Blog

Today small businesses are dealing with a myriad of challenges. Some may call it “The Squeeze.” While insurance, gas, and the cost of doing business continually goes up corporate America dictates the profitability of small service businesses. The “take it or leave it” mentality began back after 9-11 and has continued ever since.

Small businesses must reinvent themselves to offer innovative solutions or else be squashed by the ever-increasing need for big business to lower cost and increase their shareholder or corporate profitability. So what is the best way for small service businesses to survive? Innovate or get rid of overhead.

Here is a picture of one of our competitors who has chosen his/her path.

Eventually unsatisfied end users, patients, tenants, or premature asset performance failures will dictate the need for quality over price once again. It is the circle of economic stability that we all must endure.

The Hidden Side of Customer Satisfaction:  Floor Maintenance

Have you ever walked into a store and immediately noticed how many spills are on the carpet? How about a sticky hard surface or wood that is in need of attention? How about a countertop in disarray? Even if these things do not draw your attention immediately, subliminally they can have a lasting impact on your first impressions of the store and its product line.

There are many professional firms that cater to the development and sustainability of the relationship between the retailer and the consumer, but customer loyalty is achieved when you look at a consumer’s experience holistically. From excellent customer services to the availability of merchandise, there is one component of a positive retail experience that is often, for a lack of a better term, “swept under the rug” — the professional maintenance and cleaning of that retail space.

Customers are sensitive to cleanliness. Clean has been defined as “free of unwanted matter to its greatest optimal extent.” While not everyone will describe what makes something “clean” in the same way, soiled or soured areas definitely detract from the customer experience. Another key component of clean, especially in today’s world, is green.

Many retail stores and their merchandise focus on the sustainable environment. The word “clean” has taken on new meaning because, if you are green, you better be clean. Consumers want green, they seek green and they are demanding green. It is not just about the chemicals used to clean. Part of being green is maintaining a healthy indoor environment.

The negative impact of a soiled surface — on both the store’s indoor air quality and the store’s overall appearance — could be detrimental to any walk-in retail business. Properly maintaining and cleaning hard and soft floor surfaces, rather than replacing them, is an easy and costeffective way to help elevate customer satisfaction and keep more buyers in the store.

Proper maintenance by professional cleaners can and will extend the life of the flooring surfaces. Manufacturers have maintenance guidelines for their products. Every type of floor comes with these specific maintenance instructions. These instructions or guidelines recommend the use of cleaning products and cleaning processes or systems. Usually warranties are tied to the proper use of designated equipment, use and application of chemicals and proper cleaning frequency. Properly specified maintenance programs should be implemented immediately after a new build-out or remodeling.

Maintenance programs should include the four levels of cleaning:

1. Preventative
2. Routine
3. Interim
4. Restorative

Preventative cleaning should be the first step any retail manager takes. It refers to adding soil containment systems or strategically placed indoor and/or outdoor walk-off mats at entrances. The mats should be long enough for people to take three to five steps, though they may need to be larger if the space is bigger. Mats typically not only protect interior floors but also can help to reduce a slip/fall hazard.

The next step is routine or daily cleaning, which includes, but is not limited to, vacuuming, dusting, mopping and spot cleaning. Use high-quality vacuums that remove soil and contain dust with minimal impact on the texture of the commercial carpet. The Carpet & Rug Institute’s (CRI) Green Label certification helps identify high-quality vacuums. Effective spot cleaning is a two-step process. Start by absorbing the spill before treating the spot or stain. The key to spot cleaning is to act quickly because the longer you wait, the higher the probability that a spill will become a permanent stain. The CRI’s Seal of Approval (SOA) program for cleaning agents can help take the guessing out of choosing the correct cleaning products.

Interim cleaning should be completed at regular intervals, depending on the size and traffic of the facility. It usually involves using appearance or surface cleaning systems, and is highly productive, cost-effective and quick drying.

Restorative cleaning requires more intensive cleaning systems and higher levels of training, and it may not be needed as often when proper interim cleaning is performed. Restorative cleaning systems are typically used when the carpet or floor has been neglected, or when it has experienced heavy traffic.

Retail managers should determine how they define “clean” and then appropriate funds to achieve that goal. After your budget is approved, contact a floor cleaning professional to assist in the development of a maintenance program that meets or exceeds those objectives. Visit the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) at www.certifiedcleaners.org to find a certified flooring professional in your area.

Whether you have carpet, wood, marble/granite, polished concrete, VCT or rubber floors, improper cleaning frequency or inadequate cleaning practice leads to higher costs. Waiting to develop a maintenance program until the build-up of soil is visible generally ends up requiring more expensive restorative cleaning or even replacement. The savvy retailer will be proactive rather than reactive when maintaining floors. A properly specified and implemented maintenance program is worth its weight in gold.

Doug Bradford, CR, LEED AP, is CEO of Eco Interior Maintenance, Inc., a commercial textile and detail cleaning company that does business in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Florida. He is currently chair of the Institute of Inspection Cleaning & Restoration Certification’s (IIC RC) S100 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Cleaning of Textile Floor Coverings revision.

 

The Hidden Side of Customer Satisfaction: Floor Maintenance

By Doug Bradford

Have you ever walked into a store and immediately noticed how many spills are on the carpet? How about a sticky hard surface or wood that is in need of attention? How about a counter top in disarray? Even if these things did not draw your attention immediately, subliminally they can have a lasting impact on your first impressions of the store and its product line.

There are many professional firms that cater to the development and sustainability of the relationship between the retailer and the consumer, but customer loyalty is achieved when you look at a consumer’s experience holistically. From excellent customer services to the availability of merchandise, there is one component of a positive retail experience that is often, for a lack of a better term, “swept under the rug” – the professional maintenance and cleaning of that retail space.

Customers are sensitive to cleanliness. Clean has been defined as “free of unwanted matter to its greatest optimal extent.” While not everyone will describe what makes something “clean” in the same way, soiled or soured areas definitely detract from the customer experience. Another key component of clean, especially in today’s world, is green.

Many retail stores and their merchandise focus on the sustainable environment. The word clean has taken on new meaning because, if you are green, you better be clean. Consumers want green, they seek green and they are demanding green. It is not just about the chemicals used to clean. Part of being green is maintaining a healthy indoor environment.

The negative impact of a soiled surface – on “with respect to”  air quality and on the overall look of the[DB1] store – could be detrimental to any walk-in retail business. Properly maintaining and cleaning hard and soft floor surfaces, rather than replacing them, is an easy and cost-effective way to help elevate customer satisfaction and keep more buyers in the store.

Proper maintenance by professional cleaners can and will extend the life of the flooring surfaces. Manufacturers have maintenance guidelines for their products. Every type of floor comes with these specific maintenance instructions. These instructions or guidelines recommend the use of cleaning products and cleaning processes or systems. Usually warrantees are tied to the proper use of designated equipment, use and application of chemicals and proper cleaning frequency. Properly specified maintenance programs should be implemented immediately after a new build out or remodeling.

Maintenance programs should include the four levels of cleaning:

1.    Preventative

2.    Routine

3.    Interim

4.    Restorative

Preventative cleaning should be the first step any retail manager takes. It refers to adding soil containment systems or strategically placed indoor and/or outdoor walk-off mats at entrances. The mats should be long enough for people to take three to five steps, though they may need to be larger if the space is bigger. Mats typically not only protect interior floors but also can help to reduce a slip/fall hazard.

The next step is routine or daily cleaning, which includes, but is not limited to, vacuuming, dusting, mopping and spot cleaning. Use high-quality vacuums that remove soil and contain dust with minimal impact on the texture of the commercial carpet. The Carpet & Rug Institute’s Green Label certification (http://www.carpet-rug.org/commercial-customers/cleaning-and-maintenance/seal-of-approval-products/vacuums.cfm) helps identify high-quality vacuums. Effective spot cleaning is a two-step process. Start by absorbing the spill before treating the spot or stain. The key to spot cleaning is to act quickly because the longer you wait the higher probability that a spill will become a permanent stain. The CRI’s Seal of Approval (SOA) program for cleaning agents can help take the guessing out of choosing the correct cleaning products.

Interim cleaning should be completed at regular intervals, as frequently as semi-annually to once every-other-week (or 2-26 times annually). It usually involves using appearance or surface cleaning systems, and is highly productive, cost effective and quick drying.

Restorative cleaning when proper interim cleaning is preformed may not be needed as often. This cleaning process requires more intensive cleaning systems and higher levels of training. Restorative cleaning systems are typically i used when the carpet or floor has been neglected or it has experienced heavy traffic.

Retail managers should determine how they define “clean” then appropriate funds to achieve that goal. After your budget is approved, contact a floor cleaning professional to assist in the development of a maintenance program that meets or exceeds those objectives.

Whether you have carpet, wood, marble/granite, polished concrete, VCT or rubber floors, improper cleaning frequency or inadequate cleaning practice leads to higher costs. Waiting to develop a maintenance program until the build up of soil is visible generally ends up requiring more expensive restorative cleaning or even replacement. The savvy retailer will be proactive rather than reactive when maintaining the floors. A properly specified and implemented maintenance program is worth its weight in gold.

Doug Bradford, CR, LEED AP, is CEO of Eco Interior Maintenance, Inc., a commercial textile and detail cleaning company doing business in Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Florida. He has 22 years of commercial textile cleaning experience. He is currently chair of the Institute of Inspection Cleaning & Restoration Certification’s (IICRC) S100 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Cleaning of Textile Floor Coverings revision.

Fragrances can mask odors or can enhance perceived cleanliness, but watch out, in today’s ECO friendly world they don’t always pay off. Not all “fresh smelling“ additives guaranty customer satisfaction.

Fragrances or masking agents are often used in cleaning solutions to enhance the total sensory perception of a carpet-cleaning job. If it smells good it must be clean, right?  Well, the problem is that not all agree. All it takes is one asthmatic person in the home or one chemically sensitive occupant of a building to ruin your day.

In my opinion clean is odorless. Clean means that you have removed unwanted matter. This would include anything that smells or off gasses however many have different opinions on the subject. They may believe that if there is no lemon lime or orange citrus smell the desired expected result was not achieved. They did not get their moneys worth.

What an end user perceives as clean may be what you have to give them. You should always ask them what they want prior to cleaning. This often requires educating them on the plusses and minuses of fragrance additives.

This can be done in a number of ways. Of course, if you do both commercial and residential cleaning, your information can be presented in different formats.  For residential customers you may want to inform them by email prior to cleaning or hand them a consumer educational piece at the door.  Commercial cleaners can add information into their proposals or add a page to their website.

Facility managers should err on the safe side and go with the fragrance free cleaning. Have copies of Material Safety Data Sheets if you choose to use products with residual odors. This can reduce the liability for both of you. Again you never know how it will affect each person in a building. I have seen whole floors evacuated for weeks because of this. It can be costly for both you and your client.

Protect yourself and your company. Good communication about the subject will keep you out of trouble and help the cash to keep flowing regardless of the nice smell you may have or may not have left behind.

Corporate Profits driving down Quality of Service

In tight economic times corporate accountants and advisors dictate to the real estate asset managers and owners what the numbers have to be to be successful. Public REIT’s (Real Estate Investment Trusts), Government and private enterprises seek bottom line performance numbers. Degrees of profitability reach beyond achievable human and technological performance levels.

Managers of corporate business plans for building asset maintenance are forced to drive down costs of quality service providers by doling out RFP (Request for Proposals) that provide the lowest possible cost to end user. These are often followed by best and final pricing negotiations when they pick a few often-desperate companies to dangle the carrot in front of.

For at least the last ten years since the unforgettable 911…service providers have been asked to sharpen their pencils. Providers have been asked to absorb, refigure, reconstruct, consolidate, innovate, add service and rebuild businesses to comply with today’s fiscal demands. Many were forced to pay under the table, hire or employ illegal immigrants. Those who are don’t, get penalized or cannot compete with those who do.

Many of these large corporate machines that are driving price reduction play fair, however the norm seems to be that unethical business bidding practices are fair game. Many service providers are falling by the wayside because they get cornered and are bound by unprofitable contracts. Often square footages are manipulated or promised only to be retracted at the final hour. Take it or leave it!

The Government and private enterprise is advancing their demands of what is considered environmentally preferred. USGBC’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) programs force implementation of healthy building practices. Green buildings are becoming the norm. Educated facility service providers are needed.

Service providers have increased pressure to pay rising insurance, health benefits, education and unemployment costs.  Cleaning for health is not an option for companies who believe in doing the right thing.

Corporate America pleeease Wake Up!  Your profits will grow because you have responsible fairly paid service providers taking care of your interior and exterior carpets, textiles, floors, walls, grounds, HVAC, etc.. Government and private buildings need to follow their own LEED. Building leases need to specify healthy vacuuming and cleaning frequencies following guidelines set by the industry. Until that happens we are an industry in decline. The occupants of these buildings will be the losers.