[Jennifer w]

Hi Mike, that's really nice of you(your website is absolutely brilliant) if I may say so. I think I may be on the wrong forum in terms of the advice I need, I think maybe an HR forum may have been more sensible . It's probably not fair me asking the experts if I have no interest or passion in carpet cleaning.

Having said that I do find some of your members attitudes a little odd!!

Anyway thanks for all your help again

Regards

Jen

[Brook Campbell]

Well ,all I can say is that after reading through the posts all Jen wanted was some advice and seemed to get attacked for asking!!!  
Its about time some of the "carpet cleaners" on here stepped off their high horses and realised that they are not performing brain surgery!!!!! And yes they are "ONLY" carpets for god's sake.

There are a few people who seem to find time to answer  most posts and are rude and arrogant with it.
I will probably get abuse for saying all of this but could not give a monkeys, at least Mike acted like a gentleman , where as some others just sounded like spiteful school children who need to get a life.

Jen , if you would like any help or advice email  me and I will do my best to help.

[Mike Halliday]

Brooke don't give me credit for what I don't deserve, my polite response was just to smoke out whether Jen was for real, concidering her IP address was situated in   Scotland not Norfolk as in her profile

It's funny how people disappear when they are asked  for an email address or company name.  I think the other answers were not carpet cleaners getting on thier high horses more the recognition of a potential hoaxer

[Jennifer w]

Mike, thanks for your comments. All my business information was filled in on the form, as was my email address. Sales_livingwall@outlook.com

I havnt disappeared, I just decided to post on a HR forum instead....

I don't know the first thing about ip addresses so can't comment on that, all I know is I'm in east anglia on an iPad.

We don't have a live website at the moment as trying to scale down, not grow.

I,ll still keep membership on here, I'm sure they'll be a time when I need advice on carpets as opposed to HR.

Regards

Jen

[Jennifer w]

And thanks Brook by the way..!

Regards

Jen

[Ian Gourlay]

Jen

A lot of these Guys have spent hundreds on training  So to say all you have to do is mix a micro splitter is a bit of an insult to what many on here are trying to achieve even when cleaning rentals.

I would suggest you go along to Alltec and do a couple of their training  courses yourself,

As you are in Norfolk I would suggest one of the qualities would be waking early in the Morning for the long drive to London or herts.

If they have to get equipment up many flights of stairs for the blocks you do strength, so you could be right you need a commando type person.

Ps I believe one of your vans and supervisors? lives in the same road as me.

[simonmnickson]

Maid2Clean Glasgow

maybe thats Jennifer

[Pete Blackburn]

Jen,

Would it not be more beneficial to knock the carpet cleaning on the head. At 6% of T/O its worth dropping. Give more attention to the stuff that's in demand and grow on that.

[jasonl]

Of course you can teach 2 staff inside a week to clean carpets to a high standard.

There are some clowns on here, thinking they are skilled  craftsmen.

like you sais , once the basic customer cares skills are in place, cc is simple , of course there needs to be supervision to keep the quality up.

[garry22]

I would also add... find someone with NO ambition whatsoever. There is much less chance of them leaving to start up on their own.

[Jennifer w]

Thanks guys very helpful..

The "no ambition" one is interesting..

I think that covers an awful lot of different people, for different reasons.

Regards

Jen

[adrian marsh]

Well Jennifer I think you may, unintentionally, have identified the difference between the "it'll do" cc's and the "do it right" cc's. Whilst I'm sure you rate your two, soon to be retired, guys highly, to learn after eight years that they only use one solution, at different ratio's, and "it seems to work" is, well, disappointing. If we offer a professional service I would assume we should act in a professional manner. We can all go down to an artists suppliers and purchase some brushes, but they won't make us a Rembandt. If you intend to send out your new guys with the same attitude may I suggest you increase your liability insurance? Sorry, obviously I must be one of Jasonl's "clowns". And there was I thinking investing in training & knowledge would help me achieve a higher standing with my clients and bring bigger job tickets. Then again, perhaps I should have just gone to B&Q and hired one of their RD's. Apparently they'll do just as good a job.

[jasonl]

Jennifer did not ask about chemicals and equipment at first . She asked about people.

Assuming the employer has the right chemicals and equipment, and employs people with common sense and customer care skills , the actual cleaning process is VERY VERY simple.

[Dave_Lee]

Jennifer did not ask about chemicals and equipment at first . She asked about people.

Assuming the employer has the right chemicals and equipment, and employs people with common sense and customer care skills , the actual cleaning process is VERY VERY simple.

Until you come across a viscose or silk, Belgian Wilton or Acrylic Axminster, are they going to know how to recognise these, let alone clean them, after only a week? But then again as they are only in the market for office carpet , lettings, etc type of cleaning maybe a week would suffice, and anyone who is reliable enough to turn up for work would do.

[Jennifer w]

Hi, thanks for your answers again guys....even yours Adrian.

Keep them coming.

Regards

Jen.

[Norbert]

Hi Jen,

I've been following your posts on here and thought I'd respond with my personal experience of working with various people in the cleaning industry.

I've been involved in the cleaning industry as self-employed and as an employee with various contract cleaning companies since 1980. In that time I've worked with a range of good cleaners and some real strange characters. The cleaning industry by its very nature of odd cleaning hours; generally low pay, part-time and casual work attracts all sorts of characters, with varying degrees of social skills and temperaments.

Meaning some people you could give advice to regards their standard of work and other's who if you tried to discuss their way of working with them, went off the deep end (to be polite) and some who walked off the job, rather than take some friendly advice, even from the company boss!!

If your still looking to employ two new staff have you thought about the qualities of the two retiring carpet cleaners you have working for you now, and seeing if you can find two new employees with the same or very similar character traits as these two.

Just my thoughts on the subject and good luck in your search for reliable employees.

Regards Phil
     

[adrian marsh]

Thanks for the "thanks" Jennifer, I think. Wasn't having a pop btw. You're the boss, it's your business. Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Asking your original question, then posting about how your guys work does suggest that, maybe, your eye hasn't exactly been on the cc'ing side of your buisness. There are those of us who actually take a pride in what we do. We don't see a client as just someone to take money from. Not suggesting you do, but Jasonl's "clowns" comment didn't help with your thread. There's absolutely nothing wrong with training, and ongoing training. It makes us better trades people. Maybe monkeys can clean carpets, and for peanuts, but some are better monkeys than others.

[jasonl]

Adrian , surely you dont deny there are some clowns on here ?

[derek west]

Adrian , surely you dont deny there are some clowns on here ?

 

[adrian marsh]

Adrian , surely you dont deny there are some clowns on here ?

I couldn't possibly comment Jason