Calling The Customer

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How many times have you been waiting for a service provider to show up and they are late?  Frustrating isn’t it?  In fact it has been getting so bad these days that we almost expect it.  We worry from the moment we book the job, until the minute they show up at our door.  Worrying takes years off of our lives.  At least I’m convinced it does.  The sad truth is that this worrying can be prevented.  One simple invention by Alexander Graham Bell called the telephone makes this possible.  One simple call to say they are on the way and an approximate time of arrival takes all that worry away.  Peace of mind is a wonderful thing that is underappreciated by the service industry and vendors everywhere.  This is not because they will be late.  This is because they could be late.  My work or social plans are important to me.  I don’t want to have to cancel plans, but if I have to, I want to know as soon as possible.  Martin Cooper invented the cell phone in 1973.  This wonderful device makes it even easier to put people’s minds at ease.  After the phone call to say you are on your way, you might still hit traffic or get into an accident.  Not good, but not as big of a problem when you can call the client before you are supposed to arrive.  I made both of these phone calls part of my carpet cleaning company the day I started it.  This gives me a chance to apologize if I am late but also places their minds at ease when I am not.  I think it is important to respect my clients and I don’t understand how we have allowed so many vendors to disrespect us for so long.  My time is important and so is yours.  I at least want an apology and an approximate time of arrival so I can go about my life instead of waiting around like a teenager waiting for that dreamy classmate to call lol.  We are all adults now.  I think we should start acting like it.  One call to the customer is all it takes.

Meet The Team: Russ Sr.

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Hiring a carpet cleaning company is a big decision, and we want you to know who you will be working with.  Today we focus on Russ Sr.  He is one of the owners and does the carpet and upholstery estimates for commercial clients.

In addition to my business partner Russ Sr. is also my father.  Raised in Hopkins Mn, he married a beautiful Hopkins native and elementary school teacher named “Mom”. Lol. j/k.  Her name was Lynda Lee, now Lynda Zakariasen for the past 40 years.

Dad has had a varied work life since he was a child.  He has done everything from ski instructor to gold miner, landscaper to stock broker.  He has finally sat still in Burnsville MN for the last 13 years working with his two sons, Ryan and Russ.

Russ has a passion for the sport of Golf and has won many tournaments and club championships.  Belonging to Northfield Golf Club, “Zak”, as he’s known at the club, has found the friendships and competition that he has always been looking for.  I can say from watching my father that he has never been happier than he is now.  Having found places that he truly belongs in both his social and work life he is bursting with joy.

Here’s a little Q&A to get to know him better.

Q. Why did you get into the carpet cleaning industry?

A. My two sons were working in the industry and I thought what greater dream could a proud papa have then to work side by side with my children.

Q. What do you like about the carpet cleaning industry?

A. I like that I can see the results on each job when we are done.  There aren’t a lot of industries that have such tangible results.

Q. Why commercial estimating?

A. I do all the estimates because that is the best opportunity to meet and get to know every customer.

Q. What was most important to you when starting Commercial Steam Team?

A. That we treat every customer and every employee with respect and honesty.

Q. What is it like working with your family?

A. It is by far the best work experience I have ever had.

In a side note, Dad would pay our employees out of his own mortgage when we didn’t even have enough money to pay ourselves.  This is one of the reasons that I am so proud to be both his son and his business partner.  I would hope every client see him for who he is, one of the “good guys”.

Rewarding Customer Loyalty

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Loyalty is the most important quality in a client.  So why does it seem to be the most underappreciated quality?  Case in point, I saw a commercial for a new H.D. DVR system for the satellite company that I use.  It was free, which made it even better. I was moving, so I knew they would also install it for free.  I called up the satellite tv company (who will remain nameless).  They told me it would be more than $450. I asked “Why?”.  The lady on the phone said that it was for new customers only.  I had been a customer for years, so I didn’t qualify.  Also the installation won’t be free because that only applies to my old equipment being transferred, not the upgraded equipment.

I was shocked.  I was actually being punished for being a loyal customer.  Meanwhile, someone on the other end was being rewarded for being new.  Now I understand the dynamics of enticing new clients to come your way.  But there should be rewards for loyalty as well. If not for the moral argument, than at least for the purpose of building customer loyalty.

That experience is why I came up with the referral/rebate coupon at the Commercial Steam Team.  Returning clients also receive 10% off automatically to reward their loyalty.  To further reward them a step above they receive coupons to extend their loyalty discount to anyone they refer.  On top of that they receive a $10 rebate as a thank you for referring the new client.  This way the new customers are enticed, but the loyal customers are rewarded even a little more.  Seems like a no brainer to me.  Take care of what you got first, then worry about bringing in new clients.

Recurring Spots and How To Prevent Them

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No one likes having to return to a job days or longer after a carpet cleaning job to get one or more spots out.  Even worse, no customer likes the inconvenience of a second trip either.  This cannot be eliminated entirely, though there are some steps that can be taken to greatly reduce these occurrences to nearly zero.

  • Know your spot or spill.
    • Use the correct cleaning agent for that particular spot.
      • Sticky/dense, use an acid base (citrus).
      • Coffee, use a leave in treatment (Stain Magic).
      • Oily residue, encapsulate the oil molecules.
      • Rinse thoroughly.
        • Most carpet cleaners forget they are rinsing the cleaning agent out as well as the spot/spill.
        • Use the proper rinse for your machine and cleaning agents. (Clearwater rinse works best for me)
      • Make sure your equipment is powerful enough to rinse both the spot and spill.
        • Cheaper carpet cleaning companies save money on equipment.  They can’t rinse all the way to the backing, even if they try.
        • Do not go over 500 lbs. psi. or you can go through the backing to the pad underneath.  The pad will likely not dry for months or longer.
        • Leave the area of the spot/spill as dry as possible.
          • I find with Hydramaster 4.8 direct drive, a few extra vacuum strokes does the trick.  Other equipment may take much longer.
          • Recommending the customer turn their thermostat fan on (rather than auto).
            • This way the fan still runs without cranking the ac/heat up.  (much cheaper way to run the fan).
  • The client can place a fan directed at the spill as well.  Or bring your own fans/blowers if your equipment vacuum isn’t as strong.
  • Understand that spots can look like spills beneath the carpet surface.  Vacuum the area around the spot as well.

These are a few easy steps to prevent recurring spots/spills.  The best step is prevention by applying a protector each time the carpet is cleaned.  This prevents the spill from soaking into the heart of the fibers as easily.  This also allows more time to blot out spills before soaking in.  These steps will likely prevent nearly all spot/spill related redos, when done properly.