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- Building Service Contractors Must Educate Customers On Restroom Options
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Part two of this three-part article focuses on working with supply partners to educate customers.A lot of customers may not even be aware of their options. That鈥檚 where communication and education become very important tools in a BSC鈥檚 customer relations arsenal.听鈥淓ducation is key,鈥� says Murch. 鈥淐ustomers can鈥檛 value or appreciate what they don鈥檛 know. When we make recommendations, we justify them and show them the value and benefits of making those changes.鈥滺elping BSCs鈥� customer education efforts are their partner suppliers. Tricia McCune, national accounts manager for听听in Atlanta, serves as 4M鈥檚 supply partner. A lot of contractors may not even be aware that the supplier-BSC partnership exists.听听鈥淜nowing that relationship exists is a help not only to the manufacturer, but to the contractor as well as the client on site,鈥� says McCune.Supply partners can join BSCs for new client site surveys and serve as both a supply-side expert and an advocate for the BSC鈥檚 best interests.听鈥淲e know what鈥檚 going on in terms of the towel and tissue dispensing markets 鈥� what鈥檚 the latest and greatest in terms of sustainability and LEED, cost reduction and usage reduction,鈥� says McCune. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good marriage of partnership to have Tim鈥檚 team be the experts on what the client needs are, and us being able to present a solution to meet those needs.鈥滻n fact, McCune says, the partnership is so strong that Murch could call upon her to consult directly with customers and even present on his behalf.听Murch acknowledges the leverage this supplier partnership provides.鈥淲e rely upon our partners, and they are a big part of our success,鈥� says Murch. 鈥淲e meet semi-annually with our supply partners. The expectation is that they will present the latest in technology and product offerings so we鈥檙e aware and can introduce these things to our clients.鈥澨�
Change Doesn鈥檛 Always Come Easy
Although addressing restroom towel and dispenser needs may seem cut and dried, it鈥檚 not always that easy. Customer relationships depend so much upon effective two-way communication, it鈥檚 integral to understand customers鈥� perceptions of their own needs and expectations of service.听Ultimately, it鈥檚 about finding practical solutions. And oftentimes, a win for the customer is also a win for a BSC.听鈥淕ood restroom solutions allow us to help each other out, because a good dispenser with the right kind of paper for the situation means we won鈥檛 need to provide 鈥� and they won鈥檛 need to pay for 鈥� additional labor for restocking or portering,鈥� says Murch. 鈥淢ost of our cost is labor so anything we can do to be more productive and more cost-effective will provide more value for our customers. That鈥檚 where dispensers come into play; they really address that.鈥漌hen customers aren鈥檛 ready for immediate change, it鈥檚 best to revisit the topic periodically 鈥� particularly if the restroom setups are creating hardships or complaints for cleaning crews.听鈥淥nce you present justification for new solutions based on ongoing restroom issues, customers usually come around,鈥� says Murch.听One common scenario Murch encounters when taking on a new customer is a restroom equipped with proprietary dispensers requiring a certain type of paper product that were put in prior to 4M taking over the account.In other cases, customers have been dealing with dispensers that are not functioning well or are broken. That can mean, for example, that full toilet paper rolls aren鈥檛 dropping or transitioning like they鈥檙e supposed to, the soap dispenser pump is broken, or paper towel is getting caught in the dispenser.鈥淐hanging mindsets to allow a more practical, more cost-effective dispenser and product can be a challenge,鈥� says Murch. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when we bring in our supply partner and work out an arrangement to replace those dispensers.鈥澨齀t may take additional time and effort in changing out those old dispensers, but many customers understand that change needs to happen.听鈥淚f we鈥檝e done our job and they鈥檙e receptive to our suggestions for change and we鈥檝e got the right products and dispensers in there, it鈥檚 really kind of out of sight, out of mind,鈥� says Murch.
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