HARD FACTS:
- Carpet is expensive
- Must hire a commercial carpet cleaning company
- Dirt makes carpet wear out faster
- People spill coffee and food
These details tell only part of the story.
We don’t always understand the significance of why commercial carpet must be cleaned on a regular schedule.
A FEW WHYS:
- Beautiful appearance makes people happy
- Healthy air is easier to breathe
- Staff enjoys working in clean surroundings
- Clean is part of company brand
We crave certainty in our lives, especially when it comes to our work place. So we continue to collect data to fall back on to justify our decisions.
But data only tells part of the story, data science can advance knowledge but may be missing the why. Let’s take a look at what happened when I spent 30 minutes with Bill, checking out his carpet and finding out if he understood his “why” the carpet should be cleaned.
Bill called to set up a time for me to walk through his office and give a quote on a one time carpet cleaning. The office space is 10,000 sq ft and he wants to be sure we have all the facts to clean the carpet and meet his expectations.
Since Bill is the office manager, part of his responsibility is to keep the office looking its best all the time.
During the review and “carpet talk”, Bill tells me that Geyen Group South is the 5th company he has scheduled for a carpet cleaning quote. He wants to be absolutely sure he has all the data he needs to hire the right company and make an educated decision.
What is Bill missing? Let’s first review Bill’s questions.
- Has Geyen Group South ever cleaned this type of carpet?
- Will Geyen Group South get all the spots out?
- What kind of van do we drive?
- Is our equipment new or old?
- How much do we charge?
From my experience in commercial carpet cleaning I knew there were more reasons why Bill wanted to have the spots and stains removed from the office carpet. I moved the conversation in the direction of why now, why cleaning, why does it matter?
After a few back and forth comments we determined the main reason Bill wanted to schedule the carpet cleaning this month is because the board was meeting the last Friday of the month, the President wanted everything looking very good, and when the last potential client sat in the reception area, she commented on the hallway spots.
Even when we don’t ask “why do you want the carpet cleaned?” we know there is always something besides the technical stuff. Our equipment is up-to-date and the highest quality, our vehicles are maintained, the chemistry we use is safe for office staff and our technicians and every technician is certified, but we also know commercial carpet cleaning is scheduled to satisfy the why of the office and by doing that, the cleaning service meets every expectation.
We scheduled with Bill, cleaned his office carpet, met his expectations and the board meeting on that Friday?
Everyone’s shoes were walking on clean and spot free carpet!
