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Three Factors You Absolutely Must Consider Before Accepting any Upholstery Cleaning Job!
“If I get the right training and have the right products and tools, is there any reason that I still might turn down an upholstery cleaning job?”
My answer is always . . . . YES, THERE IS!!
“You must turn down any job where your customer's expectations exceed what you can deliver in the way of a result!”
There are the Three Key Factors that You Absolutely Must Always Consider:
#1. What really is the most costly event that can happen with a customer?
If you damage an individual piece of furniture through color bleeding, fading, or texture distortion, you will have a tangible cost that you will incur (a claim) and then it's settled. But that's not your biggest cost! The fact is, a damage claim might be your least expensive outcome!
#2. What happens in the eyes of your customer if you consistently deliver poor results?
A customer who calls you to complain, even if that complaint results in expensive replacement costs, at least allows you to resolve the situation and “make things right”. If handled right, such a customer may continue to use your services and eventually you'll be able to recoup your losses.
Far more costly are the unhappy customers who, instead of complaining, will never call you back. Instead, this type of customer will never refer you to others, or more likely will trash your reputation at the hair salon or in social media at every opportunity!
Unlike carpet, upholstery has so many variables in its fiber content and design, especially consumer neglect, that it is impossible to always remove all stains and soils easily, or at least removing them without causing color or texture damage to the neglected fabric.
#3. What You Communicate is The Most Critical!
When your customer understands these limitations up front, they are more likely to (#1) accept a less than perfect result, or (#2) they have the option of declining your service.
Either result is less costly than the alternative, which usually happens to cleaners who spend hours attempting to clean something that will never be able to be restored. They lose both the money and at the same time have at minimum an unhappy customer, and more often than not lose the customer for good.
SUMMARY:
A good pre-inspection, prequalification, and preunderstanding step is absolutely NOT laying out a list of good sounding excuses meant to talk the customer into accepting poor results!
On the contrary, understanding the limitations of a specific fabric, such as the tendency of a rayon chenille to lose its texture from wear or dark colored natural fibers to lose color, you as the expert, can speak to the specific limitations imposed by the fabric. This includes mentioning the use your customer has put it through when you discuss what level of soil or stain removal that your customer might accept.
The ability to explain these limitations also should allow you to talk to your customer about the care of their furniture before it becomes heavily soiled and stained, and allow you to deliver results with which they will be satisfied.
Learning to follow a consistent and well thought out pre-inspection and testing protocol on every job you clean will prevent this costly and frustrating problem, and will also enhance your image of professionalism in your customers' eyes.
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For our eCleanAdvisor members, check additional articles about this subject below:
Influencing Realistic Customer Expectations
https://www.ecleanadvisor.com/members/1495.cfm
The Secret to Achieving Realistic Expectations
https://www.ecleanadvisor.com/members/1492.cfm?sd=2
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Coming Soon . . .
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Jim Pemberton's
Fabric Pro Upholstery Specialist Workshop
"Specialist" Course With Extensive "Hands On" Training
Class size is very limited for personal attention purposes, so register today.
Please Join Us Here - July 18 - 19, 2025 in Rochester, NY
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