I picked up a LARGE hotel account at the beginning of the year. I did my first cleaning for them about 3 weeks ago (just 10 rooms and a hall) and one of the maintenance workers saw me using a ProCaps machine on the room and said "That's all you're doing? Beating the dirt deeper into the carpet?" I briefly explained encap to him and then finished the job. When I was done, I tracked him down and went into detail about encap as well as a talk about how I wasn't tryign to scrub and run. I was there to keep the carpets looking their best and would use a variety of cleaning methods depending on the area. I spent about 20 minutes with him. Even though he had no decision making authority, I didn't want him running to the higher-ups telling them we were doing some kind of lousy job, but it looks like he did run to them and gave them bad information about my cleaning.

My next cleaning is scheduled early tomorrow morning and I am supposed to check in with the GM before I start, so I expect to have some questions to answer (the CC company we took the account from runs a fleet of Vortexes on hotels).

So my question is this: Does anyone have a good info sheet that can be provided to the management that briefly explains the encap process as well as it's advantages and/or disadvantages over HWE?

The CMS Marketing program covers encap a little bit. We try not to get overly "system" oriented with the CMS material, since selling your "system" is NEVER a good idea. However the CMS package does convey a little bit of an angle toward encap.

You may have shot yourself in the foot by going into a big explanation to the hotel worker. It is best to simply say something along these lines. --- "Yes sir, we have ALL the methods of cleaning at our disposal! We start by carefully assessing each carpet. And then we select the proper tools and cleaning agents that will maintain the carpet best." --- And if you're using RELEASIT products, you could also add that your cleaning agents include a built-in fabric protector, so the soil will release more easily and the carpet will stay clean longer.

Lastly: One of the advantages of a Cimex machine over any cylindrical machine is that the big ugly yellow Cimex seldom ever gets the reaction of "is that all are you're doing?" Instead people will often say things like, "wow that's a big machine!" Its formidable appearance is impressive. Being big and ugly has it's advantages, in addition to the fact that it cleans more efficiently too. It's true that a cylindrical machine can get the job done just fine, however you're just more likely to hear questions about your method.







Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

Rick is absolutely correct on this.
When I get someone making statements like that I tell them no
this is just one step in our process.

Had you not freaked out and tried to justify your self to the worker he may not have said anything to anyone. Since you felt the need to justify your self to him(YOU HUNTED HIM DOWN) and not confident you what you were doing this person though HIS HOTEL had hired a hack.

I know this is harsh but how is that person to know if after you scrubbed the carpet you did not extract? The only way he knew is you hunted him down and told him.

Let this be a lesson to anyone else pushing method cleaning to clients never pin your self into a corner like that.Always let them know you have all methods at your disposal and will use what ever it takes to get the job done.



One last thing only Encaping rooms with out soil removal will lead to people getting black socks and get you fired in time

Thanks for the replies guys. I did talk about how there were different methods of cleaning and the best one was picked for each situation. I did talk about how we stand behind our service and could do any of these methods. The problem is that the job was bid on with encap in mind and we would get killed doing HWE at these prices.

I understand the value of the appearance (and cleaning ability) of a cimex. I have no doubt that I will be in the market for one in the not so distant future.

I'm just looking for the right words to explain to the manager that we weren't just hiding the dirt. Rick: Are you telling me that this info is available if I purchase your CMS package?

"One of the maintenance workers saw me using a ProCaps machine on the room and said 'That's all you're doing? Beating the dirt deeper into the carpet?'"

I don't think that you should have to justify anyting to such a person. The fact that you are there cleaning and he isn't shows you have convinced the "decision maker" of your abilities. A simple repy as stated by the others should have sufficed.

He's possibly trying to make himself look good at your expense, or making a smart alec remark. I might have said, "there's a reason why I'm cleaning the carpet and you're not"

If the decision maker questions it you can refer him to some of the articles in CM, etc.

Well, its to late to say what you should have done...you know now what is a bad idea..ive done it my self several times.

Does the carpet look good? Does it look clean? If your confident of this then no need to worry. Several times I have talked my self into a corner by over explaining.

It really is the system. When ever you end up talking to the management, remind your self that their only info comes from you, the professional, and the custodian. Some times they may know a few more nuggets of info than most, probably from dealing with other cleaners. RESULTS. That is what they really want.

Good luck, being a hotel they will always just be trying to find someone to do it cheaper anyways.