Keeping Up on Cleaning Up: Distributors Can Help Educate Your
Staff
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Over the last
decade or so, cleanliness has become an increasingly important
issue, prompted by widely publicized stories about infections
contracted in hospitals, bacteria and cross contamination in
restrooms, the outbreak of new viruses, and greater public
awareness of germs lurking -on everything from door handles and
office telephones to elevator buttons, escalator handrails and
grocery shopping carts.
While some dangers might be more perception than reality,
facility managers need to satisfy occupant and visitor
expectations.
Manufacturers have been responding with a deluge of new and
improved products for the cleaning industry, including stronger
chemicals, reliable touch-free restroom devices, microfiber mops
and cloths, technologically advanced extractors and
auto-scrubbers, and an array of polishes, waxes, and glazing
compounds that make surfaces glisten with cleanliness.
At the same time, green products have flooded the market to meet
new environmental, safety, and energy standards. And to offset
labor expenses, high-efficiency equipment has been introduced to
save time, reduce physical stress, and increase employee
productivity.
It has been—and continues to be—diffi-cult for facility
maintenance managers and building service contractors to keep up
on the latest products. How do they do it?
Distributors Have Answers
“In recent years, end-users have learned to appreciate their
distributors more than ever,” says R. James Alexy, president and
CEO of Network Services Company, a $12 billion organization of
independent distributors of janitorial supplies, foodservice
disposables, industrial packaging products, and printing
papers. “Distributors have extensive knowledge about new and
existing products, and direct access to the manufac turers for
additional information. They know what other customers are
buying, and the results they are getting.”
Alexy says the growth of the industry has presented
opportunities for other supply sources to expand. End-users are
being courted by direct-sell manufacturers, big box outlets,
catalog houses, and vendors of lower-cost products coming in
from other parts of the world.
“Each alternative source offers certain advantages for
end-users, but distributors can do much more because of their
commitment to customer service and satisfaction,” says Alexy.
“Sales representatives build relationships so that they can
understand the needs and challenges of their customers and offer
sound advice. They are responsive, and provide many value-added
services that are unique to distributors.”
Education and Training
The range of value-added services vary from distributor to
distributor, but customers expect all distributors to have
answers to questions about products—not just what’s new, but
what’s available to solve a particular problem, and what’s the
proper way to use it. A distributor will assess the need and
recommend an appropriate product, a system involving a bundle
of products, or a technique for cleaning and sanitizing the
specific area involved, whether it’s restrooms, hospital rooms
or restaurant kitchens.
All products and equipment come with labeled instructions,
manuals, DVDs or other support materials. However, if the
end-users need clarification or hands-on demonstrations, they
contact the distributor.
“They call their local sales contact or a customer service
representative because they know they will do whatever is
necessary to provide a quick and satisfying response,” says
Alexy.
Network member Nichols Paper & Supply in Spring Lake, MI, takes
the initiative to discover what might be on the minds of its
customers. It schedules annual business reviews with each
customer to determine if the products they are currently using
are meeting their needs and budgets.
“Some customers are content, some are pleased to learn about
alternative or new products, and some ask us to help them
improve employee knowledge and skills,” says Marcie Palmer, a
marketing coordinator for Nichols.
Nichols offers a range of workshops at its Grand Rapids facility
and other locations on core maintenance procedures and topics
requested by customers. Among its special seminars are an
introduction to high efficiency team cleaning and a green
cleaning program. Nichols also conducts an off-site, full-day
annual conference on maintaining a green facility.
“We also have programs delivered by Podcast,” says Palmer.
“Individuals who want basic instructions can download a variety
of audio programs to their computers or portable devices and
listen to them any time.” All distributors offer some level of
training, but also partner with manufacturers of sanitary
supplies and equipment who take the lead in the creating and
presenting classes. Network member WAXIE Sanitary Supply in San
Diego, for example, combines its own seminars with the programs
of leading manufacturers to provide a comprehensive training
program.
“Our seminars even include operational topics vital to the
successful operation of a business,” says Rick Hazard, Vice
President of Marketing.
“Classes are held at our facilities located throughout the
western states, but our customers can arrange for us to bring
them to their location.” Clark National, Inc., in Elk Grove
Village, IL, also a member of Network, takes a different
approach that allows customers to learn at their convenience. It
loans its customers videos, workbooks, and inter-active computer
CDs for training employees in cleaning techniques. Clark has a
lending library of 12 different training programs ranging from
basic cleaning and floor care to restroom sanitation and hospital
room disinfection.
Customers have the option to purchase the complete set or
individual modules.
Network member Pollack Paper Distributors in Dallas, Texas,
takes a different view
of training. “We see training as more than showing the
maintenance crew how to use a product,” says David Berman,
Corporate Manager, Sales and Marketing.
“It is an intellectual exercise that considers every aspect of
the facility to be part of a single environment. We find ways
to make it a healthier and more prestigious environment that can
be efficiently and cost-effectively managed and maintained.”
Berman says that Pollack conducts traditional training and
seminars with strong support from its manufacturers, but
focuses on sharing its method of “environmentally intelligent
solutions” with facility owners and managers, particularly of
office buildings that must compete for tenants.
“Our sales professionals have an overriding responsibility to
uncover needs that the customer might not realize it has. They
have discussions with a facility’s executives and show them how
to look at their building in a different way that reveals gaps
in its care, some of which can affect its long-term future. Our
goal is to help them create a more hospitable facility while
increasing operational efficiency and reducing costs.”
Distributors as Consultants
Cost control is an ongoing challenge for all facility owners,
purchasing managers, and building service contractors. All
distributors are acutely aware of this concern, according to
Network’s Alexy.
“They factor it into all their dealings with customers,” he
says. “The cost-saving value of a product or piece of equipment
is presented as a selling point. Training always includes
labor-saving tips. Delivery scheduling, order processing,
inventory management, and other aspects of doing business all
involve cost considerations. Helping customers save
money—without sacrificing quality and effectiveness—is inherent
in the services that distributors provide.”
The increasing use of automation for routine orders and billing
is saving money for both distributors and their customers while
minimizing human errors. Also, fewer orders placed by phone or
in person allow more time for customers and their distributors
to discuss other matters. Often, customers have questions about
resolving operating inefficiencies unrelated to maintenance. If
distributors don’t know the solution, they will do their best
to help customers find the experts who do.
“A commitment to serving customers is certainly what we see in
all the independent distributors who are members of Network,”
says Alexy. “Distribution is still a relationship business that
requires frequent contact, reliable service, and helpful advice.
That’s what distinguishes distributors from other product
sources.” ❑ |
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