A good cleaning business phone script does four things in under three minutes: greets the caller by company name, asks seven discovery questions (bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, frequency, condition, pets, extras), presents a price with the recurring option first, and closes by offering two specific time slots. The full script, three objection responses and a voicemail version are below.
Why does a cleaning company need a phone script?
Because the caller has usually phoned two other companies already, and the one that quotes and books on the first call wins. Jobber's 2026 survey found that only 26% of cleaning companies respond to a lead within an hour. A script turns "I'll work up a quote and call you back" into "Tuesday at 9 or Thursday at 1?"
It also makes the call the same whoever answers: you, a crew lead, your partner, or an AI receptionist. Consistency is what lets you hand the phone off without losing bookings.
Before you use the script you need two things in front of you: a price list you can quote from (by bedrooms and bathrooms, with add-on prices) and your live schedule. Without both, every call ends as a callback.
The complete inbound script
Fill in the bracketed parts once, print it, and tape it next to the phone. Speak it, don't read it; the point is the order of the questions, not the exact words.
1. Greeting (5 seconds)
"Thanks for calling [Company], this is [Name]. Are you looking to get a cleaning scheduled?"
If yes: "Great, I can get you a price right now. Can I grab your first name and the ZIP code of the home?"
Check the ZIP against your service area before going further. If it's outside: "We don't cover [area] yet, but [referral or waitlist]. Sorry I can't help today."
2. Discovery (60–90 seconds)
"A few quick questions so the price is accurate."
- "How many bedrooms?" ___
- "How many bathrooms, counting half baths?" ___
- "Roughly how many square feet? A guess is fine." ___
- "Are you thinking of a one-time clean, or something regular like weekly, every two weeks, or monthly?" ___
- "When was the home last professionally cleaned?" (This is the condition question. Over three months or "never" means a deep clean first.) ___
- "Any pets in the home?" (Shedding adds time; some crews have allergies.) ___
- "Anything extra you'd like included: inside the oven, inside the fridge, interior windows, laundry, a move-out?" ___
Optional, if it changes your price: "Is anyone home during the day, or will we need a key or a code?"
3. Price presentation (30 seconds)
Lead with the recurring price, then the first visit, then the one-time price.
"For a [3]-bed, [2]-bath at about [1,800] square feet, our every-two-weeks rate is $[150] per visit. Because it's been a while since the last professional clean, the first visit is a deeper clean at $[250], and then it drops to $[150] from the second visit on. If you only want a one-time clean, that's $[275]. Most of our clients go with the every-two-weeks plan because the home stays at that standard and it's the best price per visit."
Then stop talking.
4. Objection handling (see the three responses below)
5. Booking close (30 seconds)
"Do you have a day of the week that works best?"
Offer two specific slots from your live schedule, never an open question:
"I have [Tuesday the 30th at 9am] or [Thursday the 2nd at 1pm]. Which is better?"
"Perfect. Can I get the street address and the best mobile number for a confirmation text?"
6. Confirmation (20 seconds)
"You're booked for [Tuesday the 30th at 9am], a first-visit deep clean at $[250], then every two weeks at $[150]. You'll get a text in a minute with the details, and a reminder the day before. Anything else I can answer?"
"Thanks, [Name]. See you Tuesday."
How do you handle the three most common objections?
Every price objection is really a question. Answer the question, then return to the close.
Objection 1: "That's more than I expected."
"I understand. What were you hoping to spend?" (Let them say a number.) "The gap is usually the first visit. If we do a standard clean instead of a deep clean on the first visit, it's $[175], but I'd be honest that a home that hasn't been professionally cleaned in a while won't get to the finish you want in one standard visit. The every-two-weeks rate of $[150] is the number that matters over time. Would you like me to hold a slot at that rate?"
Never drop the recurring price. Adjust the scope (skip the deep clean, skip an extra), not the rate.
Objection 2: "I need to talk to my spouse / think about it."
"Of course. Can I pencil you in for [Tuesday at 9] so the slot doesn't go to someone else? There's no charge to cancel, and I'll text you the quote so you have it in writing. If I don't hear back by [tomorrow at 5], I'll release the slot." (Then send the text within one minute.)
A held slot with a written quote converts far better than "call me back when you've decided."
Objection 3: "Another company quoted me less."
"That happens. Can I ask what that quote included?" (Listen for hourly pricing, a smaller scope, or no deep clean.) "Ours is a flat rate for the whole home, the same two people each visit, and we're insured. If they're quoting hourly, ask them what the cap is; a lot of our clients came to us after a two-hour quote turned into four. I'm happy to send you our checklist so you can compare line by line. Should I hold [Thursday at 1] while you look?"
Compete on scope and certainty, not on price.
The short version for your voicemail greeting
If nobody can pick up, the greeting should do three things: tell the caller you are on a job (not ignoring them), promise a specific callback window, and give them a faster path.
"Hi, you've reached [Company]. We're on a job right now and can't get to the phone. Leave your name, number, and how many bedrooms and bathrooms, and we'll call back within [one hour] with a price. Or text this number and we'll reply faster. Thanks."
Set an automatic text reply for missed calls as well: "Hi, this is [Company]. Sorry we missed you, we're on a clean. How many beds and baths? We'll text a price right back." Fewer than 3% of callers sent to voicemail leave a message, according to Invoca's 2024 home-services data, so the text is often the only thing that saves the lead.
What should the confirmation text say?
The booking is not real to the customer until it is in writing. Send this within a minute of hanging up:
"[Company]: You're booked for Tue Sep 30 at 9:00am. First-visit deep clean $250, then every 2 weeks at $150. Address: [street]. Reply C to confirm or call [number] to change. Reminder coming the day before."
Then a reminder the day before, and a "we're on our way" text on the morning. This is where no-shows and lockouts disappear.
Common mistakes to cut from your calls
| Mistake | Why it costs bookings | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Let me work up a quote and call you back" | The caller phones the next company while they wait | Quote from the price list on the call |
| "When would you like us to come?" | Open questions stall | Offer two specific slots |
| Quoting the one-time price first | Anchors high, makes recurring sound like a discount you had to give | Lead with recurring |
| Asking for the address before quoting | Feels like a commitment before they know the price | Address comes after the slot |
| Skipping the condition question | Under-quoted first visit, unhappy crew, unhappy customer | Always ask when it was last cleaned |
| Not sending a written quote to "let me think about it" | Nothing to come back to | Text it inside one minute |
How does an AI receptionist run this script?
This is the exact flow Zela runs on every call, automatically: greeting by company name, the seven discovery questions, a quote from your own price list with the recurring option first, two open slots pulled from your live schedule, the booking, and the confirmation and reminder texts. It answers in under a second, 24/7, and if a caller asks something outside the script (a commercial bid, a complaint, a portfolio of Airbnbs) it takes a structured message or warm-transfers the call to you.
The difference from a script on paper is that it runs while you are mid-shower-scrub with the vacuum going. See how it works for house cleaning and maid services, or hear it take a call on a free demo. If you would rather keep the phone yourself, the seven ways to answer while cleaning are ranked honestly, including when the AI option is the wrong fit.
FAQ
How long should the call take? Two to three minutes from greeting to confirmation if the price list and calendar are in front of you. Discovery is the longest part; the seven questions take about a minute when you ask them in order.
Should I quote over the phone or insist on a walkthrough? Quote on the phone for standard residential work up to around four bedrooms. Walkthroughs are for large homes, hoarding or post-construction conditions, and commercial spaces. Even then, book the walkthrough on the call using the same two-slot close.
What if the caller is an existing customer? Skip discovery. "Hi [Name], are you calling to reschedule, add something, or change frequency?" Jobber's survey found 64% of cleaning leads come from repeat customers; the upsell to weekly or an add-on deep clean is the easiest sale you will make all day.
Sources
- Jobber, Cleaning Industry Trends 2026 (lead sources, response times): https://www.getjobber.com/academy/cleaning/cleaning-industry-trends/
- Invoca, 2024 Home Services Call Analytics Report (voicemail behaviour): https://www.invoca.com/blog/how-much-missed-sales-calls-cost-home-services-businesses
- Hicira, missed-call statistics summary (BIA/Kelsey callback data): https://www.hicira.com/missed-call-statistics