How to schedule cleaning crews

Start with recurring visit rules

Most cleaning schedules repeat — weekly homes, bi-weekly routes, commercial contract frequencies. Define a recurring visit rule per customer property with frequency, start date, and default assignees. The calendar generates upcoming visits automatically.

• Weekly, bi-weekly, and custom RRULE patterns
• Default employee assignment per rule
• Separate visit recurrence from billing recurrence

Assign crews without double-booking

Use day views filtered by employee to see who is available. When two jobs share a time, the day view shows them side by side. Click a job to open the full appointment. For commercial routes, assign default crews to each property under a billing contact.

• Employee filters on day, week, and month views
• Conflict visibility when assigning crews
• Drag-and-drop rescheduling for single visits

Tell the crew what the job needs

When you schedule or edit a job, add job notes the assigned cleaners can read on their schedule and on the job. Customer crew notes travel with every job for that customer. Office notes stay in the office and are not shown to field staff.

• Pick a job type when scheduling. Built-in types are included; Pro plans can add custom names under Settings → Job types.
• Add an optional community name on the service location for gated neighborhoods.
• Job notes are specific to that visit. Crew notes are specific to the customer.

Handle call-outs and reassignments

When a cleaner calls in sick, reassign their visits on the day view or filter by employee to see the full impact. For customer-initiated changes, use the reschedule inbox (Business+) instead of playing phone tag.

Turn on On our way under Settings → Operations if you want the crew to email the customer before they arrive. The button shows on the job until check-in, and each appointment sends that email only once.

Field staff request time off from their schedule. Owners and admins get an email with a link to approve or deny it. Open the team member to see their jobs beside that time off: approved time is a solid block, and a request still waiting for review has a dotted outline. If you approve time that still has that person’s jobs on the calendar, you get a second email listing those jobs. They also stay on the schedule Issues list until you move them or assign someone else.

Document backup assignees for your busiest routes before flu season — it saves panic on Monday mornings.

When to upgrade from a spreadsheet

Spreadsheets work for solo operators with a handful of clients. Upgrade to cleaning staff scheduling software when multiple people need the same live schedule, customers request reschedules online, or the office spends Sunday nights rebuilding the week.