who has gone from HWE to OP either exclusively or added service?
How did you go about emplimenting the new service (OP) to long time customers that are expecting HWE when you show up?
Just getting in to OP for residential - mostly.
But, used OP along with Cimex/Releasit encap job over the week end with great results.

I was totally HWE the added Cimex,great choice aloud me to do larger jobs, different jobs and make money doing them. Decide I needed to try OP another great move only had it about 1 month. Have implemented it into residential slowly but confidently. Lately its the only thing I clean Berber with I also like it on Polyester and Nylon, Freize is starting to come along I use microfibr pads on most if I have alot of trashed carpet will use cotton pad then microfiber, I'm happy with the results as are my customers and during the colder months I'm sure it will be a great asset, I use Punch 90% of the time the other 10% Hot Knife

yes i currently only use op cleaning i love it .i think it;s the only ay to clean now truckmounts are way to expensive and so is the gas .and a portable is to slow and underpowered plus it leaves the carpet wet for to loong. encap and an orbital is the wave of the future in my opinion stanley steemer screwed up the hwe truckmount image.

By the time I added an Op to the toolbox I already had expectations of what I could do with it,along with anticipated results based upon my experience with a rotary as well as my research online and phone conversations with individuals experienced in the usage of the different types available.

Having said that,the actual results that I was able to achieve were way beyond said expectations.I immediately saw that combining HWE with Op (pre-agitate with OP,HWE,post Op)would put my company leaps and bounds ahead of the so-called competition,while still achieving great production rates and superior dry times.
Having an Op,has allowed me to not worry about high-rise cleanings or anything else where a TM is non-conducive.Just remember,you're the professional,clients are looking to you for solutions to their problems.

You really can't go wrong by adding one to your toolbox..."Clean'em All"

Patrick

i have never used a op machine. it seems there are to that are offered here. the challenger and the vento. which one is better? most of my customers have basic nylon carpet and i am tired of truckmounts breaking down. will these really do the job on the basic customer with basic staining and soiling? i thank you for your info.

I have HWE abilities but not a TM. I use OP (Vento) 99% of the time with, IMHO, better results than HWE alone.

I combine HWE sometimes but OP most of the time. OP alone 99% of the time is better.

Honestly, if the custy would pay for it, I'd suggest OP with HWE every time for the best results IMHO.

I get the reputation of an anti-OP person because I discuss it limitations when we discuss it's merits. However, I am not totally against it. There is no question that it is superior to HWE on commercial accounts. Problem is, unless you have a CMX machine from Clark, it's just too slow. Cimex is better on commercial than OP if you are focused on doing business with Rick.

Residentially, OP works fine, too. Problem is it's slow compared to HWE (unless you're doing multistep HWE). And, their is a problem with customer perception. Most customers will oooh and ahhh about how good it does, but if you track your repeats, you'll find that only half of those will call you back, and of those who DO call you back for a second year of cleaning, around 15% of those will request that you use "steam cleaning."

Having said that, I believe a person can make a living doing strictly OP cleaning with no HWE, but you have to be resolved to loose a large percentage of you current customer base, you have to price above the average to be profitable per hour, and you have to be ready to stay a one truck operation with yourself as the technician.

You don't find too many multi-truck, OP cleaning companies.

It might be we are on the same page. Odd.

I have never used a Cimex but I have used my OP and my point is that it might not do such a wonderful job if the carpet needs rinsing. But, some photos on this website are very exciting! so long as the carpet looks that way in a few days time. (we never get photos that are like a week old do we)

Mark D in Boston would not agree with you on repeat clients though. Nor would i currently. But I am only assuming. But I think my reasoning is sane. I get great results from my Op method. Results that SS in my town does NOT get.

But for the record, I want the best results i can get for my clients...hence, I own and use a porty. But I use it less than 10% of the time.

I sell it easier too because of my enthusiasm for it. which is contagious (Rick calls it OCCD:) )

I also read of production rates that compare to the cimex...but often those "posts" are from salesmen. But not always.

Admiralclean,

I was just curious as to where you got the statistics regarding call backs for carpes that have been OPd (50% don't call you back and of the 50% that do call you 15% request water Extraction). Was it from your personal experience? If so, how many clients did you only use OP cleaning? How do those call back statistics compare to using HWE only. I just started with the OP cleaning system and I certainly want repeat business.
You have a good point, you dont see very many muti truck OP cleaning companies. But then again, I read somewhere, that only 5% of carpet cleaners use the the OP cleaning process.

Again ... let me stress that I am not trying to turn this thread into an anti-OP thread. I love it ... in certain situations.

Those statistics were my own, compiled a couple of years ago. There is a slight error factor as my bookeeping and customer records were all manual at that time, but fairly accurate and enough to give me an ability to make a decision for myself.

I started as HWE and spent 18 years (at that time) building a HWE business. So, my customers were somewhat confused with the change, I suppose.

Phil:
Not to argue with you, but I'd like to say that you might consider that comparing OP to Stanley Steemer, or an average portable or even average TM cleaner will result in OP looking great, and OP does look great, but when you compare it to "enlightened" HWE cleaners who run 2 inch hose and glided wands its not different in the eyes of the customer, and the cleaner usually finds HWE to more satisfying, as well.

And, when you get the really odd HWE guy who prescrubs and then rinses with 2 inch glided wands and hoses, OP looks kind of old fashioned.

But, OP is less costly, to some extent, and we may find ourselves running out of water down here before long ...

Admiral, I do not take your posts as arguments. Instead, I value your opinions when you present them clearly. In fact, I know very little about our industry as a whole. I soak up much of what you write (on all the boards you post)

I must admit then I have never seen an enlightened HWE guy. Instead, i have seen the "less expensive ones".

I could used some 'splainin myself on how extraction cleans better than OP simply because I do not know how to use extraction properly I suppose. No better than SS. But, nor have I taken any courses yet for that area.

I am not in opposed to droping some coin for a stronger, better machine. I just do not want a TM. I had rather have the right "porty" because of my market.
I don't understand (and I am being honest...not smart) how HWE can clean without the wicking associated.

In fact, can we take this to either the right board or another thread so you might walk me through it? again, it is a sincere request.

The OP and HWE and Cimex all have there places different circumstances need different cleaning. I look at my van as a huge tool box. Yes you can clean carpet with any style with good results, however some styles or systems will be easier, quicker and results might be better one way than another. Phil as long as the carpet is clean and you explain to your customers about the system your using and why there should be no problem. Let then know that the tool you are using cleans the fiber from all sides using agitation rather than water pressure, explain the benefits low mositure, quicker drying, no wick backs. Whatever the particular cleaner is using you must be proud of it and confident in it customers will pick up if you have reservations.

OK, maybe the best thing to do is to let the customer choose which method you should use. I have been down this road myself and this is how it played out for me.

I started HWE with a porty, prescrubbed, air movers, the whole deal.I found out about the encap process and started selling our low moisture cleaning as a scientifically advanced cleaning method that solved many of the carpet cleaning problems that occurred when using "traditional" methods and also dried in 1 hour. This was a very easy sell, all I had to do was ask the potential client what it was they didn't like about their last carpet cleaner. THe complaints were pretty much the same ( rapid resoil, returning spots, wet too long, etc.)Since encap/VLM addresses these problems very well I could honestly say to them I had a solution to these problems. It was very successful and popular in the commercial market and we still clean like that.

The only problem I had was with residential. I can't really put my finger on why, but people didn't seem to really like the low moisture process in their homes. They were happy with the appearance of the carpet, I was able to do a better job than other cleaners - removing spots and soil that had remained from other cleanings, reviving traffic lanes, etc. Honestly, the carpets looked great when I was done. In other words, no complaints. BUT NO RETURN VISITS OR REFERRALS EITHER! I finally got what my customers were saying -without saying it- so now we use a truckmount for residential. Customers are happy again, and to be honest, I feel alot better knowing that I am giving them the best clean possible.

It seems to me that with the advances in encap solutions and new chems, OP is becoming more popular. Not as much history as HWE. That may be why there are not too many OP only multiple truck companys.
I have been using Cimex/Releasit on cgd for a few years with very satisfying results and my comm. biz is continually growing. On residential, I have been TM HWE with glides and get great result and great dry times. SS will be the help OP operators need. Many of my customers tell me when SS cleaned, the carpeting was wet for a day or two and 'squishy'.
I recently started OP thinking it would be a little less labor intense. I also have clients that make it difficult to HWE - like 2nd floor condos or really long hose runs. I am also going to target some high rise apartment buildings.
I haven't decided what to tell my HWE customers when I roll in my OP machine.

Now, I only do cc'ing on a part time basis, so you need to understand that before you read what I am going to post.

I only have one customer at the moment and she has called me back again this year for a cleaning.

So my records show that with OP cleaning 100% of my customers are happy with my service.

Sounds good, dont it?

Well, actually it does sound good Joe. You are in the perfect position to build a vlm business to suit your needs. If you start off positioning yourself in the market in that way, I would expect you to be able to avoid some to the shock us HWE cleaners experience when we switch methods on our customers.

But, you will have to be willing to walk away, or be sent away from a few jobs.

Only in Kentucky can you have every customer happy, and clean every carpet successfully, no matter the soiling conditions, with OP.

I think I need to move to Kentuky

I am hitchen the horse to the wagon as we speak. Kentucky here we come.

I have done a few jobs with op and I have had only one repeat, I look at it this way, the jobs I have done in the past didnt look like they had been cleaned for a couple of years any way. So they dont spend money of care of their carpts.

I have also had a few calls where the customer ask how I clean the carpts and when I told them they did not book.

Now some people I talk to say they will never have "steam cleaning" again, because of Sears or SS. Some people I talk to say its the only way they will have a carpet cleaned.

I have learned one thing being in NJ people are just trying to pay their super high property taxs. Carpet cleaning is the last thing on their minds now.

So as I say: 100% of my customers are happy with my VLM Carpet Cleaning Service.