Providing St. Charles with Earth Friendly Carpet Cleaning
Woodard has long been recognized for our commitment to the environment. In fact, Woodard was the first carpet cleaning company in St. Charles and the St. Louis region to offer “green” methods of carpet cleaning, using an EPA-approved biodegradable, phosphate-free cleaning solution. As part of our Cleaner, Greener, Drier SM carpet cleaning approach, we also encourage homeowners to find nature-friendly cleaning solutions in their other daily household cleaning needs.
Here are some ways to make your own “green cleaning in St. Charles” solutions:
● Lemon can serve as a stain remover on clothing. Instead of bleach, add a cup of lemon juice to the laundry wash cycle. You can also pour it on a stain, rub it with salt, and let it dry in the sun for stain removal. Test on an inconspicuous area first for color-fastness.
● For clothes that are really dirty from mud or dirt, instead of washing it several times, try adding ½ cup of baking soda in the washer, along with detergent. This will help get your clothes cleaner while using less soap, and hot water than multiple loads.
● For counter-top stains, try using lemon juice and baking soda. Mix the lemon juice and baking soda first, then apply it to the stain and let it sit for several hours. Do not use lemon juice on marble surfaces, as the acid can affect marble.
● To create your own window and glass-cleaning solution, combine vinegar and water in spray bottle, and clean as you would normally with glass cleaner.
● For furniture polish, try mixing 1 cup of vegetable oil with a half cup of lemon juice. Apply with a white rag.
● Use toothpaste (not gel) for cleaning chrome.
Test these Earth friendly cleaning remedies in an inconspicuous area to ensure the color-fastness of the item. Remember, when you call Woodard for your rug, furniture and carpet cleaning needs, you get the best service in the St. Louis and St. Charles areas, and also an earth-friendly cleaning!
Great customer service makes a huge impact on your customers. Last week, I went to a nice restaurant with my wife and friends. We had anticipated the event for several weeks, selected a restaurant based on the type of food they offer, their ambiance, location, and their good reputation.
We enjoyed everything about the experience! The food was great, and the environment was nice, and the customer service was wonderful. Being Woodard’s Director of Sales and Marketing, I know great customer service – we work hard to provide it to our customers. Yes, there is a cost associated with the service, but there are a great number of customers willing to pay just a little bit more to be pampered through their experience – and these customers usually tell others of their experience, bringing in new customers for the company. At the restaurant, we paid a bit more, and we experienced great customer service with our food – and as a result, the restaurant has built a relationship with me.
At Woodard, one way we build our customer service is through engaging our customers. We’ve found that through our communication, we are best able to identify our customer’s needs, wants and desires – so we can fill them. This makes our customer’s objectives our own. We stay flexible in how we address these needs, making sure that our solutions do more than just meet our needs – in fact, we search for solutions that are a “win for the customer, a win for our employee, and a win for our company” – we call this “W3” and it’s what we strive for through all of our customer interactions. If we achieve W3 with our customers, we know that they will be thrilled with our service, earn us compliments, and will tell others of their experience.
One recent example of a W3 moment was when we responded to a residential water loss, caused by a pipe break in their basement. The project started simply enough, with us extracting the water and drying the structure. To speed the drying process, we opened up a few wall cavities in order to inject air, and unfortunately we found active termite damage. Working with the homeowner and their insurance provider, we assisted their exterminator by removing some drywall, insulation and wall studs, then quickly rebuilding the affected area after the treatment. While this situation was unusual for us (working with an exterminator), we quickly adjusted our service to best assist the homeowner and their insurance provider. As you can see, the customer won (we provided additional demo and reconstruction services to help save them time and expense), our employees won (they safely built their knowledge base of pest treatment while managing the reconstruction efforts), and our company won (through developing a very satisfied customer who is telling others of their great experience in light of an unfortunate situation).
I find it interesting how few companies look for a win-win-win solution, which usually means they put themselves before the good of the customer. Whether you own a nice restaurant, or work for a cleaning and restoration company, there’s something to be learned here for everyone: great customer service pays handsome dividends in the long term!
Let me know how you’ve been treated lately!
By: Dave Christoff – Director of Sales and Marketing, Woodard Cleaning & Restoration Services
When people ask me, “what sets Woodard apart from other companies,” I answer that it comes down to two main points: hiring quality employees, and providing extensive employee training. Certainly the cleaning and restoration results we achieve, our attention to detail, amazing customer service, and respect for our customers’ belongings also play key roles.
Woodard has a very thorough hiring process. We only hire people that embrace our core values (FYI, Woodard’s core values are: Do what’s right, Honesty/integrity/trust, Respect, Dedication to serving others, and Continuous improvement). Additionally, an employee has to be presentable and respectful. We understand that inviting a stranger into your home can be disconcerting, and we want our customers to be comfortable with Woodard employees. The hiring process also includes several screening interviews with various department managers, placement testing to determine fit, and additional HR practices to help identify a quality employee.
Once a person is hired, they then begin an extensive employee training program. Traditionally, a new employee will be hired into our Flex Work Force, a position that requires them to work in all business divisions, learning multiple job functions. They begin working alongside seasoned crew chiefs, as well as having considerable classroom training to earn industry certifications. There are many certifications that a new employee could earn (depending on what position they hold in the company). Altogether, Woodard’s employees hold over 400 certifications, including carpet and furniture cleaning, structural drying, odor elimination, mold remediation, and others.
Next time a Woodard employee is working in your home, ask how they feel about working for Woodard. You will see their pride in working for a company that cares for their employees, and the customers they serve. We feel that quality employees and extensive employee training gives Woodard a distinct advantage over the competition.
