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THE CLEAN SHEET
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION WINTER 2018
MERRY CHRISTMAS
From everyone at NCCA
4 A YEAR IN REVIEW
12 & 13 NEW CORPORATE MEMBERS
16 THE CLEANING SHOW
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A LOOK BACK Nigel Lay, NCCA Director
I have served on the Board of Directors for 8 years and in that time have seen many changes.
through the development of TLC, NCCA website, Facebook and social media marketing.
My first role was as Events Director and organised the first Carpet Cleaners Carnival that is now an annual event in the NCCA Calendar. My next role was as Administration Director and the main duties were to be the conduit between the office staff and the Board of Directors. During this time the office team achieved the ISO 9001 Standard at the first attempt with no advisories, which is virtually unheard of. The TLC website project was formulated and whilst we experienced challenging times to bring this to fruition the live site is being continually improved and allows members to create their own listings and reviews under the NCCA banner. Another turning point was the resignation of our Office Manageress of 16 years, Katie Hill, who had been a stalwart in her time at the Association. However, this did allow us to restructure and implement our ‘wish lists’. Lewis Scroby was promoted to Office Manager and we were very pleased to secure the services of Lauren to augment the online functions
The Directors wish list had included for years to appoint a CEO to spearhead the development and growth of the NCCA a vital ingredient as the Directors also run their businesses on a day to day basis and time given to the Association is outside of their main business focus. Dave Wheadon had served as a Director but with his managerial background and experience in the industry was the perfect fit to complete the jigsaw, and we have all seen the positive contributions from Dave’s appointment.
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It is an honour to serve the members in this great industry and I would like to thank all Directors past and present for their support and the backbone of the NCCA the office team. Looking forward to the next 50 years (but not quite sure I will be here still to celebrate it!). NCCA__
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Martin Johns, NCCA Director When I first joined the NCCA, I purely wanted the prestige of being a member and to stand out from the crowd. Back in 2007, I was happy just to have the badge, but I realised very quickly that it was far more to it. I suddenly realised the people I met were very knowledgeable, skilful and quite frankly, genuine lovely people, who had a passion to deliver first class customer service. This made me become very proud of my values and realised that I by rubbing shoulders with other like-minded people, my attitude quickly changed. When I joined the Board of Directors many years later, I became the Membership Director. My role was to assess applicants and see if they were suitable to become members. I met many people who purely wanted the badge, but they very quickly changed their mind and realised the responsibility of being a member of the NCCA. I would say the majority of people I spoke to were passionate people who had a desire to deliver a truly professional service, and it’s reassuring to see that the majority of our members still feel the same to this day. We have come a very long way since Dave Wheadon joined our team in December 2016, and I have seen our Association dramatically change for the better. We used to have an image and reputation among people that we were a stuffy, outdated old boys club, but this has been blown out of the water by Dave’s forward planning and ambition, bringing the NCCA into the 21st century.
I would like to thank Dave, the Office Team, all the Directors, and above all you the members, for bringing such high standards of professionalism to the British public. I look forward to the future with Dave at the helm just remember you are all the NCCA and you make the organisation what it is today and for the future.
National Carpet Cleaners Association 62c London Road, Oadby, Leicestershire, LE2 5DH Tel: 0116 271 9550 Email: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk Twitter: @NCCA__ Facebook public page: /NationalCarpetCleanersAssociation Facebook members-only: /groups/nccamembers/
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Dave Wheadon
PRESIDENT Allan Simmons VICE PRESIDENTS Paul Pearce, Tim Colenutt
DIRECTORS David Weaver (Company Secretary), Nigel Lay, Martin Johns
OFFICE TEAM Lewis Scroby, Lauren Willis
Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Association or it’s officers or members. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the statements within this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors, or omissions, or matters arising from any clerical or printing errors, and whilst every care is taken of manuscripts and photographs submitted to us, we can accept no responsibility for any loss or damage. ©Carpet Cleaners Association Ltd 1994 (Trading as the National Carpet Cleaners Association). No part of this Newsletter may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Carpet Cleaners Association Ltd.
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION WINTER 2018
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THE CLEAN SHEET
NEW CORPORATE MEMBERS The Association had 7 new Corporate Members join this year and we were thrilled that they many were able to join us at our annual industry show in September. ❚ Revolution Cleaning
Systems ❚ Coversure Insurance
Services
2018: A YEAR IN REVIEW
50TH CELEBRATIONS As well as celebrating the successes of the Association over the last 50 years, we recognised the dedication and enthusiasm of Members and Corporate Members with an award ceremony at our 50th Anniversary celebration in April.
❚ CarCleanseUK
Most Committed to NCCA Training: ❚ Mark Jubb
❚ Factotum Ltd ❚ Digitool ❚ Modular Training Solutions
Best Online Contribution: ❚ Keith Dugard
❚ Prestige Rug Spa
All Corporate Member contact information can be found on pages 20 & 21.
NEW COURSES As a result of member feedback, four new courses were added to our training schedule in 2018.
Membership Drive: ❚ Solution Cornwall Trusted Local Cleaner of the month – Winners: ❚ Five Star Furnishing Care ❚ Top 2 Bottom Cleaning ❚ Carpet Wizzard Best Newcomer: ❚ Simon Whitehead
❚ Textile Insect Pest Control
REGIONAL MEETINGS
We’re busy adding even more dates to our 2019 training schedule, where members can benefit from discounted rates and exclusive members-only courses.
The NCCA has hosted several informal regional meetings which all members in the nearby area have been invited to drop by. This year we’ve held 9 meetings across England & Wales.
❚ Blood Trauma ❚ Fine Fabrics ❚ Colour Repair
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Best Member Feedback: ❚ BeSure Broking Services Special Recognition Awards: ❚ Art of Clean ❚ TopMark Cleaning ❚ Prochem Europe
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THE WCP CLEANING SHOW IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NCCA Saturday 8th September saw the NCCA join forces with The Window Cleaning Page for the second year, making it our largest exhibition to date. We are so thankful to everyone who made the show a great success. Our Corporate Exhibitors: Amtech UK, BeSure Broking Services, Bona Ltd, Carpet Cleaners World, Cleanspec Cumbria Ltd, Digitool, Domestic Cleaning Alliance, Factotum Ltd, GetBookedUp, Legend Brands Europe, Modular Training Solutions, NCCA, Prochem Europe, Professional Leather Ltd, Sebo UK, Solution Cornwall Ltd, Texatherm Systems Ltd, Tile Master Global Ltd, TrustMark and The WoolSafe Organisation. Our guest speakers: Allan Simmons Jnr (GetBookedUp), Andy Cummins (Factotum Ltd), Daisy Foster (Digitool), Paul Pearce (NCCA) and Phil Mason (TrustMark).
A special thank you to our Events Director; David Weaver, who played a significant part in making the day so successful. Thank you to GetBookedUp for sponsoring the NCCA hospitality area for the second year in a row, and also to Sandra Pearce and Melanie Weaver for their patience serving refreshments for 6 hours!! Thank you to World of Clean - Solution Cornwall Ltd for sponsoring our transport to & from our great Friday night social!
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NCCA WEBSITE RELAUNCH March saw the re-launch of the NCCA website which now houses the existing Trusted Local Cleaners website. The key features of the new website are: ❚ Personalised website profiles with reviews ❚ Member document and resources library ❚ Online shop for courses and merchandise ❚ Magazine archive As of 1st December, the website has had:
1125
ENQUIRIES
1346
REVIEWS
Members are also benefiting from TLC reviews appearing on their Google Business listing. Many members are still yet to login, customise their profile or get reviews – please let Lauren know if you would like some help or advice on any of these!
Trusted Local Cleaners Each month we put one of our members in the spotlight and feature them as our #TLCofthemonth. The winners of 2018 are: ❚ In Depth Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning ❚ Camiyo Ltd ❚ LiftOFF Cleaning Ltd ❚ Carmarthenshire Cleaning ❚ Stuarts Carpet & Car Care ❚ Carpet King Oswestry ❚ Home ‘N’ Dry ❚ North Star Cleaning ❚ ProCarpet Clean ❚ Commando Cleaning ❚ C2 Carpet Care
Congratulations to all our winners!
Stay tuned for 2019 plans!
Details to be announced in the new year.
There will be no winner selected for December but will start again in January.
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION WINTER 2018
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ADVICE FOR YOUR CLIENTS
By Paul Pearce
It’s that time of year when we like to get our homes a little more tidy than usual. We have guests coming, it’s the festive season so we decorate our homes with various items of colour. It’s also when many folk purchase new upholstery or curtains or maybe even a new carpet or two. They are going to need your help and advice here too. So where does that leave us as professional carpet & upholstery cleaners? Well first of all not everyone replaces everything at the same time so a clean up is on the cards. Of course that new item will show up the soiling or perhaps greying of the remaining items. If we take carpet for a minute and it is not maintained on a regular basis, the pollutants will collect on the fibres and right down to the base. Carpet act as a filter both from underneath and above.
The fibres used in today’s carpets are constructed to hide soil; not I hasten to add by manufacturers to stop us cleaning. Indeed most of them give out maintenance instructions that tell the consumer about regular vacuuming and cleaning by a professional.
So what are we told to replace the carpet with? ‘WOOD’ does wood need cleaning? You bet it does. It can look rather ugly very quickly, It scratches, it’s noisy, it’s cold, it collects dust and it needs polishing, damp mopping, most of them don’t like water based products, so cleaning becomes a chore especially as it was installed originally because of its good looks and allegedly low maintenance procedures.
It’s the consumer that unwittingly has fed the information through to the fibre producers and carpet manufacturers. We the consumer want a low maintenance product that hides soil like a wool fibre does. This does not mean that vacuuming the carpet is not necessary, of course as carpet and upholstery cleaners we would recommend this surely?
However if you advise your clients to vacuum throughout on a regular basis by using the recommended type for their carpet. My vacuum of choice would be an upright, twin motor if possible. Mind you if you have a wool loop pile carpet you might consider a cylinder type as less agitation on the surface therefore less pilling or fluffing of the fibres. Your client will probably ask for your help in recommending a good vacuum.
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THE CLEAN SHEET So as carpet cleaners what can we do to keep the carpet on the floor? Well first of all we need to assure our clients that their carpets are safe providing they follow our advice. Cleaning is the next stage which goes along the lines of regular maintenance of domestic carpets and should be every 9 to 12 months.
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is going to be different. Some work better with electric sprays, some pump up, some air compressor forced, some from a fine mist. However with all applications I have rarely found they work with one application, but multiple controlled sprays and not over use.
You can also supply your client with a neutral based spotter (for free) and show them how to use it, so that there is no misunderstanding when they have to tackle a spot or a stain.
Upholstery needs to be looked after too. We should advise our clients to turn the cushions when possible on a regular basis. Cleaning of domestic upholstery is recommended every 12 to 24 months.Vacuuming is not a bad idea either. We should be able to show our clients how to vacuum and why. We can even show them how to deal with those pesky spillages. Whilst doing that we can explain the benefits of having a protector applied.
I haven’t mentioned curtains yet, well not since the first paragraph.
Curtains will need regular maintenance which could be as simple as a vacuum every few months. This will remove the soil which settles on them. Sure it does. Have ever vacuumed a curtain with a paper filter trap and checked it after a few passes with the vacuum hose. You’d be surprised, so will your clients.
Goodness I just thought do you supply and apply protectors? If you don’t you should. I can’t recommend anyone product in particular, they are not all the same although the end result is what they all try to achieve. Some work better on some fibres than others, also the application
I hope I have given you some ideas to sell to your clients for the New Year. So that as they get over all the festivities and enjoying their new purchase or two and then notice a soil which they are not happy with, they will remember that advice you gave them and give you a call.
Enjoy your craft and have a great year.
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION WINTER 2018
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OBITUARY
MIKE CARPENTER 1937-2018
The Association is very sad to announce the passing of former member and director, Mike Carpenter. Our thoughts are with the Carpenter family at this difficult time. Former President, Derek Bolton, served on the board with Mike and had the following to say: Mike was an impressive figure of a man standing at 6ft 5in. He had a commanding confident presence. During his working life he became a director at CAE, a communications, accessory and equipment manufacturer in Tring, Hertfordshire. Some years later he decided to run his own business cleaning carpets and upholstery, along with his sons Stephen & David.
MOVING FORWARD:
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We are fortunate to have a hard-working office team who work closely with Dave Wheadon (CEO), Directors, Corporate Members, Honorary Members, Industry Bodies and other recognised figures who all voluntarily write or provide content in order for us to produce a bi-monthly magazine.
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He became very passionate about the industry, and was the Scotchgard applicator for Buckinghamshire in the early 1980’s. He joined the National Carpet Cleaners Association shortly afterwards and later joined the board of directors. Using his business skills, along with Tony Abbott, he implemented the first set of standard operational procedures to help modernise the Association and we together developed contacts and arranged for NCCA members to obtain claims work from a leading insurance company. At the same time, he was in discussions with Green Flag to arrange a similar deal. In the last few years Dementia had started to affect normal life, eventually necessitating specialist care in a nursing home. Mike sadly succumbed to his illness on the 21st October 2018. We would really appreciate your general feedback regarding the magazine. We have created a form for you to complete. If you could complete it by 15th January, we can better prepare for the first issue of 2019.
To fill in the form visit: www.ncca.co.uk/magazine-archive/ have-your-say-the-clean-sheet As you can imagine, a lot of time and effort goes into producing a magazine, so if you do not read it and do not wish to have a copy, please just let us know - we will not take offence!
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SWEEPING CHANGES whilst celebrating the core values and name that remains at the heart of TrustMark as an organisation.
Following the publication of the Industry led, Government-commissioned Each Home Counts review, a clear need was identified for a single, all-encompassing mark of quality that consumers can recognise and trust, regardless of the type of work they require. As a result, TrustMark has expanded its scope to include all Repair, Maintenance & Improvement (RMI), retrofit and energy efficiency measures, to accommodate any work a consumer chooses to have carried out in or around their home. Consumer groups TrustMark has engaged with have been clear that when a customer is selecting a contractor, they want to engage someone with the peace-of-mind that they have had their technical competence vetted and had previous work independently inspected. Additionally, they welcome the assurance that if a problem does arise, there are a number of remedies available to protect them financially and ensure they always end up with what they paid for. Organisations such as the NCCA have always provided an opportunity for their members to stand out as providing a superior standard of service to their customers. As a TrustMark Scheme Provider, NCCA enables the businesses that register with the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme to demonstrate an additional commitment to technical competence, customer service and trading practices. Other changes to TrustMark come in the form of updated branding which was released on 16th October, 2018. This branding includes a refreshed logo to reflect the significant incoming changes,
The TrustMark website has been updated to display the new branding and features an enhanced consumer search facility. Businesses registered with TrustMark can access additional benefits, to be released over the next few months. These include a customer/business portal to handle all aspects of communications between consumers and trade – from quote to payment; and in the future will include BSI Standards Integration (representing a possible saving of hundreds of pounds per company.) In order to facilitate the change of direction, TrustMark has appointed an entirely new independent Board that will ensure adequate representation of all the industry sectors TrustMark works with, as well as the consumers it protects. This Board will be supplemented by experts from a wide range of industries, applying fresh insight and knowledge to the general running of TrustMark, as well as to specific projects and problem solving. Simon Ayers, TrustMark Chief Executive Officer was positive about the changes at the organisation and the opportunities they present to the quality businesses that go with TrustMark on this journey: “These steps only represent the beginning of change at TrustMark. We have significant plans for developing the services to our Scheme Providers, Registered Businesses and the consumers that rely on them. I am delighted with the direction TrustMark is going in and believe this will pave the way for positive, far-reaching change.”
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THE CLEAN SHEET
ADDITIONAL COVER
By BeSure Broking Services
I know several of you have had a conversation recently with Geza at BeSure about the additional covers we can help NCCA Members with. These include: ❚ Life Insurance
❚ Income Protection
Our resident protection expert, Kyle Coughlin, will happily talk through the products and tailor something to you needs and budget.
As always with BeSure Broking Services there is no hard sell.
Give Kyle a call on 02922 400004 or kyle@besure.insure
❚ Critical Illness Cover ❚ Private Medical Insurance
Income Protection Claims 441 claims*
94.8%
Paid to our customers and their families with £732 being the average monthly payout.
of claims paid out*
*(includes new claims admitted in 2017 and those already being paid before 1 January 2017 that continued to be paid in 2017)
6yrs 135 = £1.2 million**
85.4%
is the average length of time the policy is in force
Paid to our customers and their families with £778 being the average monthly payout.
of claims paid out**
Claims paid by age
Top 5 claims
Claims paid by gender
60-69 - 3% 50-59 - 26.7% 40-49 - 31.1% 30-39 - 27.4% 20-29 - 11.9%
**(new claims admitted in 2017)
Muscoloskeletal - 35.6% Mental Health - 21.5% Cancer - 14.1% Neurological - 6.7% Gastro-Intestinal - 5.9%
Male - 48.1% Female - 51.9%
42 Duration of Claims in Payment Total
%
<1 year
75
27.0%
1 year
33
11.9%
2 years
29
10.4%
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is the average age of our claimants
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THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION WINTER 2018
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NEW CORPORATE MEMBER
MODULAR TRAINING SOLUTIONS Modular Training Solutions was formed in 2015 to offer expert training to the carpet and upholstery industry. Our goal is to bring this expertise to this market by offering the best, up to date courses to help you get the best results. Each of our courses is targeted at a particular area with plenty of hands on practical experience available in each course. We are currently offering over 25 courses which are rolled out throughout the year. We can also provide tailor made courses which can be on any aspect of our industry; these can be provided on a one to one basis or to groups. We offer these courses throughout the UK and Europe.
Our courses are fully certificated, so you have a record of your achievement plus an ability to show your customers your skills. We are constantly updating our courses to reflect new techniques, chemistries and fibres. Julie offers ongoing cleaning testing of most of the high-end upholstery manufacturers fabrics and passes on those findings to the professional upholstery technicians who do her training courses. Modular training solutions also develop and are developing unique chemistry to solve some of our industries latest problems. Modular Training Solutions also manufacture our own colour repair kit, which is the only one manufactured in the UK and contains dyes used here in the United Kingdom by our carpet manufacturers. Colour repair is trained by Julie Roberts who is the only trainer based in the
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United Kingdom and is now offered through the National Carpet Cleaners Association. We are a small independent family business headed up by Julie Roberts formally of Chemspec Europe, Julie has nearly thirty years experience of this industry, training throughout this country, Europe, and North America. Geoff, Julieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s husband who is Operations Director and Business Partner is always on hand to deal with the general coordination of the business. Geoff who ran his own successful business for 25 years, also has a knowledge of the carpet cleaning industry as a former carpet and upholstery cleaner and cleaning chemical distributer. He now works full time within Modular Training Solutions.
Julie has been supporter of the NCCA since her beginnings in the industry and is thrilled that her company is now a corporate member and able to support other members. Contact Julie on 01535 645102 / 07540 008540 or email: julie@modulartrainingsolutions.com
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NEW CORPORATE MEMBER
Barry and Troy Clement (father and son) and responsible for the running of Prestige Rug Spa part of Red Dragon Cleaning & Restoration Ltd. They have been washing rugs using their fully immersive rug washing system since 2009. They have subsequently invested heavily in a new purpose-built building & equipment, including an automated duster, wash tub, wash floor, their 2nd centrifuge wringer and large drying room. They are very soon expecting a new finisher to add to our constantly improving system.
We can collect rugs from you, clean and return them and you can take all the credit. Or you can simply send your client straight to us and we will take care of everything, making sure you are rewarded accordingly.
Like most carpet cleaners, they used to clean rugs with their carpet cleaning equipment but were never totally satisfied with the results. This is in direct conflict to their company’s philosophy which is: “to provide clients with a service that is second to none and results which leave all totally amazed”. A conflict they had to resolve or give up cleaning rugs. Barry had this to say: “Well here we are, having resolved the conflict and we now offer our services to our clients from all over the UK using our courier service. We would now like to offer this service to you our carpet cleaning friends in the NCCA that suffer as we once did. We would like to take the hassle out of rug cleaning for you and demonstrate how you can make some good and reasonably easy money, with no investment or risk required.”
BEFORE
AFTER
If you are looking to make some extra money or simply add this service to your clients without having to invest in unit space, training and equipment get in touch with Troy and Barry. Call 01269 842497 or pop along and see us; Unit 16 Capel, Hendre Industrial Estate, Ammanford SA18 3SJ.
Take a look at our system at www.prestigerugspa.co.uk
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HOW TO RUN YOUR BUSINESS WHILE ON HOLIDAY
Often, for business owners, going on vacation generates more stress than excitement. You feel like, without you, your business can’t run and you feel anxious about leaving your team alone.
Well, in this article we are sharing with you easy tips on how to run your business while on vacation or during the holiday season. In order to turn the dream of a napping under the palm trees into a reality, you will have to prepare for your absence from the office. In this case, the key points are organisation and anticipation.
number, that way you can easily keep in touch with your customers while you are away. If you are interested in the VoIP service we recommend to choose one recording calls. That way you will be able to remember important information without having to take notes from the beach.
HOW TO MANAGE YOUR PHONE CALLS WHILE ON VACATION
even a friend to respond to your calls, make sure before leaving you start thinking about what kind of questions your customers are asking you. Write the perfect answers down in an easy to follow script. That way, your team members or friend will have a ‘manual for answering your phone’ helping the phone calls sustain your amazing customer service without you.
❚ If you have a business where phone calls
are important in order to make sales, like most cleaning businesses, you need to make sure the phone is still being answered whilst you are away. If you feel the need to totally unplug from work, you can hire a telephone answering company. The benefits of these companies are that they are highly trained in converting sales. That means they know exactly what to say, so you won’t miss those all important sales.
❚ If your plan is to train your team members or
❚ If you are planning on responding to your calls
yourself, we suggest you use a VoIP phone. VoIP is a service that allows you to make free, or very low cost, telephone calls over the Internet. You can call any telephone in the world and any telephone can call you, regardless of what equipment or network the person you are calling uses. It also allows you to keep your business telephone
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THE CLEAN SHEET ❚ To finish with, make sure you bring with you an
extra battery charger, that way you will be able to take pictures during your holidays, but you will also be reachable in case of an emergency.
HOW TO MANAGE YOUR EMAILS WHILE YOU ARE AWAY ❚ If you are using Gmail, we highly recommend
Boomerang. This tool allows you to schedule emails to send at a later date. This could become handy when you have sent an email, but you don’t want to sit in front of and send it or you don’t have internet access. In this case, wrote them before going on holidays and schedule them. ❚ Another tip for emails is to make sure you set
up an autoresponder to anyone that emails you to let they know that you are in holiday, when you are coming back and instructions if something is urgent. The autoresponder can also direct your customer to the person to contact if you are unavailable.
HOW TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE SYSTEMS ❚ Before leaving, we suggest you to prepare
notes explaining every task that you and only you have the knowledge of. That way, anyone using this guidebook would be able to run your business while you will be away. Make this guidebook as informative and detailed as possible. You can create it on a word document and include informative videos in it. In order to create those videos , we recommend a software called Jing, it allows you to record your screen and make short videos showing what to click on and exactly how you would have executed that particular task. Writing a guidebook takes a lot of time, but it is worth it because nobody will interrupt your holiday to ask you how to do something. Plus, it is an investment as it can be used every time you will be away.
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within your business and share them with your team members. The passwords are encrypted, so your team members won’t see what the password is, keeping your privacy secure, but it allows them to use the password without having to ask you for the login details. You can also use this with credit and debits cards or PayPal if employees need to buy anything on your behalf.
PLAN ❚ Even if you prefer to manage your tasks on your
own, it is important to delegate tasks that you will not be able to complete before going on vacation and that may need to be completed during your absence. So, don’t be afraid to delegate! People in your team may even be excited by the idea of new responsibilities and experiences. It is also important to make sure all your customers know in advance that you are going to be away and when you are coming back. ❚ Share it on social media, individually call or
email them. That way they will have enough time to ask all the questions they need to ask you, meaning you can go on vacation with total peace of mind.
❚ Another handy software to use is LastPass. It
allows you to save all the passwords you use
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THE CLEANING SHOW ANNOUNCES NEW CARPET CLEANING VILLAGE FOR 2019 The 2019 Cleaning Show (March 19-21, Excel, London) is set to be more relevant for carpet cleaners than ever before. In recognition of the massive contribution carpet cleaning makes to the wider cleaning industry, the show will feature for the first time a special Carpet Cleaning Village dedicated to the sector. The space is being designed for anyone connected to the carpet cleaning industry and will give them the chance to try out the latest products, attend workshops and meet with fellow carpet cleaners and carpet cleaner equipment providers. Stan Atkins, Chair of the British Cleaning Council who co-produce The Cleaning Show, said: “Carpet cleaning is increasingly becoming a key industry sector and is growing across both the commercial and domestic markets. We have therefore decided to create a special zone focussed on the carpet cleaning supply chain where suppliers, manufacturers and cleaners themselves can meet and network.” Major brands and suppliers who are active within the carpet cleaning supply chain who have announced they will be exhibiting at The Cleaning Show include Prochem, Legend Brands, Sebo and Vaclensa. The National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA) will also have a presence at the show, as part of the British Cleaning Council’s exhibition hub. The last Cleaning Show hosted at London’s Excel in 2017 saw over 6,000 visitors drawn from the cleaning, FM, hygiene and waste management sectors attend, making it the most successful Cleaning Show on record.
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Dave Wheadon from the NCCA said: “It’s fantastic that The Cleaning Show has recognised the significance of carpet cleaning within the wider cleaning industry and has created the Carpet Cleaning Village as a result. It will be a space where us and our members can not only learn about the latest innovations and techniques within the world of carpet cleaning but also be somewhere we can discuss the key challenges we all face as a sector. “I would therefore encourage anyone connected to carpet cleaning to register for a place at The Cleaning Show or consider exhibiting in the carpet cleaning village as it will help build the profile of professional carpet cleaning as a reliable, responsible and valuable service both commercially and domestically.”
For more details on exhibiting or to register for a free pass visit www.cleaningshow.co.uk
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NEW NCCA COURSE
TEXTILE INSPECT PEST CONTROL
Written specifically for our industry by one of the foremost trainers in the pest control industry, Paul Westgate BSc (Hons) MRSPH. Paul teaches pest control for the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) at all levels. The course was presented by Paul and Glyn Charnock, former NCCA Training Director and covers everything required to offer an effective, safe and legally compliant insect pest control service for your clients.
PROGRAMME SCHEDULE: ❚ Pesticide safety ❚ Managing risks, problems with
pesticides, storage and waste disposal ❚ Surveying and preparation ❚ Reasons for control, surveying and
pest identification ❚ Pest biology and control ❚ Fleas, moths, beetles and other
household pests ❚ Insecticides ❚ Application, insecticide types
and composition Successful completion of the course and exam results in a qualification which is recognised by the major pest control suppliers, enabling members to purchase and use professional use only products. No other course in the carpet and upholstery cleaning industry offers this level of recognition in the pest control sphere and those qualified will be kept up to date with changes in legislation and regulations through an annual review by BPCA experts.
This course is a must for anyone who is already offering, or is thinking of introducing, an insect control service for their clients.
You will be amazed at the depth and breadth of information provided by this course, helping to make you the expert you need to be to successfully control insect pests as part of your business. If you are providing ‘precautionary insecticide treatments’ for letting agents and landlords, required by some tenancy agreements when tenants have had pets in rental properties, you really should attend this course to protect your business and reputation. Further courses are planned in various locations around the country, dates and locations to be announced. We expect demand for this course to be high, so please ensure you book early when dates are announced. www.ncca.co.uk/training/ textile-insect-pest-control-course
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THE CLEAN SHEET #TLCofthemonth November 2018 - C2 Carpet Care
YOUR SUGGESTIONS
Implemented!
May 2016: “One thing the NCCA could do is a carpet cleaner award… Carpet Cleaner of the Month.” In May 2017, we announced our first Trusted Local Cleaner of the month winner and have continued to award it at the beginning of each month!
See ‘2018 - A Year in Review’ article on pages 4 and 5 for this year’s winners!
NO PAIN, NO GAIN
In October, Dean Haywood of Five Star Furnishing Care had his chest waxed for Luton and Dunstable Cardiac Rehab Team, raising over £300 - well done Dean!
Get Well Soon!
On behalf of the Association, we would like to send our best wishes to NCCA Directors, Paul Pearce and Nigel Lay, who’ve both recently undergone various surgeries. We wish you both a full and speedy recovery!
www.ncca.co.uk
January 2017: “Why do members have to pay to have a link to their website from the NCCA website? It should be in our membership cost.” As of June 2017, all members have a profile on the NCCA website which includes a website link, social media links, the option to add photos and videos and a review system. This is all included within the membership fee.
Create a link to your Trusted Local Cleaners profile on your website so your customers can lea ve you a review. We recom mend using your unique NCCA logo and linking it. If you need help with doing this, contact Lauren: lauren @ncca.co.uk
TOP TIP
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MEET THE TEAM
LEWIS SCROBY I began my career with the NCCA in 2000 taking an office junior role soon after leaving school. Initially my job involved fairly simple tasks filing, data entry and taking calls. However, it was quickly apparent there was room for development and I soon became involved in the accounts and general administration. Helping then Office Manager, Mary, and Financial Director, Lorraine, reorganising the financial records and computerising data for more efficiency. From there I was quickly given more responsibilities and was always interested in other roles, improving systems and helping out other staff where I could.
I have been with the Association for almost 19 years and seen all the improvements and achievements with the efforts of so many coming together to keep the NCCA developing. My next position was General Administrator, by which point I was involved in pretty much all tasks within the office. Around 2008, long time Standards and Fair Trading Officer, John Claydon, was considering stepping down from the Board and I began working with him with a view to taking on the position. Dealing with complaints and logo misuse is quite a large role and became the biggest part of my job over seven years until our last office manager, Katie Hill, decided to move on in 2016. It was clear the company would not have to look far for a replacement and I was pleased to be offered the job and continue my work with the NCCA in a higher capacity. This coincided with the NCCA employing Lauren Willis and Chief Executive, Dave Wheadon. Since then
the office team and systems have developed in new directions, focusing more on modern marketing and communications, social media and improving our contact with members and the public. In terms of our brand awareness, feedback, increased membership, training interest, events and more, it is safe to say the Association is currently going through its most successful period. Over the years I have worked closely with many Directors including Gerry Parks, who was President when I started with the company and the then Board, Paul Pearce, Pawlo Woloszyn, Derek Bolton, Ken Wainwright, Pete Collins and John Claydon; plus Glyn Charnock, Keith Robertson, Nick Johnston, Adam Jankowski, June Frankum, Rob Whitbread, Billy Russell, and many others through to the current team, Lauren, Dave, Allan, Nigel, Paul, David, Tim and Martin. All of whom I thank, it has always been a great company and a great industry to work in.
I’ve got to know many members, corporate members and other industry representatives and from the completely new to the ‘old guard’, there has always been professionalism, enthusiasm and support. Here’s to you all!
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CORPORATE MEMBERS The NCCA is fortunate to have the support from many leading suppliers in the industry. These organisations are proud to be associated with the NCCA and we welcome their support. Please find their company details below.
www.ncca.co.uk
Allied Insurance Services Ltd www.alliedinsurance.co.uk
Cleanerswarehouse Ltd www.cleanerswarehouse. co.uk
Alltec Network Ltd www.alltec.co.uk
Cleansmart Ltd www.cleansmartsupplies.co.uk
Amtech UK www.amtechuk.co.uk
Cleanspec Cumbria Ltd www.cleanspec-cumbria.co.uk
Ashbys Cleaning Equipment www.ashbys-uk.com
Complete Vehicle Management Ltd www.cvmgroup.co.uk
BeSure www.besure.insure
Coversure Insurance Services (Kidderminster) www.coversure.co.uk/ kidderminster
Bio Productions Ltd inc. Stapro www.bio-productions.com
Digitool www.godigitool.com
Camberford Law Plc www.camberfordlaw.com/ cleaning
Dry Fusion UK Ltd www.dryfusion.com
CarCleanseUK www.carcleanseuk.com
Factotum Ltd www.factotum.com
ChemDry Franchising Ltd www.chemdry.co.uk
Get Booked Up Software www.getbookedup.com
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Hi-Tec Cleaning Group www.hitteccleaning.co.uk
Revolution Cleaning Systems www.revolutioncleaning systems.co.uk
Host UK Ltd t/a Host von Schrader www.hostvonschrader.co.uk
Safeclean www.safeclean.co.uk
Kendry www.kendry.co.uk
Sebo UK Ltd www.sebo.co.uk
Legend Brands Europe Ltd www.legendbrandseurope.com
ServiceMaster Ltd www.servicemaster.co.uk
LTT Leathercare Ltd www.lttleathercare.co.uk
Solution Cornwall Ltd www.worldofclean.co.uk
Modular Training Solutions www.modulartraining solutions.com
Texatherm Systems Ltd www.texatherm.com
NSL Restormate www.restormate.co.uk
The Restoration Academy UK www.therestoration academy.co.uk
Prestige Rug Spa www.prestigerugspa.co.uk
The WoolSafe Organisation www.woolsafe.org
Prochem Europe Ltd www.prochem.co.uk
Tile Master Global Ltd www.tilemaster.co.uk
Rainbow International www.rainbow-int.co.uk
WANT TO BECOME A CORPORATE MEMBER?
APPLY TODAY!
Restoration Express www.restoration-express.co.uk
Telephone: 0116 271 9550 Email: admin@ncca.co.uk
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COURSE DATES NCCA Courses 2019 Professional Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning 22nd - 24th January, Leicester 14th - 16th February, Amtech UK, Burgess Hill Please note as of 2019, we will no longer be accepting reservations for any of our courses. Anyone wishing to reserve a place on any NCCA course will be required to pay a nonrefundable deposit. Further information will be provided in January.
COURSE REVIEWS Advanced Spot and Stain Removal I attended the Advanced spot and stain course hosted by the inimitable Paul Pearce, a great depth of knowledge and knows how to teach! A great course on which I learned a great deal. I thoroughly recommend this course to everyone involved in our industry, it is a must-do course! Thank you NCCA. Terry Atkinson, Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Lancashire
Great content, Paul has a wealth of experience and knowledge, good introduction to a couple of new chemicals and uses aswell… Thanks! Giles Norman, Sunshine Specialist Cleaning
www.ncca.co.uk
MEMBER STATS
Since publishing a referral statistics report in the last issue of The Clean Sheet there have been 132 recommendations for members provided by the NCCA. This number is made up of referrals from the NCCA office and potential customers contacting members directly through the website.
NCCA SURVEY FORMS USING NCCA SURVEY FORMS WILL: ❚ Allow you to record vital information including any previous damage or inherent problems. ❚ Provide you with an evidence trail in the possible event of a later problem or dispute. ❚ NCCA survey forms are available for members to purchase and come in pads of 100 with a carbonated sheet. Visit the NCCA website to access the online shop in the members area.
NCCA STICKERS Van and machine stickers of the NCCA logo are available from the Members Area of our website. Van stickers (21″ x 7″) £11 or 2 for £18
Machine stickers (7.8″ x 2.9″) £2.50
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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS FOR SALE – DUE TO RETIREMENT • Prochem Powermax 2000 HWE with 25ft hoses and twin jet wand, additional 15 and 25ft hoses, SS Curtain tool and Upholstery tool with 12ft hoses. • Hild rotary machine with tank, drive pads shampoo brushes, floor pads and bonnets. • Electric 10ltr sprayer on its own chassis with 8 mtr hose to lance ideal for under floor or loft treatments. • Pulsatronic cleaning tank for smoke damaged items/jewellery. • 200ltr vacuum unit on own chassis with 3 motors plus pump out ideal for sucking out large areas of flood damage. • 2 Dritec desiccant dehumidifiers with extraction hoses for venting. • Prochem Micromist sprayer (brand new) Temperature/humidity instrument. • Sebo commercial 360 vacuum. Plus brushes, manuals, some chemicals and other bits and pieces. All machines maintained and in working order. Collection only: Inverness, Scotland To be sold only as complete package £3,500 (new over £16,000) Contact Gerry on 07801 593 637
FOR SALE Professional Carpet, Upholstery and Hard Floor Cleaning Equipment including; • Extracta Exel machine with hoses and tools. Machine has twin vac’ motors and a console for water temp’ and pump controls Straightforward to maintain with excellent after-sales service. (I’ve used their machines since Jan’ 2002). Extracta Scrubba Deluxe. • Low-speed Reckitt Taska Ranger hard floor machine with pads and rotary brush. • Large range of professional Chemspec chemical products including; Stainshield Professional System, Professional Spotting Kit and Wood-Solv Kit. Peugeot Expert van(MOT to 24-4-2019) if required. Business is relocatable. However, if you want to work in the York area I can write a letter of introduction to my customers as part of a deal. Machines PAT tested. MSDS sheets. All ready to go to work.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Alpha Pro Clean Durham DEW Cleaners County Durham Fabric Carpet Care Surrey Ideal Cleaning North Yorkshire JPB Cleaning Norfolk Kleaner Carpets Ross-shire Midgley Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Merseyside NCJ Carpet Care Gloucestershire OxPro Carpet Cleaning Oxfordshire Sussex Floor Care Ltd East Sussex Target Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Suffolk
Price reduced. Equipment without van £9950, with van £11,950. No VAT.
The Four Eyed Raven Norfolk
Contact Tim: 01904 413612 / 07950 822939 or Email: t.stockdale123@virginmedia.com
Triple J’s Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Services Lanarkshire
To advertise in the classifieds please email the office: admin@ncca.co.uk
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! From the CEO, Directors and Office Team The office will be closed from 12:30pm on Friday 21st December and will re-open as usual on Wednesday 2nd January.
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Vulcan Hygiene Ltd County Durham Zero Dry Time Kent Kent
Telephone: 0116 271 9550 Email: admin@ncca.co.uk
MEMBER REVIEWS
Congratulations to all our Members who have received reviews on the website. To date, we have published 1,363 reviews.
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www.ncca.co.uk
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