After more than 56 years in the carpet and upholstery cleaning business, I have learned that experience is about much more than knowing how to clean a carpet or sofa. It is also about knowing how to recognize potential problems, how to treat a customer’s home with care, how to communicate with customers, and how to make good decisions when something unexpected happens.
I have been in this business for more than 56 years and have more than 60 years of personal experience in the carpet and upholstery cleaning industry. Very few carpet and upholstery cleaning companies can match that level of experience.
But there is something I think customers sometimes wonder about:
“If Alec has all of that experience, is Alec the person who is going to clean my carpet or upholstery?”
The honest answer is that I cannot personally be at every customer’s home anymore. We have a team of technicians who handle our cleaning work, and their individual experience ranges from approximately 3 to 12 years.
So, how does my experience benefit you if I am not the technician standing in your home?
The answer is simple: I have spent many years teaching my technicians what I have learned, and I remain available to them when they need me.
Experience Doesn’t Just Stay With One Person
Over the years, I have learned that running a good carpet and upholstery cleaning company involves much more than teaching someone how to operate cleaning equipment.
I want our technicians to understand the importance of the entire customer experience.
For example, if a technician has a scheduled appointment, I expect them to arrive on time. If something unexpected happens, such as traffic causing a delay, I expect them to contact the customer ahead of time and let them know what is happening.
Those may seem like small things, but after more than six decades in business, I have learned that customers notice them.
When our technician arrives at your home, they have a work order explaining what you called us about. But I don’t want them to simply walk in and start cleaning.
I want them to greet you, introduce themselves and then walk through the job with you.
You may have mentioned something when you originally called our office that is important to you. Perhaps there is a particular stain you are concerned about, a piece of furniture that needs special attention, or something about the carpet or upholstery that you want the technician to see.
I want the technician to hear those concerns directly from you before beginning the work.
Paying Attention to the Little Things
There is another part of our training that I consider extremely important: being careful of the customer’s home.
Cleaning carpet and upholstery is not simply a matter of putting cleaning solution on something and extracting it.
Our technicians work around furniture, walls, flooring, woodwork and many other things that need to be treated carefully.
I also teach our technicians to pay attention to small things that can occasionally happen during cleaning.
For example, a little drip or a small amount of overspray can sometimes occur. If it does, I want the technician to deal with it immediately. That is why I expect our technicians to always have a clean cloth available to wipe up anything that needs attention.
It may seem like a very small detail, but I believe those details matter.
After all, when we enter someone’s home, we are guests there.
What Happens When a Technician Has a Question?
This is probably one of the most important ways my experience continues to be involved in our work.
Our technicians have their own experience. But no matter how experienced someone becomes, there will always be unusual situations that require another opinion.
If one of our technicians is working on a carpet, piece of upholstery or another cleaning problem and is unsure about how something should be handled, I want them to stop and ask.
They can take a photograph of the area that concerns them and send it directly to me. Then they can call me on my cell phone.
I am always available to discuss the situation with them.
Sometimes the answer may be straightforward. Other times, I may ask them additional questions about the fiber, fabric, construction, stain, condition or circumstances involved before deciding how I think it should be handled.
The important thing is that the technician doesn’t have to guess.
They have access to my experience when they need it.
The Customer Is Part of the Process
I also believe that communication shouldn’t stop once the cleaning begins.
When the work is completed, our technician will go over the results with you.
If there is something you should be aware of, we want you to know about it. If a particular stain could not be completely removed, if there is a condition with the carpet or upholstery that you should understand, or if there is something you should know about caring for the item after cleaning, the technician should discuss it with you.
I believe there should be a direct line of communication between the technician and the customer.
You shouldn’t have to wonder what was done or whether there is anything you need to know before the technician leaves.
More Than 60 Years of Experience Is Still Part of Your Job
I sometimes think about how much has changed since I started in this business more than 56 years ago.
I’ve seen different types of carpet come and go. I’ve worked with countless fabrics and upholstery materials. I’ve dealt with stains and cleaning problems of every imaginable kind. I’ve learned from jobs that went exactly as expected and from jobs that presented unexpected challenges.
That experience is something I can pass along to our technicians.
So while I can’t physically be at every customer’s home, I am still involved in the work.
My technicians have their own years of experience, but they also have the ability to call me when they need another opinion. I continue to teach them, talk with them about situations they encounter and share what I have learned throughout my career.
In other words, my experience doesn’t stop at my front door.
When you hire Alec’s Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, you are hiring a company that has been serving customers for more than 56 years. And behind that company is more than 60 years of my personal experience in the carpet and upholstery cleaning business.
I can’t be at every job.
But I can be available to help oversee every job.
And after more than six decades in this business, I believe that experience still matters.
You May Also Enjoy These Ask Alec Articles
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- Why Does My Carpet Smell Worse After It Has Been Cleaned?
- Does Professional Carpet Cleaning Wear Out a Carpet?
Have a question? Contact us and I will answer any questions you may have.