Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008 - (Page 10)

21st century QualIty (continued from page 5) equipment. They view these quality essentials as cleaning equipment that performs satisfactorily, is not “gadget-ridden” with lots of potentially useless bells and whistles, is durable, has no or few defects when compared to similar products, is environmentally-responsible, helps improve worker productivity, and probably most important, can be purchased at a reasonable price. Additionally, many of the certification programs such as GreenSeal®, EcoLogo™, and the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval program, which involve Green cleaning, have helped add more quality to cleaning products. To meet the criteria and higher standards required by these organizations, many products from chemicals to vacuum cleaners have had to be totally re-engineered. In the process, the products have been improved, are more effective, and been made more dependable—all “quality” attributes. And, just recently, the new CIMS certification (Cleaning Industry Management Standards), developed by ISSA, was introduced, which is helping to add more quality to the actual performance of cleaning. The program is consensus-based and designed to help cleaning professionals do their tasks more thoroughly, effectively, and efficiently. Cleaning professionals now look for the quality “essentials” when selecting cleaning equipment, such as equipment that performs satisfactorily, is not “gadget-ridden,” is durable, has no or few defects, is environmentally-responsible, helps improve worker productivity, and can be purchased at a reasonable price. *Photo courtesy of Tornado. Quality Customer Service Just as defining a quality product can be difficult, defining quality customer service, specifically in a hotel setting, can be challenging as well. For instance, my friend who stayed in the New Delhi hotel mentioned earlier expected the hotel would at least provide what can be described as “essential services,” such as a clean room, clean sheets and towels, and a bathroom adequately stocked with toiletries. What made this hotel excep- tional, and what he defined as quality service, included such characteristics as: • Extraordinary and consistent courtesy and responsiveness of the staff. • Clean, well-kept appearance of the staff. • The way service failures (complaints or problems) were handled and how quickly they were handled. • Provision of assurance, empathy, and reliability when needed. • Elimination of language barriers by hiring staff that speaks frequently used (visitor) languages. • Ease and promptness of checkin/checkout, currency exchange, and concierge service. • Individualized attention the staff provided for each guest. For today’s hotel visitor, it is likely that this last attribute—providing individualized attention to each guest—is the best indicator of quality customer service in a hotel setting. Hotel guests have different values and come from different cultures with varying backgrounds, but when they perceive they are getting personalized attention from the hotel staff to address and satisfy their specific needs and wants, it is perceived as quality customer service. Similar to the Jan/San market, the hospitality industry must continue to focus on quality products and services in order to thrive in a competitive global market and retain customers. Quality, we now recognize, is no longer easy to define and is not determined by price. Instead, quality is now viewed as giving our customers the products and services they want, when they want it, and at a fair and reasonable price. Remember, customers now judge quality and product integrity on many different levels. Expectations are higher when the price for a product or service is more expensive than a cheaper alternative. Facilities that focus on the big picture and do the little things for customers are defining quality today. W Jolynn Kennedy is the Director of Marketing at Tornado Industries, a leading manufacturer of commercial floor cleaning equipment located in Chicago, Illinois. She has over 15 years of corporate business-to-business marketing experience in industries including Jan/San, financial services, and software. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University. She may be reached at jkennedy@tornadovac.com. 0 Executive Housekeeping Today/July 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008

Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008 Contents Executive Corner Inspecting a Different Way Quality in the 21st Century Frugal Housekeeper How Eliminating Nuisance Animals Can Increase Quality Healthcare Goes Green Feature Article IHW Product Information The Green Scene 2008 Call to Convention 2008 Convention Information Inside the Industry Product Highlights New Members Joint IEHA/ISSA Members CEH/REH Members Advertisers' Index Calendar of Events Inside I.E.H.A. What I.E.H.A. Has Done for Me

Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008

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