Sparkling Nest customers book a cleaning online, pay by PayNow and get their updates, reminders, invoices and receipts on WhatsApp automatically. The office team schedules and assigns cleaners from one weekly view. Cleaners open their jobs from a WhatsApp link, clock in with GPS and upload job photos, and the system turns those clock-ins into timesheets and a monthly salary report.
| Client | Sparkling Nest, home cleaning, Singapore |
|---|---|
| What we built | Customer booking portal, admin portal and phone pages for cleaners, on one set of records |
| Automated | WhatsApp updates and reminders, invoices and receipts, cleaner schedule links, cancellation fees, timesheets and salary |
| AI used | None. Every automation follows rules the business sets. |
What a cleaning business has to keep in step
Every cleaning job connects four things: a customer, a time slot, a cleaner and a payment. Each booking also brings messages to send (confirmation, reminders, changes), a decision on fees when a customer cancels or moves a booking, and hours to record for the cleaner's pay. When these live in separate chats and sheets, the office spends its day copying details from one place to another. The aim of this system is to keep all of it on one set of records, so each step can trigger the next.
How one booking flows through the system
- The customer books online. They pick a service, see the free time slots and choose one. The slot is held for a few minutes while they finish, so two people cannot take it at once.
- They pay by PayNow. The portal shows the PayNow QR code and the customer uploads their proof of payment. The office is alerted on WhatsApp and approves it in the admin portal.
- Invoice and receipt go out by themselves. When the payment is approved, the system creates the invoice and receipt PDFs with running numbers and sends the customer a link on WhatsApp.
- A cleaner is assigned. The office picks from a list of cleaners who are free at that time, or the customer chooses a preferred cleaner for services that allow it. The cleaner gets the job on WhatsApp.
- Reminders are sent. The customer gets a reminder 3 days and 1 day before the cleaning and can reply Confirm or Cancel. The cleaner gets a reminder 2 hours before the job.
- The cleaner clocks in on site. From the phone page they clock in and out with GPS, upload job photos and report any problem. A clock-in far from the job address is flagged for the office.
- Hours become pay. Each day the system turns clock-ins into timesheets, and the monthly salary report (with an Excel export) is built from them.
What the screens look like
Simplified illustrations of three screens in the system. Names, times and details are made up.
What runs automatically
| When this happens | The system does this |
|---|---|
| A booking is submitted, confirmed, moved or cancelled | Sends the customer a WhatsApp update |
| A new booking or payment proof comes in | Alerts the office on WhatsApp |
| A payment is approved | Creates the invoice and receipt and sends the link on WhatsApp |
| A booking is already fully paid and not short notice | Confirms it without waiting for the office |
| 3 days and 1 day before a cleaning | Reminds the customer, who can reply Confirm or Cancel |
| A cleaner is assigned, or the job changes | Tells the cleaner on WhatsApp, then reminds them 2 hours before |
| The week's schedule is ready | Sends each cleaner a link to their schedule for the coming week |
| A customer cancels or reschedules | Works out the fee from the notice-period rules and returns any balance as wallet credit |
| Every day | Turns clock-ins into timesheet hours |
What stays with the office team
Automation handles the repeated steps; people keep the decisions. In the admin portal the team:
- approves or rejects each payment proof, and can void and reissue invoices;
- assigns and reassigns cleaners on a weekly schedule, with one row per cleaner, and publishes the week;
- reviews customer change requests (a "Cancel" reply to a reminder becomes a request, not an instant cancellation);
- sets the business rules: booking rules, cancellation fee rules, invoice numbering, PayNow details, and which WhatsApp messages are switched on;
- sets prices per service, by the hour where needed, and per customer;
- sees today's and this week's work, and anything waiting for them, on a dashboard, with an activity log of changes.
Built for cleaners on the move
Cleaners do not need to install an app or remember a password. Each job and each weekly schedule arrives as a WhatsApp link that opens a simple phone page. From there they see the job details, clock in and out, add photos and report problems. GPS clock-in gives the office a record of attendance without phone calls, and the same records feed straight into timesheets and salary.
Customer data is protected
Customer names, phone numbers and addresses are stored encrypted in the database, and staff reach the system through their own logins. This matters for any Singapore business handling personal data under the PDPA.
Why this system uses no AI
Not every business needs AI. Sparkling Nest's work follows clear, repeatable rules: which slots are free, when to remind, how much to charge for a late cancellation, how many hours a cleaner worked. Rules like these are predictable, easy for staff to trust and easy to change in the settings. AI can be added later where it helps, such as answering common questions, but the core workflow does not depend on it.
Could this work for your business?
The same pattern (book, pay, assign, remind, record hours, pay staff) fits most service businesses that send people to customers: cleaning, aircon servicing, maintenance, tuition, beauty and more. See more examples on our workflow automation page, or read what to automate first if you are not sure where to start. Implementation starts from S$3,000, plus a monthly fee based on usage, and a typical system is ready for testing in 2 to 4 weeks.
More from Exactflo: all case studies, business automation services for SMEs, WhatsApp automation and how a project runs.
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