Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: derek west on December 08, 2008, 08:27:50 pm
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be honest guys.
how many of the following do you do on the job.
1) pre vac
2) corner guards on stairs, doors etc....
3) alcali pre spray
4) agitation, (either brush or sebo etc...)
5) acid rinse
6) clean edges using terry towels or other methods
7) apply air movers for rapid drying
8) coffee and a friendly chat with custy (where appropriate)
9) courtesy call X amount of days after job has been completed to make sure custy is happy with results.
just wondering as i do all of the above, which is probably why it takes me so long to complete a job, is it worth it?
derek
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Derek
I have to do all those things, but if I had a TM there's a couple I wouldn't and probably nothing would be lost, but certainly gained.
Mike
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i do all the above derek but with tea or coffee cake goes down well too
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I definately don't do the call back, I used to give a questionaire after every job with a stamped addressed envelope for customers to fill in but you always used to get the odd one after the event (call it buyers remorse) but they would complain about the little stain that wouldn't come out even though I told them it wouldn't a 1000 times or I had a section that said would you use me again? and some would put 'great service but will go for a cheaper clean next time', can knock you sometimes so I don't bother,I get the money leave them with a smile and send them a reminder later.
Shaun
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Yep agree Shaun used to do it untill a lady inspected her 3pce while i was on phone >:( only now call back the best ones.
Derek do you use a handtool then towels on edges?
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Derek
Must say i dont do all the above but try to leave the job with the client happy with the clean :)
Do like the idea of the courtesy call :)
Shaun
I used to do the questionare brian philbin from nu life gave my that idea ::)
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I over spray with my wand and then towel if they are not bad if they are bad I pre spray with Ultrapak and then over spray and towel but on some more sensitive I will use eco spotter.
Horses for courses as some don't even need it.
Shaun
PS Pre vac is take it as I see it as I have many of my customers pre vac and empty the room anyway, turbo drying is standard, I like a dry carpet and sell my service on it.
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Never seen Brian's I used mine about 10 years ago but after so long you get fed up with moaners but most of them come back which is a bit stupid, I think it all depends on what mood they are in when they fill it out and also if you ask them to fill it out whilst you are there I wonder what response you would get?
Shaun
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I agree with Shaun - Do what you have too !!
If its a light carpet yes i will hoover or if it needs it and i will towel the edges if its light coloured.
Nearly allways turbo dry especially if more than one room
You will find you get faster as you get more experience and confidence
Paul
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Sean
Think i used mine ten or more years ago and just got lazy and stopped them :)
Brian always seemed to be doing marketing so i just learned as i went on :)
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Turbo drying means happy customers, how many times customers have felt as the carpet after cleaning and said it feels dry and then they smile, even when I'm taking the money ;D
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Hi
I agree that the courtesy call is just asking for trouble, as is ringing the day before to confirm.
But if it works for you thats all that matters.
Dave
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I would not call the day before to comfirm the job either ???
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mark
no hand tool, just prespray the edges when pre spraying the whole room, clean the room and get as close as possible to the edge, then hands and knees with a terry towel and a bottle of M/S.
so far, (touch wood) not had a bad word from my courtesy calls, the wife does them and loves the feedback we get, and we call every job. custys seem to like it, maybe when ive been doing it as long as shaun i may have changed my mind but for now, it works well for us.
derek
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Derek
What the rationale behind not using a handtool if you get down on all fours with a rag? ???
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Core blimey Mike I have stats on most things but that's a bit anal.
Towelling is far faster and you can change spotters quicker.
Shaun
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Hi
And toweling dosn't make it overclean, if you no what i mean.
Dave
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Ed Zackery
Shaun
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;D Have I just saved at least 5 mins on every job?
Always gone round with the handtool. Or am I not understanding?
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Nothing to understand really, if they are minging edges you need a hand tool, if they will do with a towel do so, it's a no brainer really.
Shaun
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mike,
i terry towel cos i don't want to scratch the skirting boards. plus i get a better result and its quicker.
when you say hand tool, do you mean like a drimaster or a proper edging tool wich looks a bit like a vaccuum attachment, if the latter, are they any good?
derek
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Nothing special just a 3" hand tool for upholstery but to be honest Derek I can't remember the last time I used one for edges, a bit of elbow grease with a towel seems to do the trick.
Shaun
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with all the problems these days. cleaning packages are coming into their own. giving a prospect the choice of what they what done at what price, is the way to go.
removing stains, vacing, and moving furniture takes time, and we all know time is money. and that works both ways. people might save you time and in doing so save themselves money.
some people just want to dirt removed so why should they pay for say time that you allow for stain removal in your price?
just think about two different jobs, one where you vac, move everything, stain removal, ect, etc, and the second where the rooms empty and they have veced, no stains. is it fair to charge the same price for both jobs? if your ethical no.
on the other hand is it right for a person to expect us to spend hours stain removing and not expect to pay for that time? no. it cuts both ways.
When i talk about stains to prospects its always my intention to teach them the difference between a spot and stain. its this message that's key for any chance for maintenance, be it going back each year or teaching them about carpet care.
Teaching people about carpet care should be our main task as this will lead us all in to a place where we working more for people that we have done work for in the past.
One thing that has always been strange is how if you where to go to the USA and put as much effort into your carpet cleaning business that you do in the UK how much more successful you would be. I think that Carpet care is much more important to them. why because they some much good advertising.
They know about USP and to be unique your message has to be different to other carpet cleaners. if its not then its only price that is the differance and we all know what people will go for then. the cheapest.
Different marketing message come and go in our business the last one was allergy, its the green one at the moment. but the market is much bigger than just one message at a time. the answer is education. but education in the right way. not the type we all learn at the cleaning schools but the type that answers those problems like "how do i get red wine out of my carpet" or why do i have black marks all around the edge of my carpet"
These are not my ideas or from JP's they come from Dan kennedy. I read a lot about the Internet and i see loads of Dan's ideas being used and developed for the Internet. they are good sound marketing rules. we don't need to know why they work just they do.
oops i gone on again. sorry -)
respect
Ian Harper
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Surely it's quicker to slip on the hand tool and whip round the edges than mess about with towels.
Your on your hands and knees anyway with the towels.
John
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Doesanyone use an edge wand.
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Doesanyone use an edge wand.
and if so, are they any good?
derek
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Doesanyone use an edge wand.
I use my normal floor wand to do 90% of edges, and i'm pretty sure i dont scratch the skirtings! I just use a hand tool for awkward corners and around the tv etc etc
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blind me, you lot are making me feel guilty, i just use the wand, i thought that is what it's for? i don't get complaints.
colin
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Dont feel to guilty ;)
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Yet another advatage of a teflon guide... run it along skirtings and even most furniture without it causing scratches or dark lines!
Unless they're really in dire need of concentrated cleaning, I clean the edges by misting from the wand at 90 degrees from the wall and then extracting along the skirting as normal.
Oh... yet ANOTHER thing in the favour of glides is that because they raise the ride height of the wand a little bit, the fan jets extend further to the outside of the wand's pass, meanign that more water gets to the outside of the wand stroke. This means that if you just run the wand along parallel to the skirting slow-ish, you'll get it wet enough right up to the edge to avoid having to do anything else.
Sold that glide yet Derek? How's the back? :)
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backs killing, like it was 10 years ago.
glides still for sale, any girls are welcome to it. ;D
i'm a man jim, "i eat spuds for my tea".
derek
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You'll be a crippled man after another 12 months of wrestling an unglided wand attached to a trucky :)
I eat fluff for my tea, then woodlice for dessert.
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I eat fluff for my tea
Jim would you care to rephrase that?
Shaun