Teaching An Old Industry New Tricks of the Internet and social media in par-ticular. In fact, some view social media and the use of the Internet as emerging trends that will surpass any other industry-specific movement. The market has changed more in these past few years than ever before in the his-tory of this business, and that is not going to change back, insists Bozich. “To thrive, a company must continu-ally be seeking their next customer. The customer is not waiting to be found, they are not waiting for their salesperson to call on them and, in many instances, they do not even know who their salesperson is,” says Bozich. This development is not a fault of the field representative, but rather a reality of where today’s market resides. “For companies to be successful, they must place their business where their next customer is looking. We live in an era of proactive customers who first seek out solutions, then seek out sourcing. The typical product search involves a customer searching on the web for solutions,” con-tinues Bozich. However, he continues, companies that make the investment discover that their efforts are well worth it and are enjoying unparalleled success. “For example, organizations that have achieved CIMS and CIMS-GB certification report lower turnover rates, higher reten-tion rates and increased overall business opportunities,” Wagner explains. Five years ago, third-party certifications, such as CIMS, were brand new and rela-tively unknown. Today, if you are not CIMS-certified, you cannot quote on many bids, inserts Henson. While there are still companies who maintain the one in 10 average of prop-erly trained cleaning workers, the sta-tistics are improving as a result of an increased emphasis placed on training and worker certification, and reputable BSCs and in-house cleaners will continue to be rewarded. BSCs, such as Popovic’s company, are seeing a comeback effect occurring. “We have experienced boomerang cus-tomers … those who have turned to the low-cost option for budgetary reasons, only to return to us after a short amount of time due to performance issues,” says Popovic. Customers that “get it” are staying with credible cleaning service companies; how-ever, these customers are asking different questions today than they were several years ago. According to Kravitz, who previously owned and operated three contract clean-ing companies, price alone is no longer the only buying factor. While costs are still a consideration, building owners and operators are asking about what type of cleaning chemicals will be used, how the facility will be cleaned, if the work will be outsourced and if the workers have been trained or certified. “This is good news for our industry,” adds Kravitz. “Facility managers now real-ize how important their cleaning crews are to the overall health of their facilities. I do not believe this was an issue that was on the radar 30 or more years ago.” As mentioned, moving forward and being successful as a BSC or in-house department will depend on placing impor-tance on cleaning, spreading awareness throughout the facility and having full buy-in from all employees. Remember, awareness proceeds techni-cal know-how. If there is a value to the organization, notes DiLullo, either by reducing costs or improving productivity, decision makers are more apt to invest in training or certi-fications. “But, most end users need to learn how to make themselves better trained and apply it to their organization in a profitable way for the organization,” claims DiLullo. “Most end users are lacking information specific to their own buildings. For exam-ple, they don’t know how many square feet of carpet they have, what types of hard floors are present, etc. Many can’t tell you what it costs to clean their buildings. They don’t understand square foot costs, proce-dures or plans.” As DiLullo concludes, successful BSCs are succeeding and will continue to suc-ceed because, for instance, they know what it costs per square foot to maintain carpeting; they are using equipment and technology to make themselves more pro-ductive and can quantify it. Investments In Employees’ Skill Sets While green cleaning has been one of the most recognizable trends, the recession has also helped to advance certification and training awareness. Beyond certification for green products, cleaning managers and owners turned their attention to new and existing employ-ees as a way to reduce costs and preserve results. “An increasing number of customers will demand professionalism, a commitment to total customer satisfaction and validation of excellence,” notes Wagner. “This will lead to an increased emphasis on certi-fication and true business partnerships as it pertains to sustainability, increased efficiency and the delivery of dependable, quality service.” Wagner adds that ISSA currently sees an increasing separation between organiza-tions that understand training and certifi-cation represents an investment in excel-lence and those who view it as nothing more than an expense. Bracing For Growing BSC Business Arguably, one of the biggest changes our industry has seen over the past decade and a half is interest in outsourcing to con-tract cleaning services. While the typical BSC has profited from this trend, the way they approach and handle each account will be critical. According to Mike Sawchuk of Enviro-Solutions, consolidation in our industry will continue, and it will even affect BSCs. “This is how many companies will set up for a more solid position in the future,” explains Sawchuk. “As to BSCs, given that, for most organizations, it is not a criti-cal part of their core competencies, I do believe more will be looking to outsource their cleaning. Those BSCs that can pro-vide exemplary service at competitive pric-ing and provide the professionalism of documentation and communications will be able to capitalize on this opportunity and communicate their value to core deci-sion markers.” CM 16 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • October 2012
CMM – Archives Oct 2012: 16
