” But as the cleaning space gets more competitive, Michelle sees a mindset shift: squeeze the value from the list you already have. That means nurturing current customers and warm prospects until they’re ready, not just tossing an ad into the void and hoping.
Why this matters:
Your current and past customers are already pre-sold on your value.
Nurtured customers buy more often, spend more per visit, and refer more.
Staying top-of-mind turns their network into your next booked calendar.
Bottom line: If retention and referrals aren’t treated like a core growth channel, you’re leaving money on the table.
Make Automation Personal (On Purpose)
Automation gets a bad rap when it’s used lazily. But Michelle gave a clear blueprint for making automation feel personal, and doing it consistently:
Owner-style check-ins without the bottleneck: After a first service, trigger a voicemail “from the owner” asking how the tech did. Follow with a text asking for feedback. It feels bespoke; it’s actually a workflow.
Real ink, real stamp, real impact: Handwritten cards using real ink and postage. These pieces routinely get opened and they stand out in a digital-only world.
Systematize the human touch: The “special extras” (thank-you notes, post-visit follow-ups, review prompts) should never rely on memory. Put them on rails with automation, so they happen every time.
Pro tip: Map your customer journey and mark 3–5 moments where a human-feeling touch would stand out. Automate those touches so your “special” becomes standard.
Multi-Touch or Missed Opportunity
The operators winning right now aren’t betting on a single channel. They’re stacking email + SMS + direct mail + voicemail, because people pay attention in different places on different days.
Key insights:
The old “7 touches” rule of thumb? Think more like 20 in today’s attention economy.
One postcard or one reminder call isn’t enough. Repetition across channels creates recall.
Timing matters. The “right” touch on the “wrong” day gets ignored; multi-touch systems make sure you’re there when the need resurfaces.
Immediate play:
If you currently send one reminder when six-month cleanings are due, expand it to a sequence:
Text (day 0)
Email with an easy-book CTA (day 2)
Voicemail drop (day 3)
Postcard (day 4)
Text with a quick-reply slot offer (day 5)
The Neighborhood Effect: Turn One Job into Five
Michelle’s 60-second elevator pitch for direct mail was simple and sharp: Your best customer is the neighbor of the customer you already serve. They’ve seen your truck, your team, and maybe a yard sign, which means they’re already primed to say yes.
Plays we loved:
Radius marketing: After each job, trigger a one-mile “neighbor campaign” with postcards, Facebook ads, and on-the-ground door hangers.
Familiar faces win: One creative operator features the local sales rep’s photo in ads, yard signs, and postcards. By the time he knocks, homeowners feel like, “Oh, I know you.” The cold-call becomes a warm welcome.
Do this next:
Build a micro-radius playbook that fires automatically after every completed job:
Social ads (geo-fenced) → Yard sign → Postcard → Door hanger → Rep knock
Keep the same face, truck, and brand colors across all touchpoints to increase familiarity.
AB Test Like a Pro (and Stop Quitting Too Early)
A quiet killer of ROI is treating an early result like a final verdict. Michelle’s advice: Don’t quit - tweak.
Rotate headlines, offers, and CTAs.
Translate percentages into dollar values (e.g., “20% off” → “Save $200”) to improve perceived value.
Measure channel by channel, then combine the winners into one multi-touch sequence.
Practical test ideas:
“20% off spring deep clean” vs. “Save $200 on spring deep clean”
“Book by Friday” vs. “Grab one of 7 discounted slots”
“Free estimate” vs. “Instant 60-second quote”
“Satisfaction guaranteed” vs. “We re-clean free if you’re not thrilled”
Pick one variable per test. Give it real volume. Iterate.
What’s New Under the Hood at SendJim
Michelle highlighted a few platform updates on SendJim and directions that map tightly to how cleaning businesses grow:
More granular targeting & data filters: Draw precise radius “bombs,” filter for homeowner-occupied, income bands, kids in home, and more - so your offline campaigns act more like digital ones.
Built-in texting (blasts + 1:1): Meet customers where they respond fastest.
NiceJob partnership: Bundled review engine + neighborhood social proof. Imagine a neighbor’s five-star review auto-showing up in nearby mailers or messages.
QR code alerts: Instant notifications when someone scans your postcard so your team can follow up while intent is hot.
On deck: AI “smart lists”: Behavior + demographic signals to predict who’s most likely to buy, taking a page from lookalike audiences and applying it to your broader outreach.
Takeaway: The line between “offline” and “online” is disappearing. Treat your mailbox like a high-performance ad channel.
Where AI Helps Today (Without Overcomplicating Your Life)
There’s a lot of hype around AI. Michelle’s stance: use AI where it measurably saves time or lifts quality, especially in admin and communications.
High-value, low-drama uses:
After-hours coverage and intake: AI agents can capture lead info and book holds.
Copy assists: Tighten your postcards, emails, and text scripts.
Polish tough messages: Need to reply professionally to a difficult customer? Let AI draft a calm, clear version.
SOPs in minutes: Turn your best tech’s process into a documented, step-by-step checklist.
Market awareness: Summarize industry updates fast; bring a one-pager to your next team huddle.
The rule: AI should empower your team, not replace their judgment. Think fewer clicks, faster decisions, better consistency.
Scale = Systems: “Slow Down to Go Fast” (with an 80% Rule)
What separates cleaners who scale from those who stall? Michelle points to systems and the leadership discipline to build them.
Tools prevent mistakes; systems make great work repeatable.
Document the way you want things done, then let tech enforce the rhythm.
Adopt the 80% rule: perfect is the enemy of progress. Get the system “good enough,” launch, then improve.
Owner mantra: Slow down to go fast. Spend the extra hour turning a task into a repeatable workflow and earn that hour back a hundred times.
A Five-Step Implementation Playbook
If you’re ready to move from ideas to execution, follow this quick start:
Map your customer journey
Identify 5–7 “moments that matter” (estimate request, job scheduled, day-before reminder, post-service check-in, review ask, 3-month rebook reminder, 6-month maintenance).Assign a channel to each moment
Mix SMS, email, voicemail, and direct mail. At least two touches per key moment.Write “version A” messages
Keep copy short, first-person, and helpful. Add one clear CTA per touch.Automate the sequence
Use your CRM or a platform like SendJim to trigger messages off events (job completed, status changed, time since last service, radius around job site).AB test relentlessly
Change one variable at a time. Log results monthly. Keep the winners.
Extra credit: Enable QR codes on mailers with instant alerts; route to your booking page or quote form. Then text within minutes when someone engages.
Quick Wins Checklist
Add a post-service owner voicemail + text to every first-visit customer.
Convert percentage discounts into dollar-value offers and test the lift.
Launch a radius campaign after every completed job (postcard + local ads + door hanger).
Build a review flywheel that auto-requests and showcases neighbor reviews.
Document one procedure per week using AI to draft your SOPs.
Commit to a multi-touch reactivation for past-due customers (SMS + email + postcard).
Final Word: Tech That Feels Like a Handshake
We loved Michelle’s framing because it’s exactly how Five Door thinks about growth: the right software and AI don’t replace relationships - they make great relationships inevitable. You’re not trying to be everywhere at once; you’re designing a system that makes your brand feel present, personal, and prompt at the moments that matter most.
