Keep your clients. Add the drone.
DroneLink is building partnerships with established window-washing and exterior-cleaning companies. You keep the client and the ground work; the drone takes the high and hard-to-reach work. The program is coming, and you can apply to be notified.
A drone is a tool your crews do not have yet
Window cleaning companies already own the relationships: the property managers, the strata councils, the commercial landlords who call every spring. What limits growth is usually access. High walls mean rope crews, stages or lifts, anchor certification, insurance for work at height and a limited number of people qualified to do it. Some jobs get turned down because the access costs more than the client will pay.
A tethered cleaning drone does a specific part of that work well: pure water rinses and low-pressure soft wash on large, high or fragile surfaces. It does not scrub, detail frames, remove residue or clean inside. That is your crew's work, and it still needs doing on every building. The partnership pairs the two, so the client gets one job and one relationship, with you.
Where the partner program stands
The partner program is coming. DroneLink's cleaning equipment is being acquired and the service is not flying yet. We are talking to cleaning companies now so that the terms, scheduling and on-site roles are worked out before the first joint job, not during it.
On Vancouver Island, DroneLink flights are flown by Elite Drone Solutions, a Transport Canada certified operator in Victoria. Elsewhere, drone capability will come through licensed operators as that network grows; see the licensed operator program. If you want to own the drone work yourself in your territory, that program is the route.
What adding a drone does to your business
The first change is the jobs you can say yes to. Buildings you declined because the anchors were out of certification, the stage would not fit, or the client would not pay for rope access become quotable. So do steep roofs, rooftop solar and fragile tile, where your crews would rather not walk.
The second change is how the day runs. Your crew spends more of it on the work only people can do: storefronts, entries, detail, residue and the ground floor where clients look closest. The drone crew brings its own skid, hose, water treatment and closures, and the two crews share the site plan.
The third change is the record. Many cleaning companies still keep job history in texts and phone photos. On a joint job, photos, notes and sign-off sit in one project that you and your client can both open, which helps at the next renewal and when a council changes. See review and approve for how photo review works today.
How a partnership will run
Apply
Tell us who you are, where you work, what buildings you service and what access methods your crews use today. Contact us to apply to be notified.
Talk it through
We agree how referrals, quotes, scheduling and client contact work, and who carries which insurance for which part of the job.
Joint site assessment
For each building you bring, we assess airspace, surfaces, water and drains. You bring what you know about the building.
One quote to the client
The client deals with you. The drone portion is scoped as its own line so everyone knows who does what.
Cleaning day
Drone crew on the high elevations, your crew on the ground floor, entries, detail and residue.
Shared record
Before and after photos and notes go into one project record on the DroneLink platform, so the building's history stays together.
A typical split of the work
| Task | Your crew | Drone crew |
|---|---|---|
| Client relationship and quote | Yes | Supports with the drone scope |
| Ground floor glass, entries, storefronts | Yes | No |
| High glass and cladding rinse | Where the client prefers rope or stage | Yes, where the building suits it |
| Residue, labels, paint, hard-water stains | Yes | No |
| Roof soft wash and solar rinse | Ground support | Yes |
| Ground closure and resident notices | Shared | Shared |
| Photos and records | Shared on one project | Shared on one project |
What partners worry about, and how it is handled
Losing the client
A cleaning company introduces a new supplier and the client goes direct.
Unclear liability on site
Two crews, one building, and nobody sure whose insurance covers the hose on the sidewalk.
Scheduling around weather
Both crews need the same dry, calm day.
The partners we are looking for
- Established window-washing, pressure-washing or exterior-cleaning companies with commercial, strata or institutional clients.
- Firms that already work to written safety programs and carry commercial liability insurance.
- Teams that know their buildings: which have anchors, which have difficult access, which clients complain.
- Companies in British Columbia first, then elsewhere in Canada and the United States as the network is built.
Questions
Will drones replace window cleaners?
No. Drones rinse and soft wash large surfaces from a distance. Detail work, residue removal, ground floors, frames and interiors still need people. Most buildings will be cleaned by both.
How do I add drone cleaning to my window cleaning business?
You can buy equipment, train pilots and get certified yourself, partner with a drone operator, or join a licensed operator program. Partnering lets you offer it without owning aircraft or holding pilot certificates.
Who owns the client in a DroneLink partnership?
You do. The partnership is designed so the cleaning company keeps the relationship and DroneLink supplies the drone portion.
Do my staff need drone certificates to be a partner?
Not to partner. Our pilots fly the aircraft. If you want your own people flying, look at the licensed operator program and pilot training.
Can I keep using rope access on some buildings?
Yes. Some buildings, elevations and tasks suit rope or stage work better, for example where detail work is needed at height or airspace limits flying. The joint assessment decides the method per elevation, not per company.
Is the partner program open now?
It is coming. You can apply to be notified and we will contact you as the cleaning service launches in your area.
What kind of buildings suit a drone partnership?
Mid-rise and taller buildings, large glass areas, steep or fragile roofs, rooftop solar, and buildings where anchors are missing or out of certification. The joint assessment decides building by building.
Tell us about your Vancouver site.
An address and what you need is enough to start. We reply with the price, who will fly it and when.