# Tidy Kiwi: one system from estimate to paid commission

> A website, referral programme and operations platform for an Auckland cleaning company.

- Client: Tidy Kiwi
- Year: 2026
- Services: [AI automation](https://cactiq.com/services/ai-automation), [Web and mobile app design](https://cactiq.com/services/web-and-mobile-app-design)
- Stack: WEB, AUTOMATION, XERO
- Live site: https://tidykiwinz.com/
- Outcome: Enquiry to paid commission in one system

## Highlights
- Estimates, jobs, checklists and invoices run in one system
- Referral commissions calculate themselves once a customer pays
- Connected to Xero, so GST is filed from the same records

Tidy Kiwi runs eight cleaning and care services across Auckland: homes, offices, end-of-tenancy, carpets, Airbnb turnovers, car grooming, lawns and gardens. We built their website at [tidykiwinz.com](https://tidykiwinz.com/), and behind it a single system on Cactiq Relay, our operations platform, that carries each job from the first estimate request through to payment.

## The result

Every step from enquiry to paid commission now runs in one system: estimates, jobs, checklists, invoices, reminders, GST and referral payouts. Every customer conversation, job and complaint is on record in one place.

## How a job flows
1. **Enquiry**: A customer fills in the estimate form on tidykiwinz.com, with an optional referral code.
2. **Estimate**: Cactiq Relay drafts the estimate. Staff check it, edit if needed, and send.
3. **Job**: The customer accepts. The job is created and assigned to a cleaner automatically.
4. **Checklist**: The cleaner works through the task template, uploads photos and marks it done.
5. **Invoice**: A card lands in the accountant’s pipeline. The invoice goes out from the system.
6. **Paid**: Reminders follow up until it’s paid. The payment syncs to Xero for GST.
7. **Commission**: If the customer was referred, the commission calculates itself and joins the next payout file.

## The automations
### A website form that writes the first draft

The estimate form posts straight into Cactiq Relay. The system reads the service, rooms and extras, drafts a priced estimate and keeps the conversation on the same record.

Replaces: Copying enquiries out of an inbox and pricing each one from scratch.

### Every job carries its own checklist

Each service has a task template. Cleaners tick items off on their phone, add before-and-after photos, and marking the job done tells the office it’s ready to invoice.

Replaces: Paper checklists, photos lost in camera rolls, “is it finished?” texts.

### Polite reminders that send themselves

Invoices go out when the job closes. If one sits unpaid, friendly reminders follow on a schedule and stop the moment the payment lands.

Replaces: Scanning a spreadsheet for overdue invoices and writing chaser emails.

### The books keep up on their own

Invoices and payments sync to Xero from the same records the team works in, so GST returns are built from data that’s already there.

Replaces: Re-keying invoices into Xero at the end of every month.

### Commissions that calculate themselves

When a referred customer pays, the referrer’s commission is worked out. Payouts export as one bank batch file, with a statement each referrer gets as proof.

Replaces: Matching referral codes to payments by hand and paying people one by one.

### One thread from complaint to fix

A complaint from the website is matched to the customer’s last job. Staff, cleaner and customer talk in one thread, with internal notes the customer never sees.

Replaces: Complaints split across email, phone and text with no record.

## Where the hours come back

Admin minutes per job, by hand and automated. These are typical task times for a small cleaning company, an estimate rather than a measurement at Tidy Kiwi.

| Task | By hand | Automated |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reply to the enquiry and price the estimate | 15 min | 3 min |
| Schedule and assign a cleaner | 8 min | 1 min |
| Collect the checklist and photos | 6 min | none |
| Create and send the invoice | 6 min | 1 min |
| Chase unpaid invoices | 5 min | none |
| Enter it in Xero for GST | 4 min | none |
| Work out referral commissions | 3 min | none |
| **Total per job** | **47 min** | **5 min** |

At 40 jobs a week that is about 28 hours of admin back every week.

Case study by Cactiq Creative Lab: https://cactiq.com/work/tidy-kiwi-operations-platform