Make Your Customers Love You Through Good Maintenance

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Customer experience is central to any successful business and everyday it is becoming more and more important. Arguably the biggest factor impacting your customers’ experience is the cleanliness of your facility. It is the first thing that people notice when they enter your business. Starting in the parking lot, then moving to entry way and continuing through the facility and possibly your restrooms. This is a large area to maintain and can often be overlooked.

Your customers, however, will notice if your facility is unclean and dirty and it will negatively impact their experience and can overshadow what you want them to see (products, promotions, and any other conversion opportunities). This makes your cleaning and maintenance efforts especially important to your customer retention and upsell opportunities. With this being the case I wanted to do a series of blog posts to address key areas of your facility and provide you with solutions that are effective, work to lower your total cost and improve your customer experience.

I will briefly address each area in the series so you can get an idea of what’s coming. (I will add hyperlinks to each descriptions below the image once that topic has been posted.)

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EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION

Finding the proper maintenance solutions for your facility will positively impact your employees’ outlook about their working environment. It certainly involves proper cleaning to reduce the spread of sickness, but it also includes employee comfort during the workday; things such as anti-fatigue matting for employees who stand for long periods of time. Ultimately happier employees will make happier customers and improve their experience interacting with your business.

PARKING LOT

Your parking lot is the first thing your customers see when entering your facility. This gives them their first impression of your business and preps them for what they should expect inside. If the parking lot is a mess with unsightly litter, cigarette butts and other debris then the customer will already have a negative attitude about your establishment when entering. The parking lot can be a tough place to get to regularly, but there are cost-effective and efficient solutions to address this problem area.

ENTRY WAY

Your entry way can have a tendency to get dirty quickly, especially when there is bad weather. This makes sense due to it being the highest traffic area in your facility. Also during bad weather it is a significant safety hazard. Without proper maintenance the risk of a customer slipping and falling increases dramatically. Both the safety and the cleanliness will be addressed in this post.

RESTROOM

This is a big factor in whether a customer will return to your business. Dirty, odor-ridden restrooms are a big turn off and will impact your customers’ opinion of your facility. Many solutions exist that can make bathroom maintenance easy and quick and vastly improve you customers’ experience.

COMMON AREAS

These areas include anywhere in your facility that customers can roam (shopping, eating, perusing etc.). The solutions to achieve optimal maintenance here are different depending on what your business does, but have some similarities. These similarities and difference will be discussed in this post and appropriate solutions will be offered.

If you are interested in learning more about “The Value of Clean” please refer to this blog post that has an infographic summarizing the whitepaper put out by ISSA. Also make sure you subscribe to our blog so you can receive each post of this series straight to your inbox.

 

 

An Easy Inexpensive Way To Improve Employee Morale and Wellness

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Standing for long periods of time hurts. We all know this. There is a solution to help prevent this. Ant-Fatigue Matting. Standing on a concrete floor for long periods of time, say anything over an hour can cause intense pain and discomfort in your feet, legs, knees, hips, back and shoulders. Anti-Fatigue matting can significantly help reduce this effect. Mats can help with this discomfort but can also help prevent other health problems, lingering aches and pains, and circulatory issues.

These are an inexpensive way to promote better health and safety among your employees. Anti-Fatigue matting comes in a variety of materials depending on your applications. It can be used in factory settings where dirt, oil or water may be present or in offices where you can use more decorative versions. No matter where it is used, people standing on quality anti-fatigue mats will experience a much more comfortable work setting. When the stress is removed, worker productivity and efficiency increases.

Some factors to be aware of when purchasing anti-fatigue matting:

Is the area dry or wet? Do you need to contain oil, water, debris or other contaminants from being tracked from one department to another? Does the matting need to be fire retardant or chemically resistant?

Many work areas may require ESD, Electro-Static Discharge Matting. These are designed to be conductive for a rapid discharge to the ground. Used in chemical plants and around the use and manufacture of electrical components. They are burn resistant and self-extinguishing.

Be sure to cover all areas where slip and fall incidents may occur. Matting is a great way to prevent accidents and the liability issues that accompany them.

Be sure the matting you use has beveled edges. It also helps if the edges are marked in a different color. Beveled edges allow rolling carts to easily pass over the mats and to prevent tripping and falling accidents. Coloring the edges adds another level of safety.

Many people may prefer to stand at their desk or work station. Standing burns more calories and may provide a better comfort level for some people. Anti-Fatigue matting has shown to reduce spinal compression and increase circulation. Anti-Fatigue matting comes in a variety of styles and colors to suit these applications.

In some cases anti-microbial matting may be a benefit. These mats have an added component that prevents mold, mildew and bacterial growth.

Determine the size of the area you need to cover. Most standard mats come in sizes ranging from 2’ X 3’ to 4’ X 6’. Runners can also be custom made to cover those larger areas.

For the right matting for your application contact Rhiel Supply. We can have one of our matting experts assist you in determining which matting is best suited for your facility. Click below to get the conversation started!

 

Talk to an expert

Do You Have Dirty Sticky Floors?

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This is a problem I run into very frequently and I hear a lot of concern on how to prevent this from happening. As it turns out there are a lot reasons why your floor can have a sticky/dirty appearance and the remedy is almost always the same. Routine Maintenance.

When using a mop to clean a floor you wet the mop in a bucket, wring it out, mop the floor and then put it back in the bucket. The mop is immediately contaminated with dirty water and you use that dirty water to mop the next section of the floor. The floor gets dirtier, and the sticky adheres to the dirt. You then start to notice a film of dirt on the floor and wonder why the floor is dirty since it is being mopped every day. In reality, much of the dirt is never being removed.

I am a huge believer in using automatic cleaning equipment when cleaning a floor. Here’s why. When you use an automatic floor scrubber to clean your floors you are applying clean, fresh water to the floor, aggressively scrubbing the floor and quickly removing the dirt, the residue and the sticky. This leaves a clean, dry floor immediately. Scrubbers come in a variety of shapes and sizes but they always do a better job than mopping.

Depending on your facility and your conditions there may be a number of reasons why the floors are sticky or dirty even if you have a routine cleaning program.

If you have a kitchen in the area, grease can be tracked on to the floor. Grease causes the acrylic to soften and become sticky and the grease can be hazardous itself if it is not removed.

Entry ways can have tracked in tar from a parking lot affecting the floor finish, causing it to become sticky/dirty and creating a dull effect.

If you are using a quaternary disinfectant the active ingredient in the quat can leave a build-up over time. Mopping will not remove this. The quaternary build-up can cause a browning or yellowing that can stain the finish and even the tile.

Restrooms that are not subject to routine maintenance can cause staining and discoloration from foot traffic leaving the restroom.

Too much chemical being used to clean the floor can also cause a build-up to occur. Always use cleaning chemicals by the recommendations on the label. If a little is good, a lot is not better.

The wrong chemical is being used. All cleaners are not created equal. Make sure you are using a cleaning chemical that is designed to clean your particular floor surface without adversely affecting the floor, the finish or the coating.

What’s the solution?

Scrub the floor with an automatic scrubber as often as you can. Use the recommended dilution of whatever chemical you need. Too high a concentration will leave a film. Use enough chemical to remove all the contaminants from the floor surface but not so much that you leave residue. Put a clean water rinse into floor cleaning routine every now and then. It’s amazing what flooding the floor and scrubbing with clean, fresh water can do to remove any excess residue and restore the clean look again.


Informed Buyer's Guide to Automatic Floor Scrubbers

Viva La Motor Scrubber (Infographic)

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EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR MOTOR SCRUBBER!

We put together a short infographic to help you optimize your Motor Scrubber’s life. If you don’t have a motor scrubber yet click here to check it out! If you do then take a look at this infograph for some pointers. The button below has a printer friendly version so you can hang a copy where you store your portable powerhouse.

What Do I Do About All Of This Rain?

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As you already know, there has been a significant amount of rain over the past few weeks. This not only keeps you from using your pool, but it also creates problems for your swimming pool maintenance. I wanted to take a second to answer a few questions I have been asked during the past few days. The questions are as follows:

  1. All of this rain has increased the water level in my pool; what is the best way to drain it?
  2. What can I be doing to make sure this rain doesn’t create a problem in my pool?
  3. I have already spent a ton of money on chemicals this year; what is the best way to do my pool maintenance with minimal time, effort, and money?

All of these are big concerns that you might currently be worrying about so it is my goal to help you keep your swimming pool crystal clear and safe for swimming.

ALL OF THIS RAIN HAS INCREASED THE WATER LEVEL IN MY POOL; WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DRAIN IT?

This largely depends on your equipment setup, but I’ll try to address this question the best I can. I’ll list some common equipment and the best way to drain water using each. If you don’t find something that works for you then email me your equipment setup at marketing@rhiel.com and I will find the best solution for you.

For all these methods be sure to drain before adding any chemicals. This will reduce waste and save you money! Also keep in mind that the water should be lowered just about an inch below the top of the skimmer to the skimmer to do its job.

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Sand Filter

If you have a sand filter then the best thing for you to do would be to shut off your pump, turn your valve to “Waste”, and then turn the pump back on. This will send water straight from the pool out your backwash port. Run this until you reach the appropriate water level (half way down the skimmer opening for most pools) and then turn of the pump, set the valve to filter and turn the pump back on.

Make sure your backwash port is draining to an area that can handle the amount of water you need to drain. If it isn’t draining to a good place stop into one of our stores and we can help you brainstorm a solution that will work for you!

Cartridge Filters

For Cartridge filters your best bet is to unscrew the drain plug and drain from there. To do this turn off the pump, remove this cap, and then turn back on the pump, water will begin pouring out. Putting a plug in the return can help ensure that the water doesn’t reenter the pool. With this method you can let gravity pull the water out (if it is above ground) or you can turn on the pump to speed up the process.

Make sure the water drains to an appropriate place. If that is where your filter is then that’s fine, but if it needs to go elsewhere you should attach a backwash hose and drain to an appropriate spot. If you need help hooking that up come pay us a visit and well help you make something work.

D.E.

D.E. filters are a bit different because there are so many variations. The thing to do in this case is to turn off your pump, open the drain cap, and let gravity pull the water out. Just like a cartridge filter you may need to use a backwash hose to route water somewhere else.

WHAT CAN I BE DOING TO MAKE SURE THE RAIN DOESN’T CREATE A PROBLEM IN MY POOL?

I HAVE ALREADY SPENT A TON OF MONEY ON CHEMICALS THIS YEAR; WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DO MY POOL MAINTENANCE WITH MINIMAL TIME, EFFORT, AND MONEY?

rhiel-saves-you-moneyI didn’t forget to answer question 2, I intentionally am answering these questions together because the answers are the same. The best thing you can do is routinely monitor your pool. This could be daily, every other day, or depending on your system, weekly. By monitor I mean pay attention to slight changes in clarity or color (this means you can’t leave your solar cover on for more than a day at a time) and also test your water at least once a week. With the poor weather we have had I would suggest testing at least every other day.

The question now is what do you test for? You are particularly focusing on alkalinity and sanitizer. These two are very important in having a chemically balanced pool. If you notice that either reading is off then take the appropriate action to correct. If you do not know what your ideal readings should be or how to change them then stop into one of our locations or give us a call. Also if your levels are severely off then bring a water sample into our store for testing.

Keep in mind: A water sample or test should never be done during or immediately following the rain. Not doing this can result in an inaccurate test result and the addition of an unnecessary amount of chemical.

*During periods of heavy rain, monitoring alkalinity is especially important. This is because alkalinity buffers your pH by acting as guard against the generally acidic environment in which we live.

This all well and good, but how does it save you time, money, and effort? The bottom line is that regular and routine maintenance is the best thing you can do to prevent swimming pool issues.

I hope this has been helpful and that you can use this information to keep your pool crystal clear all summer long!