FAQs
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Our process in dealing with new customers is geared toward earning their trust. Our company is often hired because of low cost and, naturally, the process by which we are selected im plies that our workers are underpaid and, well, not honest. It is anticipated by the emplo yer that things will disappear and that the quality of our services will — as with predecessor firms — be marginal at best. In the above context, we begin slow. As president of the company, I spend the time introducing myself to the people we will be working for. This ranges from the procurement represen tative that authorized our work to those occupying the areas that we clean. I introduce myself and ask if they would mind if I brought my staff around to introduce them ... that they are a little shy and that their English language skills are OK but still need work. My objective is to help them to un derstand that it s a two edged sword. My staff is every bit as apprehensive about this new relationship as they are. When I take my staff around and make introductions I never take more than two or three at a time (which is a normal staffing level anyway). They wear our company T-shirts and we don t meet with any one person for very long ... but long enough to break the ice. Part of what I try to get across during these introductions is that (a) our company consists largely of close rel atives and that (b) we are all grateful for the work (which we are!). In the weeks after starting a new contract I make an effort to make myself seen, t o let people know that there is supervision taking place and, just like a waiter in a good restaurant, asking our customers if everything is OK ... was there anything that we should be doing differently. I also tell them that if they think of anything, to please let me know. This approach, I believe, eliminates many of the trivial just what complaints that might otherwise occur and channels communicati ons to me instead of to customer supervisors or the procurement representative. After a few weeks our employees somehow become invisible. They are able to do their work and they are trained not to be obtrusive. They make a point of being quiet. T o the extent possible, we schedule our loud work when our customers are not around (evenings, early mornings, weekends, etc.). If for some reason there is a change in schedule and we have to substitute employees (v acations, family events, sickness), I try to make this known in advance. Chances are they would not have noticed but, again, our objective is to channel communications and give our cu stomers a sense of comfort.
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
My advice would be to ask the client what they valued in a cus todial firm and then to listen. My experience has been that they throw the question back to me and say that they asked me first. At that point, I tell them the truth. My company is my fa mily. My mother and I run it and many of our employees are family ... even if not by blood. We recognize that, as a sometimes isolated community, we are better off having consistent work and good references over a long period of time rather than make a short term windfall and then ha ve customers who feel cheated and are unlikely to give you the type of references needed for the ne xt job. So, if the customer if looking for an organization that charges a fair price, has a st rong work ethic and is honest, then they should consider using our firm. Who they hire is a refl ection of the type of firm that they are. We respect that.
- What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?
What is the cost of transition? If you change your support staff on a reg ular basis (even to save money), does this real help the company? Do the employees like chan ge and does this contribute to productivity? If they hire a company for support services, they are entering into a relati onship that affects the lives of a lot of people. While it may sound good at the time, is it a relationship that they can maintain? When profits drop, will they readily just terminate the contra ct without thinking through the consequences? What are they really expecting from the contractor? Are they asking for min imal services to hold costs down but then expecting the world from the contractor? How do they plan to define quality control? What constitutes a g ood job vs a bad job? Are they better off buying supplies for the contractor or having the con tractor provide the supplies? How critical is scheduling. Are there times in particular when services are not wanted or are wanted? Are the people doing the hiring in synch with the people who will be receiving the services? Will the service provider end up in a no -win position? What are the expectations for the service provider to adhere to company poli cies and practices? Is this being clearly relayed to the service provider? Does the employer have specific record-keeping requirements that the service provi der needs to abide by (especially if it affects costs)? Is there a written agreement that is clear to both parties? Are there hidden costs that will surface later and create friction between the buy er and the seller? Should the agreement have any incentives built into it? Would bonu ses or extensions based on good performance be warranted? Does the service provider have the human and fiscal resources to successfully carr y out the project or will the service provider be asking for advances or very frequent payments to make this work? How committed will the service provider be to the project? Once they get it will they start substituting personnel almost as soon as the ink starts to dry on the agreement ? How will the buyer deal with substandard performance from the service provider?