Isn’t it strange how sometimes things seem to stay unchanging for ages, and at other times, everything seems to develop and grow in hyper gear, with big change after big change? The restoration industry is moving quickly into the latter, as was on full display at the Restoration Industry Association’s (RIA) Restoration Convention + Industry Expo this May. A wave of change is upon us.

You could feel it in the air at the show: The industry is ready for change. Everywhere restoration professionals talked of the need for a better way forward in working with the insurance industry, trained adjusters, and better communication between the two industries. They talked of (and sometimes argued over) desires for new, loosened, tightened, or updated regulations. It’s time for change.

This desire is not new by any means. We’ve been talking about these ideas for years, especially our issues with the insurance industry, seemingly to no avail. But things felt different this time. The RIA made some big announcements during the convention that showed a real path forward for the industry is being built.

The newly formed Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) committee was unveiled at the show. Led by Ed Cross, the AGA’s aim is to bring together the currently fragmented restoration industry to fight for restorer rights and solve industry problems. Experts from many different segments of the industry make up the committee and hope to give the restoration industry as a whole a louder, collective voice.

Think of lobbying groups, meeting face to face with the people who make regulatory and other decisions that affect your work. Think of support for you, a group who is looking out for you and fighting for fairness for your company and the industry. That’s the path RIA is setting with the AGA.

At the same show, RIA and the IICRC together announced they were entering a strategic partnership. It was met with great excitement by attendees, and it’s a show of solidarity for the restoration industry that these two major forces in the industry that have always functioned independently have come together for the good of their members.

The partnership will allow the two organizations to increase knowledge across the industry. RIA offers intensive and respected designations, like Certified Restorer or Water Loss Specialist, that can now be marketed to IICRC members. Out of this partnership also comes a new standard, the BSR/IICRC S700: Standard for Professional Smoke and Fire Restoration.

IICRC will also lend its influence to RIA’s efforts to advocate on behalf of the restoration industry as more and more regulations come our way. Leaders from both associations are a part of the AGA, working to identify the issues most important to restoration professionals and find ways to meaningfully address them.

There’s a wave of change on our horizon at the moment, and with change often comes fears. What will all these efforts bring, and will we benefit? Those are reasonable questions. But take a moment to relish the fact that people are trying to elevate, protect, and fight for the industry you’ve poured literal blood and sweat into.

It’s good to have someone watching your back.

Amanda Hosey is the managing editor of��Cleanfax. She has worked as an editor and writer for more than six years, including four years with��Cleanfax.��Reach her at��amandah@issa.com.

The post Restoration’s Wave of Change appeared first on Cleanfax.

Whether you simply on want the highest level of power or you are driven by an intense dedication to desired cleaning job outcomes (cleaner carpet, ��maximum appearance improvement, and faster drying times), you may feel like your next truckmount investment needs to be focused on the biggest and baddest truckmount�� out there. You may have even heard or been told a HydraMaster Direct Drive Truckmount can’t match the performance of some other huge truckmount.

Let’s look at some of the most commonly brought up ideas about max performance from a truckmount:

Horsepower: This one is kind of a no-brainer. The HydraMaster CDS and CDS xDRIVE get their��power from a 200+ HP water cooled engine. But it is not just about engine size. It is about the efficient transfer of power to the other components of a truckmount at the lowest consumption of gas.

Vacuum: Instead of focusing on the randomly assigned number scheme on the vacuum blower, consider that you are trying to maintain vacuum performance even as your vacuum hose runs extend beyond the traditional 150-200-foot “pull” of an average residential home. It’s all about extraction efficiency and reduced drying time — whether you are cleaning a 1,200-square foot house, a multi-level apartment building, or a 250,000-square foot convention center.��The most important person to satisfy with your vacuum power is your customer. If the carpet dries faster, they are happy.

Heat: This is another easy one. A direct drive truckmount gets its heat source from the same things as the “biggest, baddest” truckmount: The engine, blower exhaust, and collected, ambient hot air. With the HydraMaster CDS xDRIVE, you even have the additional source of cooling the controller.

Dual-wand cleaning: Dual-wand cleaning is no problem with the HydraMaster CDS and CDS xDRIVE. But let’s just say you are one of those gearheads who wants triple-wand capacity. The first question we would ask is how often do you anticipate having the need for triple-wand cleaning? Perhaps a few times per year? If you only rarely need triple-wand cleaning, you could invest a small fortune in a truckmount that’s used at its full capacity less than 5% of the time and you’ll be limited to one jobsite. A better option would be to invest in a CDS Direct Drive Truckmount and a Boxxer 318 — at about the same cost or even less. Then you have three-wand capacity when needed, but the other 95% of the time, you can be on two job sites at once.

As you can see, a��HydraMaster Direct Drive Truckmount��provides all the power and performance you demand. Are you ready to open your gear-filled mind to the possibility that a direct drive truckmount delivers everything you need? Contact your local HydraMaster distributor today.

Contact: 425-775-7272���� |����

[infobox title=’Getting the Best Truckmount “Deal” for Your Business Needs’][/infobox]

Great deals and bargain prices may be tempting, yet the best truckmount purchase for��your��business comes from meeting your business needs and ensuring long-term, hassle-free operation.

Whether you’re running a start-up or multi-truck operation for a cleaning and/or restoration business or doing residential or commercial jobs, Legend Brands offers a full range of high-performance, reliable truckmounts. Here are just two of our industry-leading machines — see more at��.

Everest 870HP: Multi-tool Cleaning and Extraction for the Most Serious Pros

Our new flagship Everest 870HP delivers serious power for cleaning and restoration professionals working both residential and commercial jobs.

An ideal combination of industrial-grade components and proven engineering, the Everest 870HP is equipped with a Kubota 4-cylinder, 57 HP, fuel-injected gasoline engine with a cast iron block and liquid cooling to help ensure long life. The power plant drives a powerful Eurus vacuum blower that speeds extraction and leaves carpets drier.

870HP benefits:

• Multi-tool cleaning and extraction for high productivity,
• Consistent high heat – combines the innovative Sapphire Scientific heat exchange system with the proven Prochem water box and recirculation system,
• Solution pressures up to 2,500 psi with FULL heat for amazing hard surface cleaning,
• Ultimate control of cleaning temperatures using a well-proven thermal logic heat control system,
• E-Idle system delivers economical operation – reduces fuel consumption by up to 23%,
• Industry-leading 5-year limited warranty.

370SS Truckmount: High-Performance, Compact Industry Favorite

This best-selling truckmount delivers the hottest water and more vacuum than the competition and the best overall performance in its class. And the 370’s space-saving profile is ideal for today’s compact work vans, making it ideal for startup businesses and fleet expansion. The 370 delivers powerful, reliable cleaning for carpets, upholstery, and hard surfaces and can also perform flood extraction.

370SS benefits:

• Hotter water and stronger vacuum than the competition,
• Smaller size – half the footprint of traditional units,
• Extremely reliable – 2-year limited warranty protection,
• Versatile – clean carpets, upholstery, and hard surfaces!

Both truckmounts feature Cerakote® ceramic coating on their exhaust components to lower exhaust component heat levels by 30% or more. This reduces heat-related fatigue and helps ensure a longer life for truckmount components.

Built on Prochem’s 50-year legacy of quality and durability and Sapphire Scientific’s innovative engineering, Legend Brands truckmounts deliver superior performance, better cleaning, and longer life.

Legend Brands truckmounts are sold, installed, and serviced by a broad network of authorized distributors across North America. Legend Brands also offers the industry’s strongest warranty program, helping to preserve the value of your investment for years to come.

Contact: 800-932-3030���� |���� ���� |����

[infobox title=’The Ultimate Cleaning System’][/infobox]

Aero Tech Manufacturing Inc. takes great pride in producing the highest quality equipment and delivering the performance and flexibility for the ever-changing cleaning and restoration market needs.

For more than 15 years, Aero Tech has been providing technical support and knowledge to ensure we deliver unmatched cleaning performance with the XT from Aero Tech. We engineer greatness into every XT that leaves our manufacturing facility.

Creative engineering blends well with quality construction and continued innovation to create the most powerful cleaning system available today. XT technology just keeps getting better, giving you the power and control needed to save time, conserve fuel and increase your profits.

The XT’s simple design and ease of maintenance make the unit versatile. Whether for cleaning, restoration, large jobs or small, this system is ready and reliable day in and day out.

With heat-as-you-drive technology, true dual-wand capability, deeper vacuum, customized storage and billboard-sized advertising wherever you go, the Aero Tech XT makes dollars and sense.

In addition to the XT’s power, its versatility is a real game changer; wherever your next job takes you, whether a residential or commercial carpet, tile and/or both, the XT offers extreme heat and true dual-wand capabilities.

Additionally, the dual pressure regulators allow for cleaning at two different pressures simultaneously. Have a third guy on a crew? A third connection can be utilized for pre-spray application.

Aero Tech’s direct approach to the market removes the middle man and provides a level of customer service and response needed for today’s busy professionals.

New Features:

• 5 dB noise reduction
• All new 4-stage heating system produces more heat for high-flow, dual-wand cleaning.

XT’s Standard Equipment:

• Hydraulic activated transmission PTO,
• New Helical Tri-Lobe/Sutorbuilt blower, 660 ICFM @ 16” HG and maximum cleaning speed (engine rpm’s) of 1,550 RPM,
• Water pump, 6 gpm, 1,600 psi max,
• Last step chemical injection system,
• 7 gallon chemical tank,
• 210 gallon fresh water tank: Stainless steel, round design for added strength and durability (heats as you drive),
• New 155 gallon waste tank: Stainless steel, round design for added strength and durability,
• Electric Vacuum Hose Reel: Stainless steel (400-foot capacity of 2-inch hose), furnished with 200 feet of hose,
• Solution hose reel: Stainless steel, (300-foot capacity of 1/4-inch hose), quantity of two furnished, each with 100 feet of hose,
• Lint traps: Stainless steel, two each,
• FRP van body, aluminum flooring,
• Box fluorescent lighting, three each,
• Dual wand hookup, 2.5-inch inlet connection,
• Control panel: Stainless steel, industrial switches, industrial gauges,
• Digital temperature control.

Contact: 866-390-2376���� |����

[infobox title=’Quality, Value, and Service Since 1980′][/infobox]

The Butler Corporation is a family-owned American business, providing factory direct sales, service, and support to thousands of customers in all fifty United States as well as Bermuda, St. Maarten, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, Canada, and various U.S. government agencies around the world.

Factory-direct communication with our customers is especially appreciated by those who operate their businesses in remote locations or where dependable local service is not available.

10-Year Warranty*

Every new Butler System is warrantied for 10 years at no additional cost. There are no limitations on machine hours, and the warranty may be transferred at no charge for up to one year.

Warranty coverage includes all major components: The Shaft Drive System, High Pressure Pump, Detergent Injection System, Vacuum/Blower, Heat Exchanger, Fresh Water Holding Tank, Recovery Tank, Vacuum Hose Reel, Pressure-Hose Reel, Holders, Racks, Trays and Shelving, etc.

Buy-Back Guarantee

The Butler Corporation’s Buy-Back Guarantee is an exclusive program that provides customers the opportunity to trade-in or cash-in their 15-year-old or newer Butler System/van at any time during ownership, including while financed or leased. Customers can choose this easy, convenient alternative to purchasing a new or pre-owned Butler System or to receive the buy-back value in cash.

The trade-in/cash-in value for a used Butler System/van could be as much as 75% (or more) of the original purchase price.

Vehicle Selection and Convenience

Convenience, availability, competitive pricing, and ease of financing are why most customers choose from our extensive vehicle selection.

We have available as many as 100 or more new and pre-owned vehicles at any one time, including regular and extended-length vans, cube vans, and trucks with a variety of optional equipment. Select vehicles are under warranty by the manufacturer for up to five years/100,000 miles. Pre-owned vehicles are provided with the remaining balance of the vehicle manufacturers’ warranty or The Butler Corporation’s exclusive pre-owned vehicle warranty.

View our brochure online and request your free copy today!

The Butler Corporation is pleased to present, in full color, our NEW 96-page Butler System brochure, which showcases the machine preferred by thousands in the cleaning
and restoration industry.

*Warranty information available upon request. Exclusions, limitations, and disclaimers apply. Made in the USA

Contact: 800-535-2025���� |����

The post May/June 2019 Truckmount Profiles appeared first on Cleanfax.

By Robert Kravitz

Whether they use them or not, most carpet cleaning companies have a pretty good idea what green-certified cleaning solutions are all about.

Green certification indicates that products have a proven reduced impact on the carpet cleaning technician, building users/homeowners, and the environment. But carpet cleaners may not be aware of just how big this “reduced impact” really can be.

Possibly the following true story will help us understand this.

A major cruise line needed to meet impending and much stricter compliance regulations regarding dumping pollutants into the ocean. Meeting the new regulations was a major concern because it is estimated that a 3,000-passenger cruise liner releases about 150,000 gallons of waste and sewage per week into the ocean. Altogether, the major ocean liners release approximately a billion gallons of sewage each year into the ocean, according to a 2014 study by Friends of the Earth.

Roger McFadden, senior scientist for Staples Advantage, was brought in to help this cruise company curb its waste and pollutant dumping and develop best practices for meeting the new regulations. While the cruise line suspected it would need to make several changes, just by switching the cleaning chemicals the company used to a line of environmentally friendly products, the company was able to go “beyond compliance’ to address [the] stricter regulations,” McFadden said in an article he penned for Sustainable Facility. He adds that the company was also able to reduce the number of cleaning chemical products it used to maintain its ships and the number of chemical containers collected with each trip, making the company not only able to reduce the huge amount of pollutants it released into the ocean, but also able to enhance its sustainability.

Tackling sustainability

CEO of Sustainability Dashboard Tools, Stephen Ashkin, often referred to as “the father of green cleaning,” works to get the various segments of the professional cleaning industry, like carpet cleaning, to join the “green bandwagon” and operate their businesses more sustainably. To help accomplish this, he advises carpet cleaning companies to do the following:

Use cold water extractors. A decade or so ago, this directive would have been very controversial, but in recent years, the use of cold water in carpet cleaning has gained traction, according to Ashkin.

“The reason for this is very simple. New cold-water and green-certified detergents have been introduced that have proven very effective using cold water extractors,” he explains.

The benefits of using cold water extraction are that fewer fumes are released when mixing chemicals with cold water, making this system safer. The machine also uses considerably less electricity, making it more sustainable. Additionally, cold water extractors tend to be less costly than hot water systems.

Use low-moisture extractors. Ashkin says, “Originally, many of these systems were introduced to help carpet dry faster by simply using less water. But by using less water, [low-moisture extractors] also use less detergent, and there is less chance of mold developing. Together, this helps protect the environment and promote sustainability.”

Purchase products in bulk sizes. Green cleaning solutions tend to be highly concentrated and packaged in larger, five-gallon containers instead of the one-gallon containers often used for tradition cleaning solutions. The more highly concentrated the cleaning solution, the longer it typically lasts, which helps defray any additional initial costs for the product.

“Purchasing in bulk sizes helps reduce the amount of fuel needed to transport and deliver the product, reducing greenhouse gases,” adds Ashkin. “And these bulk sizes also generate less waste, which often ends up in landfills.”

Note that chemicals like spotters are often sold in ready-to-use, 16- and 32-ounce containers. This small size requires the use of more packaging supplies, which are often not derived from recycled or recyclable materials.

Become an advisor. Very often a request for proposal (RFP), which invites carpet cleaning companies to bid on the carpet cleaning services for a facility, will indicate that carpet be cleaned one to four times per year. But, according to Ashkin, what often happens is that the RFP indicates that carpet in the C-suite offices are the ones to be cleaned the most often.

“The problem is this is frequently the least soiled carpet in the facility. Attention is most needed on the first floors of a facility and carpet located near warehouses or industrial areas; this is the carpet that tends to become the most soiled. To promote sustainable carpet cleaning, technicians need to explain this to building managers. The primary consideration when scheduling carpet cleaning should be which carpet becomes the most soiled and in which areas [of the building].”

Route jobs in groups.�� In larger communities, carpet cleaning companies already try to route cleaning jobs so that they all occur in the same general area. Most American cities are now so spread out, this should always be done to save time, money, and fuel.

What a sustainable carpet cleaning company looks like

It is becoming much more common for large organizations that have incorporated sustainability initiatives into their business operations to now want their vendors — including carpet cleaners — to have similar sustainability programs in place in their own business operations. So, what does this mean for carpet cleaners?

We have already discussed ways in which carpet cleaning companies can reduce their use of natural resources, reduce waste, and help protect the environment. But this is only one component of sustainability, often referred to as the “planet” component. According to Ashkin, the following are two more areas of sustainability that companies should focus on:

People: Business practices that are fair, ethical, and beneficial toward employees, the community, and the country are what the “people” component is all about.

For employees, this means paying them fair living wages and meeting all employer-paid employee taxes and insurance requirements. The people component also includes proper training and instruction so that workers perform their duties effectively and safely.

Profits: If you are in business to make money, then you are already meeting a key part of the “profits” component. “A business is in business to make money, to prosper, and to grow,” says Ashkin. “However, businesses must do so by adhering to all rules, laws, and regulations and by paying fair wages to workers. Also, their profits should help provide economic benefits to their communities.”

An ongoing journey

Green cleaning and sustainability are an ongoing process. New technologies will continue to be introduced, helping to make carpet cleaning greener and more sustainable, and cleaning owners will continually find new ways to promote sustainability within their own businesses.

However, we should look forward to this journey. Not only are we finding new ways to protect the environment and improve the lives of our workers and our community, but we are also invariably seeing more sustainable results in cost savings as well.

Robert Kravitz is a frequent writer for the professional cleaning and building industries.

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Other Thoughts on Responsible Carpet Care

One of the ways carpet cleaning companies can help promote sustainable carpet cleaning is to get back to basics. For instance, simply taking the time to dilute carpet cleaning solutions properly ensures enough chemical is used to tackle the job while eliminating waste and ensuring the chemical lasts longer — as well as protecting the customer’s carpet.

I always advise cleaners to remember the preliminaries, the steps to take before cleaning a carpet. Always vacuum the carpet before applying pre-spray and before extraction. Vacuuming removes dry soiling. If the carpet is pre-sprayed without being vacuumed first, the solution may get absorbed into this dry soiling and not work as effectively. In addition, failure to vacuum first can make the carpet extractor less effective. Instead of removing soil, it must remove mud — the combination of dry soil, water, and chemical.

In my experience, vacuuming can improve cleaning’s effectiveness and help prevent a “call back” from the client, which saves the technician time and the fuel required to return to the same job to clean the carpet all over again. It also means you are more likely to get repeat business.

Finally, we must make sure we do not dispose of soiled water in storm drains. This was actually “modus operandi” not that many years ago, but most technicians know doing so now can result in a serious fine in some localities. Stop dumping wastewater in drains, not just to avoid the fine, but also to protect our waterways.

Mike Kerner is the senior scientist at Legend Brands.

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The name Jonathan Goldsmith may not ring a bell to you. But if I said, “Stay thirsty, my friends,” I imagine it would conjure up a picture of the role he played in beer commercials as the “most interesting man in the world.”

In an interview with Alaska Airlines Magazine, Goldsmith was asked how ordinary folks, like the vast majority of us, can be more interesting. He replied, “Read…Also, surround yourself with people who are brighter than you.”

Now is the time when many of us reflect on the year that is quickly disappearing and evaluate what we’ve accomplished, what we’ve learned, and what still needs to be done. It’s also the time when we reevaluate the personal and business goals we set for ourselves this year and even look ahead to next year, which will be here before we know it.

Let me offer the same advice as the most interesting man in the world:
Stay thirsty.

Read

If you’re already a reader, why not explore a new topic or an author with whom you’re unfamiliar? Invariably, this will both broaden your scope of understanding and offer fresh perspectives on familiar subjects.

If you’re not an avid reader, then start small and with subjects you find interesting. As a business owner, you quickly learn that reading isn’t optional. Even in this age of technology and social media, you must still be able to read and understand business documents, legal briefs, leases, RFPs, and tax notices. Nobody is going to send them to you as YouTube videos.

Electronic media is fun and entertaining and can be useful in growing your business, but you still need to read—and read a lot. The more comfortable you are with reading, the better you’ll understand the material.

Surround yourself with brighter people

This can be a little intimidating. None of us like to admit our shortcomings, and, usually, doing so involves moving way outside our comfort zones. But, if you’re serious about staying interesting and on top of your game, it’s something you’ll have to do.

You can start surrounding yourself with bright people by reading! My bookshelves are lined with insights of the brightest minds in the fields of business, history, psychology, philosophy, and human potential. And they all traveled to my office for the modest price of the books they’ve written.

Continue being around really bright people by getting involved in your community, whether that’s civic, religious, or industry related. Volunteer, serve on a board, or find other ways to reach out and work with others.

It’s amazing how easy it is to feel like the smartest guy in the room within our own companies. Doing something like serving on an outside board forces us into peer-to-peer relationships with people who are easily as smart as we are and who help us reframe our own personal perceptions.

While we may never reach the status of the most interesting man in the world like Jonathan Goldsmith, if we are willing to stay thirsty, we can spend a successful life being the most interesting version of ourselves.

Chuck Violand is the founder and principal of Violand Management Associates (VMA), a highly-respected consulting company in the restoration and cleaning industries. Through VMA, he works with business owners and companies to develop their people and profits. Violand is the RIA past president. To reach him, visit or call 800-360-3513.

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The post Staying Thirsty appeared first on Cleanfax.

As a restoration contractor, how you handle each call can play a major role in whether you land the job. Unpredictable events, like severe weather and accidents, drive the majority of disaster mitigation calls, so you need to make the most of every restoration call.

At our company, we listen to hundreds of restoration calls each week. Most calls are properly handled and turned into great jobs, but many poorly handled calls end up costing that contractor the job.

Using our call data, we’ve created this list of call handling best practices that any restoration contractor can use to turn more calls into jobs.

Answer every call

As simple as this may seem, having a live person answering each call can make all the difference in whether you get the job. Automated phone answering systems may seem like a good idea, but most callers are going to hang up and call a competitor.

The same is true of call centers unless they are capable of answering relevant questions. A customer with a foot of sewage in his basement doesn’t want to “press one” or talk to an operator; they want to talk to a water damage expert.

Train every employee that answers the phone to give their first name and the company name. They should be able to answer questions about your services knowledgeably and provide an accurate response time.

Dealing with customers asking for another restoration company

A surprisingly high number of calls come from . While you could turn away these calls, you’re missing a golden opportunity.

Make the effort to sell them on your restoration company instead of telling them they have the wrong number. Avoid the temptation to say something bad about a competitor, which will only reflect poorly on your business. Instead, let them know you offer the exact same services as that company. Ideally, you’d be able to go out to view the loss at the time of the call but provide your availability if you can’t. Obviously, some callers may still want to call the other company, but you won’t know until you try.

Ask qualifying questions

While your goal should be to set an appointment on every call, don’t be so eager to accept the job that you forget to first. You could find yourself driving across the state or showing up at a rental property.

Before you agree to go out on any call, make sure you are talking to the homeowner or decision maker. Unless the caller has the power to authorize you to start work, you will only waste your time. It’s also important to confirm the extent of the damage. Every caller is going to describe their situation differently, so focus on questions like how deep water is, how many rooms are affected, and whether water is still coming in.

You should also ask the caller their location. While you might not be willing to drive an hour for an overflowing toilet, you’re likely to feel differently about a flood in a six-unit strip mall.

Avoid giving prices over the phone

Often restoration contractors disagree about this, but callers looking for prices over the phone just aren’t credible leads in my experience. More than likely, you’ll underprice the job and create problems down the line.

The best way to handle questions about price is to offer a free estimate. Explain that it’s impossible for you or any other restoration contractor to provide an accurate estimate without seeing the extent of the damage firsthand. If the client continues to press you about pricing but is unwilling to agree to have you out, it’s better to let them go. Apologize for not being able to help and wish them the best.

Return missed calls immediately

While you will miss calls occasionally, do not give up on landing those jobs. That customer will call a competitor within the next few minutes, so it’s important you return a missed call as soon as possible. Ask if they still need your services and let them know how quickly you are able to respond. If they have already booked with another company, ask them what response time your competitor promised them, and try to beat it if you can.

Avoid getting pushy with customers, making promises you can’t keep, or disparaging a competitor, but make every effort to set the appointment. It won’t work out every time, but you will definitely lose the job if you don’t try.

Get more jobs with better call-handling skills

Whether you’re buying leads or generating calls with your own marketing efforts, these call-handling best practices will help you close more jobs. As soon as you answer the phone, your goal should be to verify that the caller needs your services and focus on setting the appointment.

Jeff Rooks is the content editor at 33 Mile Radius and posts weekly articles that help restoration contractors get more disaster mitigation jobs. For the last seven years, 33 Mile Radius has generated exclusive water damage leads for restoration contractors and now offers the review acquisition app, Acquirly, which helps contractors get positive reviews.

The post Top 5 Call-Handling Best Practices appeared first on Cleanfax.

Let’s be honest: We face some pretty big hazards in the cleaning and restoration industry. Many of these dangers can be eliminated (or at least greatly reduced) when your staff has (and uses) personal protective equipment (PPE).

A focus on safety is not only good for your production—since techs can’t work if they’re injured—it’s also the law. (Ever heard of OSHA?) Depending on the task, the required PPE could include hearing protection, safety glasses, dust masks or respirators (and spare cartridges), rubber or latex gloves, Tyvek suits, rubber boots, knee pads, hard hats, and even fall protection.

Your challenges

As an owner-operator, it’s easy (if you remember!) to use your PPE. When you add a helper, you can constantly remind them not to forget the PPE. But once you grow into a multi-truck company with “loose cannon” employees, your PPE challenges increase dramatically.

Simply wearing and using PPE isn’t the only thing that matters. For each technician, there is also the continuous issue of restocking and stuff that goes missing—disposable gloves, shoe covers, and protective suits get used, discarded, and not replaced; respirator cartridges lose effectiveness, expire, or, you guessed it, aren’t replaced. And of course, you’ll always have the challenge of damaged and lost PPE.

Whenever my managers made one of our surprise quality assurance inspections—which are��very��important—we invariably found PPE problems. Our techs’ excuse for not using PPE was always, “This van doesn’t have any (or enough) PPE.” And too often they were correct.

I had a potentially serious problem here. Just one surprise OSHA inspection or a bad worker’s comp claim could seriously hurt or even bankrupt my company. Plus, I knew I had an ethical obligation to provide a safe workplace. After all, I truly liked my employees.

We tried just putting more PPE on each truck, but the very same restocking and lack-of-care troubles quickly cropped up again. The problem? No one was being held individually accountable for PPE care.

You��must��add this individual accountability for every task, action, or goal in a company trying to grow. If not, the old saying will be proved true again and again: “If no one is assigned a task, then ‘no one’ will do it!” Once we zeroed in on individual accountability, it became obvious that there was no easy answer. Unlike a manufacturing company where each worker performs the same routine, measurable tasks in the same spot every single day, our business was a total zoo. In my cleaning and restoration operation, our employees were constantly changing job assignments, shifts, trucks, and crews depending on cancellations, same-day urgent jobs, and emergency water losses that rolled in 24/7.

It wasn’t unusual for a van to be on the road 24 or even 48 hours straight, with rotating crews doing residential, commercial, and emergency water mitigation. Plus, my employees often wound up working on different trucks, with different crews, and doing different things. A tech might start the day with a routine list of residential jobs, be suddenly pulled off for an emergency water loss, and then finish up the day doing a commercial encapsulation account for another employee who had to be elsewhere.

We realized we needed a different approach to tackling the PPE issue.

Steve’s solution

Request a copy here. Send your zip code and the form you’d like.

One day, I realized all the PPE equipment a tech needed could fit in a medium-sized soft bag. So all techs got their very own PPE bag with everything they could possibly need, no matter what or where they worked. Each PPE bag contained eye and hearing protection, several types of protective gloves, a respirator with spare cartridges, a properly sized Tyvek suit, tape, hard hat, rubber boots, etc.

Now, when the techs arrived at work, they grabbed their job folders with their Production Day Sheet clipped on top. (Jan/Feb 2018��Cleanfax) They then picked up their Personal Tool Box (April 2019��Cleanfax) and their PPE bag.

Every tech’s toolbox and PPE bag stayed with them all day. If the job called for PPE, a tech had everything needed and would restock their PPE upon return to the shop.

However, it wasn’t enough to just give a tech PPE. We also had to make sure they cared for and used this protection—which was for their own good! We held them accountable for this in two ways.

First, upon receipt of his PPE bag, each tech signed a Personal Protective Equipment Inventory List in which everything was itemized out along with this individual accountability paragraph:

“I, _____, acknowledge receipt of the personal protective equipment and bag listed above. I agree to keep this bag with me in my service vehicle during my working hours and to store it in my company locker before I leave. I recognize that all items will be inspected monthly and that any loss or damage will be deducted from my employee efficiency bonus. I understand that the items listed above remain company property and are not for my personal, non-company use. While these items are in my care, custody, and control, I will care for them to the best of my ability.”

Every month we held a surprise company inspection of all techs’ Personal Toolboxes and their PPE bags. If everyone on the tech team passed the inspection with flying colors, they received a “shared bonus” in addition to their employee efficiency bonuses. If even one tech failed, the whole tech team lost their joint bonus. (Now that creates some serious peer pressure to take care of your stuff!) Then any missing (non-consumable) items were deducted from the failing tech’s own employee efficiency bonus.

Note 1:��We also verified our employees were��using��their PPE with our random quality assurance inspections. Look for more on this in an upcoming article.

Note 2:��You��cannot��legally deduct any loss or damage caused by an employee from his or her base paycheck. But you normally��can��deduct funds for loss, damage, and/or underperformance from an employee’s bonus. Always check with an attorney or your state’s labor department before changing compensation plans.

The result

Once I implemented (and enforced) this PPE Inventory List, my company improved on many fronts:

Since my employees were now accountable for their “own” PPE, they took care of it and restocked every night.

My techs worked safely and were protected from injury and disease, which meant they could keep making money… for me.

My company avoided OSHA fines, worker’s comp claims, and potential lawsuits due to unsafe working conditions.

Even better, adding this PPE Inventory List let me have fun again in my business since I wasn’t fielding calls from complaining techs asking, “Where’s the respirators on this truck?”

The more routine, written systems and procedures I built into my business infrastructure, the smoother my company ran. Incorporate this PPE Inventory List concept into your company, and you can see that improvement, too.

When each tech has his own PPE bag (and is accountable to care for and��use��the PPE), they’ll be happier and more productive. Plus, you’ll be one step closer to owning a business that runs smoothly with—or without—you.

Steve Toburen started and ran a world-class cleaning and restoration firm for over 20 years. He is now the director of training for Jon-Don’s Strategies for Success program, which helps cleaning and restoration companies create a complete, turn-key business infrastructure for cleaning and restoration companies. Toburen founded��, a resource portal with training programs for contractors working in customer’s homes. Reach him at��stoburen@homefrontsuccess.com.

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Want your website to show on the first page of Google search results? Appearing in those cherished first-page results of search engines, such as Bing and Google, is the dream of most service companies.

If your website does not rank on the first page, your chances of searching consumers seeing it drops dramatically. It is getting increasingly difficult to rank in the top positions of an online search. Individual companies are being shoved off the first page of search results by giant, lead-generating websites such as Yelp, Angie’s List, and Thumbtack.

Overlooked opportunity

Search engines rank websites according to which sites best answer the customer’s search question. Having landing pages designed to focus on a specific service for a unique city is one of the best tools for competing for top rankings.

Companies frequently focus most of their attention on the general description of the company itself in their website. This information is important for helping consumers determine which company might be their best choice, but that information generally does not help you rank high in search results.

This is why it is important to also include specific landing pages as a significant part of your website marketing strategy. The sole purpose of these pages is to answer the consumers’ precise search question.

What is the consumer’s search question?

Obviously, customers are looking for a certain service such as carpet, upholstery, or tile and grout cleaning. But they are also asking for something else very specific: They want a local company!

Consumers often type the service they want, along with their city, into the Google search box, such as “carpet cleaning San Jose.” They are not interested in the search results from other cities around the country. Even if the consumer does not type in their specific city, the search engine recognizes where that consumer is located and will prioritize local results.

Successful landing pages focus attention on two critical search questions: The precise service and a specific city. If you want to compete in this market, you will want to create a lot of landing pages for your website that clearly provide these precise answers.

Powerful results

I serve as the marketing manager for one of the larger San Francisco Bay area pest control companies.

When I started working with the company, they had a strong 24-page website. This company services 70 cities. We then started creating specific landing pages for each of the cities for each major pest they treat along with each of the services they offered. Their website has since grown to be nearly 600 pages.

A majority of these landing pages appears on the first pages of search results and produces well over a 100 good leads per month. These landing pages rank above most of those powerful companies that use lead generation and force the other competitors off the first page.

Designing the page

The only people likely to see these pages are those consumers who land on them as a result of their search. Therefore, we know they are looking for that service and want it offered in that city.

This page should be designed to let the consumer know they have found what they were looking for. The headlines, first sentence of the page, and copy in general should all emphasize that specific service and city. You must take the time to create unique copy for each landing page. Search engines tend to ignore pages that have similar copy.

Consider adding a map of that city at the bottom of the page. You can also add links to other city-related pages online and possibly even a link to the weather for that area.

Adding a video to a page also helps boost its ranking. Be sure to title the video, both on the landing page and in the YouTube description where the video is hosted, with the specific city and service. The YouTube description and keywords for the video should follow the same themes.

SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) for each landing page also needs to emphasize the city and service:

Be sure to mention the service and city in the page name, like:
“m���������ɲ��Ի�_⋅���dz�/����������-�����𲹲Ծ��Բ�/����������.”

Completely fill out the meta data that tells the search engines what each landing page is all about. This should include the page description and keywords.

All photos used on the page should be labeled and described with the same information.

Worth the investment

Your competitors are generally focused on reaching the consumers living in the larger cities in the area. Landing pages allow you to stand out in all of the smaller surrounding cities that others are not paying attention to. Even the lead-generating companies are not as focused on the smaller cities.

It takes time investment, energy, and money to develop landing pages. These pages don’t immediately jump to the top of the rankings. They generally require a bit of time to get recognized by the search engines, but once you have made the initial investment, these pages can become an outstanding source of new customers that produces long-term rewards.

Steve Marsh is a 40-year veteran of the carpet cleaning industry, an instructor, and a Senior Carpet Inspector. He helps home-service companies quickly establish profitable clienteles and progress to serving higher quality customers. To help companies achieve these goals, Marsh created the programs Single Truck Success and Be Competition Free. For more information, visit��.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule (RRP rule) has been in effect since April 2010, yet many general contractors, remodelers, maintenance personnel, and even restoration/ mitigation contractors are still not in compliance with the federal law.

The RRP rule

The RRP rule applies to anyone disturbing the paint of homes, apartments, and child-occupied commercial facilities built before 1978.

If the job requires disturbing more than six square feet of indoor paint or 20 square feet of outdoor paint or if it involves replacing windows, the contractor must be RRP certified (sometimes referred to as a “certified renovator”). On a typical water-damage project, in an older property in which drywall, cabinets, baseboards, or any other painted building materials must be removed to complete the drying process and/or perform mold remediation, the contractor needs to be RRP certified.

The RRP rule stipulates the contractor may test the surface to determine whether it contains lead, or he or she may assume there is lead-based paint present and follow the requirements of the rule.

One of the most common written citations from the EPA is due to the contractor failing to provide the EPA’s “Lead-Safe Guide to Renovate Right” (Renovate Right) publication to the occupant. Although this is considered an administrative infraction, it still carries a potentially heavy fine. Another requirement under the RRP rule is that contractors must utilize lead-safe work practices. Lead-safe practices include using HEPA vacuums, minimizing lead dust generation, isolating work areas with plastic, and displaying warning signs. There are also cleanup procedures and verification requirements.

The RRP law was established and is enforced by the U.S. EPA; however, the presence of lead requires the contractor to follow OSHA regulations to protect employees. These may include additional training, giving workers a baseline lead test, having employees cleared by a physician to wear a respirator, and providing respirator training.

Document, document, document

As is typical of government-mandated rules, a substantial amount of paperwork is included with RRP compliance. As previously noted, the most common fine issued by EPA to contractors is for not handing out the Renovate Right publication before starting the job. Renovate Right is a free publication from EPA. The contractor must secure written confirmation that it was handed out to the homeowner. In addition, the contractor must also post lead warning signs, document lead testing results, maintain training records, and perform a cleaning verification test.

Certifications

Two separate certifications are required under the RRP rule: Individual certification and firm certification. An employee with individual certification (the certified renovator) oversees a project and must work for a certified firm.

To become a certified renovator, one must complete a one-day training class and pass an exam to obtain certification. This certification is valid for five years; after that, a certified restorer must take a refresher class to extend the certification.

Firm certification consists of an online form submitted directly to EPA and generally costs around $300 for five years. This firm certification is available to companies of all sizes and types including sole proprietors.

Penalties for failing to follow the RRP rule

Unlike other EPA regulations, which carry small fines and have few enforcement personnel, violating the RRP can be quite expensive. EPA’s tiered financial configuration for violating the RRP rule is complicated, but the maximum fine is $37,500 per violation and possible imprisonment for the company owner. It’s also important to understand that penalties can be assessed up to three years after the job is finished.

Some states have adopted their own versions of the federal RRP law, which means they can make the RRP more stringent than the federal requirements. These states include Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin.

Recent estimates found more than 500,000 contractors in the U.S. have worked on pre-1978 properties that require RRP certification, but less than 20 percent of those contractors are certified. Many contractors are not aware of the law, and others simply ignore it. As far as the EPA is concerned, ignorance is not an excuse.

EPA is stepping up its enforcement actions and targeting companies that are not in compliance, from large renovation contractors to the neighborhood handyman. In some EPA regions, enforcement teams are even focusing on certain types of professionals—including restoration and remediation contractors.

Restoration professionals focus on the important elements of properly restoring a property that has sustained major damage from water, fire, or smoke. Often the potential RRP requirements are forgotten. In the grand scheme of a restoration project, the RRP requirements are generally minimal, but the consequences of not complying can be significant.

According to EPA enforcement officials, there is a trend of restoration and emergency service contractors using the “emergency exemption” under the RRP rule to circumvent compliance with the regulation. However, according to EPA, if you have time to create an estimate for the restoration services, you are subject to all the RRP requirements.

Keeping good records

Fines are as likely to be levied for training or recordkeeping violations as they are for work-practice violations. In December 2014, the EPA announced 61 enforcement actions that occurred between February and October. While several of the companies were cited for not following lead-safe practices, many were also fined for lack of training and administration violations, such as not assigning a certified renovator to the job, poor recordkeeping, and not providing homeowners the Renovate Right publication.

In my experience working with the EPA as an RRP instructor, EPA tends to be less aggressive in its enforcement investigations on contractors who maintain good records and make an effort to comply with the RRP regulation.

Embracing the regulation can be one way to separate your company from competitors. On projects involving homeowners who have never heard of the RRP, education about the rule and the reasons why you need to comply may be necessary. At the end of the day, the goal of the RRP is to ensure the safety of the occupants and workers.

Nate Seward is principal engineer/hygienist and owner of Criterion Environmental Inc. and the Academy of Textiles & Flooring. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and maintains certifications and licenses in environmental consulting and industrial hygiene. Seward is an EPA-accredited instructor of the and an -approved instructor of the Water Restoration Technician and Applied Microbial Remediation certifications.

References:

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