Add or Request a Job
Most people when booking, unless it states otherwise, are viewing the confirmed available times from Pros. This is a big advantage over other tools which only let you "request times". There are 3 basic ways to book:
- Book a confirmed time according to your preferences. (Most common)
- Request a time from a pro who does not have an available time you like.
- Request a same-day job from a pro.
You can book a one-time job or book recurring jobs, which we call plans.
To book a one-time job, follow these steps:
- Create an account (or login) at tidy.com
- Add your address
- You will land on a page to pick your job type and frequency. Pick "One Time" if that is the right option for you.
- Follow the rest of the checkout process and you're done!
Jobs can be booked for up to 4 weeks in the future.
If you already have an active plan, you can easily book one-time jobs of any type in addition to your plan. Prices are often lower if you add a one-time job to an existing plan, so it’s usually best to add your plans first, then add one-time jobs. For example, if you want to start with a larger 4 hour cleaning and then have regular 2.5 hour cleanings every week, it’s often less expensive to book the 2.5 hour recurring plan first, then add the 4 hour cleaning as a one-time job.
You can request jobs for times other than the ones listed, including for the same day.
Requesting a same-day job sends a message to Pros who are not already booked, and might be able to accept one of your requested times. This is successful about 60% of the time on average.
Request a same-day job (at additional cost) by selecting the “one-time” frequency in any booking view and clicking “Request Job for Today”. If you had a confirmed appointment, and the Pro had to cancel, you can request a same-day job at no fee by tapping "Request a substitute" on the update that appears on the cancelled job. There are no additional fees for requesting a substitute.
When requesting a same day job or substitute, you can select all the times you are available and we will message Pros in your area to see if they are available for one of those times. If someone accepts we let you know right away, or if no one accepts we’ll let you know 30m before the last requested time. Pros tend to accept around 60% of the time for last.
If you don't see the time you like with a favorite Pro of yours, you can request that they open up their schedule for you. It is pretty common for Pros to do this for their repeat customers. To do this, select them from the dropdown when scheduling.
(1) Tap Schedule Job inside your app.
(2) Select the person you are looking to book from the dropdown.
(3) Select the possible days and times that work for you. The more options, the better.
(4) Finalize your request
(5) If they accept, you will know right away. If after 2 days they don't accept, the request expires. If they like, they can also counter-propose times to work with you.
Some clients wonder why they can't necessarily pick any possible length of job, or start time.
The reason sometimes start times or job lengths appear more limited in TIDY is due to the popularity of using a "Block Schedule".
What is a block schedule? Just like in many schools, it means there are more limited start times for jobs, and lengths are fixed to certain intervals. In the case of cleaning, this means having blocks start at (for example) 8 am, 9:30 am, 11 am, and so on. If you book a 1-hour job, they can do that at 8 am, then make a 2.5-hour job at 9:30 am. If both of those clients cancel, they can book a 4-hour job to span that time.
Block schedules have the following advantages:
- If a client cancels on a pro, the pro is more likely to be able to find a replacement client.
- If a pro cancels on a client, likewise, the client is more likely to be able to find a replacement.
- By booking a fixed length, clients can have pros focus on what is important to them. Typically, clients have a set amount of very important things, and it's an advantage to not have to pay for the unimportant things as a "bundle".
- Expectations are more set.
- There is no need to do quotes. Quoting typically increases the costs for clients because the pro must recoup their lost time quoting.
Of course, this schedule does not always make sense for every use-case, and we do plan on helping clients and pros assess the proper length of time is needed to accomplish a client's to-dos, and book accordingly. Always feel free to give us your feedback!
Note: If you are adding your own pro you work with, you should be able to discuss with them about configuring their account to allow that.