Customer-satisfaction toward cleaning services

Client-Satisfaction: Making cleaning customers SEE how much they receive from your cleaning services!

Hand to heart:

Honestly, isn't it time we could DO something about customers' complaints and general lack of appreciation toward contract cleaning services?

Isn't it just too BORING how some customers just keep on looking for mistakes... and mistakes ONLY?

Right you are. The satisfaction of facility managers toward contract cleaning services is generally speaking too low.

Whether or not their view is JUSTIFIED is, of course, an altogether different matter. We're not talking about objective level of exchange here as there's no way of proving anyone that he actually RECEIVES a fair amount of work for his money.

Satisfaction toward something is an EMOTIONAL issue, first and foremost.

It's a FEELING, a sense of "I feel that..." It's definitely NOT a scientific analysis comparing cost with services received.

People are seldom able to analyse things without emotion when it comes to figuring out whether or not they're satisfied. Partly this is due to the fact that satisfaction, in itself, IS a FEELING.

As it is a feeling, it is directly dependent on OTHER feelings of a person. Thus, all you have to do is to (unintentionally) hurt the self-importance of a facility manager (or one of the employees of the customer-company) ONCE and he will be GREATLY dissatisfied with the cleaning.

You'd be surprised how easy it is to hurt someone's feeling of his own importance. And you might be astonished to find out how HUGE this need for being considered important really is among customers.

One slip of the tung, one single time when you don't give his views the importance and attention HE thinks you should... one call you forgot to return or returned too late in his view... and he is actively dissatisfied.

And, once there, the facility manager will start LOOKING for reasons which will justify his disappointment with the cleaning service... and he will look ONLY for mistakes and omissions, becoming totally blind to anything that's well done!

Not surprisingly, what one looks for, one finds. That's why it's so commonplace for customers to exaggerate their grievances so much!

Oh, it's an emotional issue indeed... SO emotional that it has led to a groundbreaking new revelation:

The quality of cleaning does not affect the degree of customer's satisfaction!

Amazingly, you cannot increase customer-satisfaction by increasing the quality of the cleaning in most cases.

Or, to put it another way:

Provided that you do an average job of the cleaning, the quality of the cleaning itself does NOT affect the degree of satisfaction that the customer feels toward your work.

Isn't that amazing?

It's that way because cleaning is a highly EMOTIONAL (and volatile) subject to most "non professionals:"

Those who are NOT experts of commercial cleaning will evaluate it solely based on their feelings and emotions.

It's easy to prove, too.

No doubt you've often wondered why contract cleaning customers are SO UPSET about the smallest mistakes in their cleaning... and why they're so insistent on finding FAULT with your work... and why they complain about the smallest things?

It's because they're reacting with FEELINGS to cleaning. They're not trying ti evaluate the cleaning rationally. They're only out to JUSTIFY their upset with you... so they MUST find something wrong with your work — and ANYTHING will do!

It's all negative emotions, nothing to do with logical thinking, see?

After all, IF they evaluated their cleaning service LOGICALLY, then shouldn't they be comparing the well-cleaned areas to those with omissions or mistakes, taking the ratio of well done and badly done as their sole yardstick in such estimation?

IF people would measure their satisfaction toward your services in such a rational and logical manner, their thoughts should go along these lines:

"Well, we've five thousand square feet in the office and we can see that within TWO square feet there's been a problem this week...

"...so that would make the cleaning 99.96 percent perfect... which is an AMAZING success ratio for any industry or company, far above what WE can achieve... hmm, well, we have cause to be EXTREMELY satisfied with our cleaning service..."

THAT would be logical thinking and a fair evaluation of the cleaning service, don't you think? And it's a far cry from what really takes place...

If only people DID think logically about cleaning...

But they don't.

Instead, they use emotions, they go by their feelings, and that's why they're so illogically upset about the smallest mistake and so totally BLIND to all those thousands of square feet cleaned to perfection.

So, you see that if you're already doing a 99% perfect job AND they're still looking only for mistakes...

There's your proof that the technical quality of cleaning is NOT governing the degree of satisfaction that customers feel about the service!

Sure, you could try to make it totally perfect... but you would be wasting your time and efforts.

Those last 0.04 percent will cost an arm and a leg to catch up with... and, quite frankly, it isn't even possible. For no matter HOW hard you try, you can never maintain 100% total perfection for any meaningful length of time. It's just not possible.

Thankfully, it's not needed either.

Communication, the supreme tools for increasing client-satisfaction for contract cleaning services

Did you know that the overwhelming majority of people react positively when asked whether they're satisfied with their cleaning service?

Being asked makes them feel important and flattered for their views to be consulted... and, consequently, their response will be positive and they'll display some degree of satisfaction.

Ask them routinely — say, once a month — and add some elements of teaching them how to LOOK for the results of cleaning... and their appreciation and satisfaction will steadily INCREASE.

Reversely, if they're NOT asked, if their views about the cleaning are NOT consulted, they will automatically feel DISSATISFIED with the cleaning.

Since people react to cleaning so emotionally, the fact that they're NOT asked will "prove" that the cleaning company doesn't do its job properly!

If that's not illogical thinking then nothing is...

Almost all complaints on cleaning start from the "factory floor level" of the client-company. Those complaints are then forwarded to the facility manager, whose unpleasant duty is to forward them to you.

It's unpleasant because most people feel uncomfortable putting themselves into a situation which may become confrontational:

Complaining to you about your service is expected to create an unfavourable emotional reaction and you might get angry or feel insulted. Creating such negative effects in others is not pleasurable for normal human beings.

Yet, as it is the DUTY of the facility manager to forward the complaint, this will further aggravate him or her... and it doesn't do the spirit of cooperation any good, for sure.

NOTE: There are a few people (a small minority) to whom complaining IS pleasurable. Make no mistake, there are some truly nasty people out there... but about 90-95% of people are genuinely well-intentioned unless provoked. It may not SEEM that way but it's true nevertheless, which you'll find out if you try out the client-communication techniques mentioned further down this article.

Now, the clever way to arrange this is by way of ASKING before you're told.

In other words, if you manage to ASK whether they ARE satisfied (or have any complaints or advice to give about the cleaning) BEFORE they come to you with a complaint, then some astonishing things will start happening.

For one, the personnel of the customer-company will feel that you take their views into consideration, which will lower complaints immediately and considerably. They feel important and well served, the two things that are actually prerequisites for client-satisfaction.

For the other, the ACT of asking about their satisfaction will, all on its own, CREATE a lot of satisfaction. It's a well-known fact that clients tend to think in this kind of reverse way: If you dare ASK then it must mean your conscience is clear and you've done a good job... so this then "proves" to them they ARE indeed satisfied!

If nothing else, monthly client-satisfaction surveys prove to customers conclusively that your INTENTION is to do a good job, which is yet another vital element in creating satisfaction:

People need to see that someone they're paying is "not trying to cheat them," as it were. Once they conclude that in their own minds, the world's your oyster, Bob's your uncle... and you cannot do anything wrong in their eyes.

For the third, you will have established a DIRECT line of communication to the SOURCE of complaints — the personnel below the status of the facility manager, where 99% of complaints originate — and, by doing so, you've also gained CONTROL over complaints.

It will greatly lessen the workload of the facility manager... and the chances of complaints breaking out of nowhere all of a sudden have also been reduced significantly.

However, as the issues of cleaning and customers' satisfaction are so volatile, the way you ask needs to be carefully planned so as not to create an effect that's opposite to what you're after or step on the toes of the facility manager.

Yet it's well worth the trouble.

By introducing a few simple communication tools, you will have cut complaints to a fraction while you've created a HUGE customer-satisfaction across the whole personnel of the client-company.

While some considerable skill is required to create these communication tools, USING these tools is very simple and it only requires a few MINUTES every month.

And you don't have to improve the technical quality of your services at all.

Reaping the rewards of having tools to make customers SEE how well you handle their contract cleaning service

In the face of continuous complaints, you can lose sight of the FACT that your service has one of the highest rates of perfection in the world.

If that idea seems totally surprising and new, then that's the price you're paying for NOT having a functional customer-satisfaction programme to help clients SEE what they're actually receiving from your services.

Regaining that viewpoint is easy with the right client-satisfaction system. It will increase the motivation of your cleaning crews immensely, to say nothing of giving you a more peaceful and pleasant run of the business.

It can be SO rewarding. It will not only increase motivation but save time and bring in more profits and new contract cleaning customers.

Isn't it time you had recognition for all the hard work you've put in?

These client-communication techniques are incorporated into simple, easy-to-use tools (such as letters, forms, questionnaires, notices, interviews, etc.) within the Cleaning Service Client-Acquisition System.

Amazingly, it only takes a few MINUTES every month to use these tools and keep your clients extremely satisfied with your services. And that's not THEORY but a fact proven by use of these tools.

The resulting benefits far outweigh the cost and effort of maintaining a client-satisfaction programme: It's easier to work with satisfied clients, it's more rewarding and they'll also pay your monthly fees faster!

CLICK HERE to read the presentation of the Cleaning Service Client-Acquisition System and introduction of these groundbreaking innovations on client-satisfaction, which will let you increase your profits and motivation with only a few minutes spent monthly!

HDK CONSULTANTS LTD 32 Manning Close Richmond Square East Grinstead, RH19 2DR West Sussex United Kingdom Telephone: (01342) 328 116 (from US: 011-44-1342-328116) CONTACT FORM

Is it at all POSSIBLE to increase the number of well-paid contract cleaning jobs AT WILL?

Indeed... is it possible to CONTROL the number of new contract cleaning customers we obtain on monthly basis? Is it possible to increase the PROFITS of each cleaning site well above the industry standards... and do so without having to invest an arm and a leg before you know whether or not it works?

CLICK HERE to read about a new approach to finding better-paying contract cleaning customers at low cost IF you can be among the first in your area...

How you could increase your prices and profits in the face of competition:

Competition is tough and pricing is often the only weapon used to win contract cleaning bidding.

But did you know that not all clients and/or facility managers are looking for the lowest price... but something altogether different?

CLICK HERE to read how you could set up your prices and profits and still INCREASE THE PULL of your contract cleaning services and utilise this special market for obtaining high-profit cleaning sites!

Sales Boosters:

Are you a top sales expert who finds it easy to sell to prospective clients... or are you not confident or simply not experienced in selling contract cleaning services?

Whichever, there's a booster for your sales...

CLICK HERE to read the two sales results boosters which will increase your sales many times over!

The difference customers' appreciation makes in your motivation and profits

Hand to heart — have you ever wondered what it would feel like if cleaning customers genuinely appreciated the service you work so hard to provide... and if they also let YOU know about it?

Furthermore, how would such openly admitted satisfaction affect the motivation of cleaning crews and yourself? And could it actually also mean more PROFITS from each and every cleaning site for your company?

CLICK HERE to read an eye-opening article on how you can increase the awareness of clients on how much they receive from your cleaning services...and how much it could affect your profit margin!

What do they dislike and like, suspect and trust? What's top quality and why?

CLICK HERE to read how you could make a lot more by knowing what they want from cleaning!

Do the math: Cost and results of passive versus active methods of finding prospective clients

Many cleaning companies use huge sums of money for advertising their services. While it brings new clients, could there be a way to obtain a lot MORE clients... and at a fraction of the cost?

CLICK HERE to compare the costs and results of passive and active client-acquisition methods for cleaning companies!

Client-Satisfaction: Making cleaning customers SEE how much they receive from your cleaning services!

Have you ever wondered why contract cleaning customers are so insistent on finding FAULT with your work... and why they complain about the smallest things? Why do they not perceive the thousands of square feet you've cleaned so well but put their attention on finding the few square INCHES which you've possibly missed? What if you had a way to make them SEE all the well done work instead?

CLICK HERE to read the amazing, groundbreaking innovation on client-satisfaction and how you can increase it ten-fold with only a few minutes spent monthly!

An unlimited source of top prospective clients for contract cleaning services

What if you could find an UNLIMITED number of great potential contract cleaning customers from within your area at will? Just imagine how it could affect your business and income! Well, why not check out this article to find out how some cleaning companies have managed to obtain prospective customers on continuous basis...

CLICK HERE to read how you could acquire practically ANY number of great prospective contract cleaning customers every day of the week!

The packaging of cleaning services

The task of marketing is to PACKAGE the service to be sold. But just HOW that is done and what benefits it can bring you is generally not known.

CLICK to read how to package cleaning services into top-selling products!

Publishing: A unique way of creating HUGE interest for your contract cleaning services FREE!

Would you like to publish a best-selling guide in your area and to educate facility managers on how to evaluate cleaning services and choose the cleaning company... YOURS? Would you want to increase the awareness of facility managers on how much YOU could help to improve their cleaning and rid them of the problems they may be facing with their current cleaners? And do all this so that your marketing actually pays for itself and then some? Well, if so, then here's a way to do it without ever having to write a single word...

CLICK HERE to read how you could publish and start selling an authorative guide to contract cleaning services and get PAID for selling your services!

Added-value cleaning services:

Added-value cleaning services have a significantly higher success ratio in sales while producing clearly better profits for the cleaning company.

But what are added-value services and how do you create such for your cleaning company?

CLICK HERE to read about added-value cleaning services!

Utilising the Internet in marketing & selling contract cleaning services

The Internet is here to stay. With more than a billion people, the Internet has become the primary source used by companies to find new services and information about business-to-business services.

Yet, only about 4% of cleaning companies utilise the Internet efficiently for prospecting and marketing, even though it is practically a COST-FREE way of acquiring a constant flow of new contract cleaning customers. Regardless of whether or not you have a web site, this article is quite an eye-opener in terms of Internet marketing of contract cleaning services...

CLICK HERE to read how you could start utilising the Internet efficiently for acquiring contract cleaning customers!

How to present & sell contract cleaning services without having to state self-promotional claims

In selling cleaning services, one of the weak points of the traditional sales technology is that you have to state CLAIMS about your services and about your own excellence. Surveys show that facility managers automatically SUSPECT any self-promotional claims made in a sales situation. Thus, those claims are NOT believed and the end result of stating claims is a lowered believability toward you and your services. The best way is to AVOID making such claims... but, if you don't TELL him about the quality, how is he to KNOW?

CLICK HERE to read about a new groundbreaking presentation & sales technique for contract cleaning services that'll bring the quality of your service to the attention of faciilty managers without you EVER stating any claims!

Telemarketing

How could you set up a cost-efficient and highly lucrative telemarketing activity to ensure a constant flow of preselected potential contract cleaning clients at a moment's notice, starting and stopping it as needed?

CLICK HERE to read about telemarketing of cleaning services!

Is there a way to acquire new prospective cleaning customers by way of direct mailing in a high-quality, effective manner while creating a top image for your cleaning company?

More Referrals?

What if you could get each of your contract cleaning customers activated into bringing you several new prospective clients every year... now, wouldn't that be quire something?

CLICK HERE to read about obtaining referrals from existing cleaning clients!

History of the cleaning service marketing project that changed the success odds within the cleaning industry forever in favour of smaller cleaning firms

These articles explain the findings of a long-term cleaning service marketing project by a team of top marketing experts and with the participation of more than 50 cleaning companies over several years. But how did the project come to start and what did it take to bring it to a successful ending?

CLICK HERE to read about this unique cleaning service marketing project and the team behind this cleaning service marketing web site.