June 2012

newslink

ncca Features:

Pre-Vacuuming Viscose Rayon Fabrics

ŠAntique Splenour by Axminster

June 2012

The official journal of the National Carpet Cleaners Association

Contents 03 From the editor Insurance scheme update 04 Facebook Times are changing 05 Website enquiries Article in Prima magazine 06 Stoneman’s Corner 08 The importance of pre-vacuuming 10 Introduction from Rob Whitbread Another membership benefit 11 Ten simple steps to help your cash flow 12 Viscose Rayon fabrics 14 Quality triple score for the Wrennalls group 16 ISSA Interclean - Amsterdam 2012 18 Good customer service 20 Belonging 21 Oil spillage on carpet Clean your machine PPE required for blood clean-up 22 Do you really need to worry about the half price carpet cleaners?

24 Linking Twitter with your website and SEO 26 Late payment issues

Published monthly by: The National Carpet Cleaners Association 62c London Road, Oadby, Leicestershire, LE2 5DH Tel: 0116 271 9550 E-mail: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk Editor Nikki Law Editor in Chief Keith Robertson Design Editor Nikki Law President/ Technical Director Paul Pearce Vice President/ Marketing Director Keith Robertson Vice President/ Events Director Nigel Lay Member Liaison Director Glyn Charnock Franchise Liaison Director Denise Pitt Co-opted Directors Rob Whitbread (Corporate Liason) Martin Johns Christian Ramsey

28 Extinguishing risk - Getting fire safety right

www.facebook.com/NCCAFloorCare www.twitter.com/NCCA_floorcare_

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.

page 2

From the editor

I

t's time to book your place at the Carpet Cleaners Carnival this year.

The event will be held on 17th September at Wicksteed Park in Northamptonshire.

The Carnival - which was so successful last year - is not just a work related event it's also a great day out for the whole family with business, fun and festivities combined.

It's open to everyone within the industry, both members and non-members, along with their families and friends. So, whether you are a business owner, technician, supplier or member of a family with a vested interest, the Carpet Cleaners Carnival is for you. Best of all, it's FREE to attend!

The event provides an excellent networking opportunity and a chance to meet our Corporate Members and other manufacturers, suppliers and ancillary businesses from within and outside the Association.

An exhibition will be held in the Pavillion and this will be your chance to speak to the manufacturers, see the newest machines, ask those all-important questions, compare different systems and possibly even snap up a bargain.

We are also offering stand space to companies who will exhibit items of women's interest - a chance for the ladies among us to also grab a bargain!

In conjunction with the exhibition, the NCCA will be running demos throughout the day and you will also have the opportunity to visit our 'troubleshooting' stand where Honorary Member, and past Director, Derek Bolton will be on-hand to provide you with the benefit of his experience on all matters technical. However, entertainment is the main focus of the event and with that in mind the chosen venue provides the ideal setting.

Centrally located and boasting acres of beautiful parkland Wicksteed Park is an excellent choice of venue for everybody.

It has one of the largest children's playgrounds in Europe and there are in excess of 35 fairground rides. The Park is a popular day out destination for families with everything to keep kids entertained for a whole day.

And don't worry about food. There are various

refreshment kiosks, diners and cafes onsite offering a wide range of snacks and full meals.

There is also a licensed bar in the Park View Bistro, which offers Nikki Law bar meals and a full children's menu, and if none of that takes your fancy you could bring your own picnic.

Once the day is over you can also join us for the evening entertainment, which will include food and live music.

The event is free and attendees will have access to the park grounds, play area and lakeside, but if you want to attend the fairground there is a charge.

However, the NCCA have negotiated some substantial discounts for families wanting to make use of the feature attractions. We have also negotiated free parking.

If you are thinking of attending the Carnival this year please register your interest with the NCCA office and we will post out the discounted vouchers available to you.

It's going to be a great event! We hope to see you there.

Insurance scheme update Last month we emailed the membership to inform them that the NCCA had been approached by a major national insurance company with a view to working with our members to improve their customer service. Their intention being to employ members to deal with claims regarding stains and spillages on carpets and upholstery.

We circulated their proposal and are pleased to say that the response has been overwhelmingly positive with nearly three hundred members who wish to become involved.

You should all by now have recently received yet a further email detailing the finer points of the scheme.

We would like to thank those of you who have replied so far and let you know that if you have not yet replied we would still be pleased to hear from you.

We will keep you all posted on further developments via Newslink and/or email.

Page 3

Facebook Over the last few months we have been using Facebook to post information, tips and other information of interest to members. We appreciate that some view Facebook as a medium only for teenagers or are concerned about privacy levels and so have nothing to do with it, so we have provided a way that you can still keep up to date without becoming involved if you don't want to. Go to the Association website: www.ncca.co.uk and click on the News and Events button. On that page there is a Facebook feed which shows the latest postings. Alternatively on the home page on the right hand side there is a Facebook symbol and if you click on that it will take you to the NCCA Facebook page.

Times are changing There was a time when Allied Carpets a long standing carpet retailer with a history dating back to the 1950's - had 217 shops and employed more than 1000 people. That was before administrators closed 142 stores in 2009 with the loss of 850 jobs.

Now in 2012 there are only 9 remaining outlets, 6 in Scotland and 3 in England.

Is this a symptom of the credit crunch?

Certainly, that may be a large factor as it is the case that 170+ retailers have gone since the economic downturn began, but possibly it may also reflect a change in consumer purchasing in a move to hard floor surfaces.

Website enquiries

Diary Dates 2012

Members may receive enquiries via the NCCA website. The site features a membership directory that includes a full list of NCCA members.

Visitors can search the directory by location, service or use the general search feature to find a company.

Enquiries from the NCCA website will be sent via email and go directly from the enquirer to the member, with the title “NCCA Member Enquiry”.

It is important that the office know your current email address for you to benefit from this service.

Please contact the office to make any changes to your entry.

Members also have the opportunity to advance their NCCA website listing for a small one-off fee.

This includes benefits such as a direct link to your website, further copy space for promotional information about your company, your logo, or video, being included in your entry, your company name being highlighted within the list and more.

For further information please contact the office by phone or email and request an Advanced Entry order form.

NCCA COURSES Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning 13th - 14th July 21st - 22nd September 23rd - 24th November

Article in Prima magazine attracts potential customers for NCCA members!

Upholstery & Fabric Cleaning Technician 17th - 18th July with Adam Jankowski

Since publishing a referral statistics report in last month's Newslink there have been 87 recommendations for full members provided by the NCCA. This number is made up of 56 referrals from the NCCA office and 31 potential customers contacting members direct through the website.

Of the potential customers who contacted the NCCA office for a referral to a member, 11 had been directed to us from the large pharmaceutical company Glaxosmithkline and 1 had contacted us after reading an article - referencing the NCCA - in popular womens’ glossy magazine Prima. Of the potential customers who contacted members direct through the website 1 person also cited the article in Prima as the reason for contact.

Carpet Cleaners Carnival 15th September (Wicksteed Park, Kettering, Northamptonshire) Carpex 3rd - 4th October Ricoh Arena, Coventry Spot & Stain Removal 19th October Health & Safety for Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners 18th October NCCA courses held at NSPCC Training Centre, Leicester unless otherwise stated.

Visit: www.ncca.co.uk for booking forms and further details.

IICRC COURSES (SURREY) Applied Microbial Remediation Technician 10th - 13th July with Patrick Moffett

Fire & Smoke Restoration Technician 25th - 26th July with Adam Jankowski Held at National Flood School, Farnham, Surrey. Tel: 01252 821185 IICRC COURSES (HERTS) Carpet Cleaning Technician 10th -11th July with Paul Pearce Upholstery & Fabric Cleaning Technician 31st July - 1st August with Paul Pearce Stone, Masonry & Ceramic Tile Cleaning Technician 17th - 18th September with Keith Robertson Held at Alltec Network, Royston, Hertfordshire.

Tel: 01763 208222 Visit: www.iicrc.co.uk for further details on IICRC Training Courses

Page 5

ŠPhotographs: Keith Robertson

Keith Robertson

Stoneman’s Corner The Netherlands Tegelmuseum

D

eep in rural Holland in the pleasant village of Otterlo is the Dutch Tile Museum (Netherlands Tegelmuseum) housed in a bungalow style building consisting of several interconnecting galleries.

There they hold possibly the largest collection of Dutch tiles dating from the early 17th century to the present day, some 10,000 tiles.

It is generally thought that the earliest tiles are the blue and sometimes purple decorated wall tiles that have become so famous and spawned the term 'Delft Blue', whereas in fact the earliest were hand painted polychrome (the use

Keith Robertson

of multiple colours). The patterning of these early tiles is not dissimilar to that produced from the mid-19th century on Encaustic Cement Tiles. This is not unexpected as the Moors, who had ruled in Spain from the 6thto 14th century, became extremely proficient in the production of patterned tiles, a skill that was continued and flourished in 15th century Spain. Examples of Moorish tiles can still be enjoyed in the Alhambra, the Moorish palace in Granada.

The Spanish exported to Italy and this led to the establishment of ceramic and earthenware production in Northern Italy. page 6

16th century Antwerp had become an important port and trading centre which attracted, among th others, Italian potters. Towards the end of the 16 century Antwerp was conquered by the Spanish leading to the potters moving to other parts of the Netherlands and abroad to Germany and England.

As well as geometric designs numerous others

were used on the blue and white tiles, and many of these were on display, from windmills and landscapes to ships, flowers and animals.

There is also a series of tiles depicting children at play, people in historic costumes and biblical stories.

Tiled panels and tiled wall clocks, which have been rescued from old or soon to be demolished buildings and commercial settings, including a butchers shop, are displayed.

Although most of the rooms display traditionally kiln fired clay tiles, there is in one room a beautifully restored hydraulic press which would have been used to produce encaustic cement tiles. The floor of that particular room has been laid with tiles similar to the type the press would have been used to produce.

Hydraulic press which would have been used to produce encaustic cement tiles

page 7

The importance of pre-vacuuming

I

recently attended an excellent specialist training course run by an NCCA Corporate Member. The subject was Low Moisture Commercial Carpet Cleaning and, as we would all expect, pre-vacuuming was a universally accepted major element in low moisture cleaning.

During our break times, we all had the opportunity to network and discuss anything and everything to do with carpet cleaning. One topic of heated debate was the subject of pre-vacuuming prior to rinse/extraction cleaning.

A well known colleague within our industry, who runs a truckmount machine, was of the opinion that with his superior equipment pre-vacuuming was not required and a waste of time. He also had the view that the NCCA, as an industry leading trainer, had influenced other trainers to adopt the requirement to pre-vac all carpets.

I couldn't disagree more. The dry extraction of particulate soil is so much more effective with

Ken Wainwright

correct use of a twin motor upright vacuum cleaner.

The rest of the cleaning process is then so much easier and quicker, using less product and energy, resulting in a cleaner, dryer carpet with a reduced carbon footprint.

And as for the NCCA influencing other trainers?

This is certainly not true. Two of our leading industry manufacturers and suppliers, who originated in the USA, supply truckmount equipment and recommend dry extraction with an upright vacuum cleaner. IICRC, again US based, and perhaps the world's leading industry training organisation, also recommend dry vacuuming for ALL cleaning systems. The British Standards Institute, after consultation with various companies and organisations in our industry, also conclude that dry vacuum extraction of particulate soil is an essential component of all cleaning systems.

So, in light of irrefutable evidence from respected national and international companies and page 8

organisations, pre-vacuuming is a must-do process for the professional carpet cleaner. Anything else is just cutting corners.

There are also other positive elements to prevacuuming that many people tend to forget or not realise. After your initial audit and inspection of a carpet, the vacuuming process forces you to look at every square inch of carpet whilst carrying out the procedure. This is the final opportunity to fully audit the carpet prior to committing to the wet side of the cleaning process. Spots and stains, wear, soiling patterns, damage and fitting defects will all be viewed more intensely than normal during this final inspection.

Also, because of the pile lifting action of an upright vacuum cleaner, the carpet's pile will be 'opened up' making penetration of the pre-conditioner quicker and more effective.

Any items which cannot be removed from a room can be placed on furniture sliders if appropriate and moved to a location of your choice during the vacuuming process.

From my own experiences using portable

extraction machines, once I had adopted prevacuuming as an essential part of the cleaning process I found that the overall time on site was actually reduced. Typically an hour or more for a whole furnished house was saved. An added benefit was that the carpets were cleaner, dried quicker and there was a reduction in the chemicals used.

NEW NCCA MEMBERS FULL MEMBERS C W F Maintenance & Cleaning Services (Edgware, Middlesex) Allbright Carpet Clean (Haverhill, Suffolk) E K R Cleaning Services (Ipswich, Suffolk)

An introduction from Rob Whitbread (Co-opted Director)

M

y name is Rob Whitbread. I am 51, married with three children and I run a family cleaning company (HBS Cleaning Services - NCCA Member 1896) in Swindon, Wiltshire. I came to the industry in 1998 after working as a buyer, then Purchasing Director of a company that supplied specialist hoses and catering equipment.

I recently offered my assistance to the NCCA Board of Directors and have now been co-opted as the Director in charge of the category of NCCA members who were, until recently, called Associate Members (industry manufacturers, suppliers and ancillary companies). However, they have now been re-categorised as Corporate Members and my initial task as co-opted Director was to introduce myself to each company and

inform them of the proposed name change.

I am pleased to say that the transition from Associate Member to Corporate Member was accepted positively by everyone I spoke to and that the official re-categorisation has now taken place.

Over the coming months I will be working hard with all the Corporate Members with a view to building stronger, closer relationships.

We have many of the industry's key players in this category. Whatever you need we have a Corporate Member who can supply it.

Between the Corporate Members, and the companies who offer NCCA members benefits and schemes, we are fast becoming a one-stop shop for all member business requirements and I'm proud to now be part of the Board.

Another membership benefit

C

ontolaccount Plc is pleased to announce that it is working in partnership with the National Carpet Cleaners Association to help you, its members, in dealing with slow paying customers. A fast, efficient, low cost solution to outstanding account management by the UK's leading Collection Company to the service industries.

As a member you are entitled to a discounted rate for the collection of your accounts. We are able to collect your outstanding accounts utilising the LPA (late payment act) to cover the majority of recovery costs, reducing your fees to just 5% commission charged on monies collected including tracing absconders. This service works on a no collection, no fee arrangement, and so if we are unable to recover your debt there would be no charge to you for using our service.

We have a dedicated team of collectors with an expert knowledge of service industries, enabling us to collect your accounts with minimum disruption for you, with fully automated systems to deal with

all queries you may have and an online referral system for ease of notifying us of any accounts you wish us to chase.

Online notification systems keeping you fully informed of conversations we have had with your customer/debtor, speeding up dispute resolution and ensuring the fastest method of collecting your money in. In addition full online reporting giving up to the minute information on all accounts placed with us for collection.

Full in-house legal system, should it be necessary for legal proceedings to be issued, with the same up to the minute reporting facility allowing you as the client to see exactly what point all proceedings have reached.

If you wish to discuss any outstanding debt problems, no matter how old or whatever status, please contact: Chris Lisle (Account Manager) Controlaccount Plc clisle@controlaccount.com www.controlaccount.com Tel: 01527 882901 / Mob: 07778 776580 page 10

Ten simple steps to help your cash flow Here are some tips that may help you recover debts without losing customers‌ and keep the bank manager happy.

1. Set up a company policy that specifies payment terms and conditions of trade.

2. Establish an escalating timetable of procedures to collect debts.

3. Consider offering an incentive to encourage prompt payment.

4. Clearly communicate payment terms and conditions from the beginning, during negotiations as well as on contracts, invoices and welcome letters to new clients.

5. Acknowledge large contracts/orders in writing highlighting payment terms and conditions.

6. Obtain proof of completion for service or goods.

7. Monitor the payment status of outstanding invoices on a daily basis.

8. Invoice promptly, within 24 hours.

9. Do not allow debts to fester, act promptly and decisively to address the matter.

10. It may sound harsh but it may be wise to stop supplying your services to some clients (if they are on that slippery slope it does not mean you have to follow).

Above all, once you have set up your company policy on terms and conditions make sure you follow it.

Viscose Rayon fabrics

I

Derek Bolton (Honorary Member)

n last November's issue of containing just over sixty per cent Damaged fabric Newslink I wrote an article as Viscose Rayon. There was a mark a reminder to check for left following the clean which the colour migrating fibres in fabrics technician dealt with in isolation containing Viscose Rayon. The and this created a light patch. older ones among us will With the information that I was remember that Viscose Rayon supplied I recommended that the has caused many problems over whole panel was re-cleaned to the years and it continues to do so. We remember achieve a uniform overall appearance, which the Viscose Velour fabrics with a black backing hopefully will result in a satisfied customer. which tended to bleed very easily, also the fibre Viscose Rayon is included in many of the fabrics would swell and the 'feel' of the fabric was altered. out there today simply because it is one of the Many a suite was totally ruined! cheapest fibres to produce. We also know, being This particular article looks at the new generation NCCA members and having attended the NCCA of Viscose fabrics and was prompted by a courses, that Viscose is classified as a cellulose telephone call I took very recently from a member regenerated fibre, is extremely absorbent and loses who had received a call-back after cleaning fabric up to seventy per cent of its strength when wet. page 12

ŠPhotographs: Derek Bolton

Flatweave and short pile combination Viscose Rayon

So, we have to be careful about the degree of agitation we subject these fibres to as we don't want to punch a hole through the fabric whilst cleaning and we don't want to cause any abrasion damage to the fibres that will alter the look of the fabric (see picture opposite ‘damaged fabric’).

As mentioned above, Viscose Rayon fibres are extremely absorbent and contact with moisture can cause the fibres to swell thereby reflecting more light and permanently changing its appearance.

Providing that the agitation process is kept at reasonable levels this change of appearance may not be noticeable PROVIDING that the whole item(s) of furniture is treated uniformly.

I have to raise a concern, at this stage, as it seems common practice for some cleaners to clean the cushions and the arms and then 'wipe over' the fabric on the frame. This is totally unacceptable in my book, but there you go… it is happening!

Another variation in the use of Viscose Rayon is the striped version (see picture opposite ‘flatweave,

short pile comination’), where one stripe is in a Flatweave form whilst its neighbour is in a short pile form. Once again this fabric has to be cleaned uniformly to achieve an even overall appearance and, again, agitation must be kept at a reasonable level to prevent any unacceptable damage.

Thankfully the Viscose Rayon pile fabrics these days are much shorter than those of yesteryear.

Therefore any slight change won't be noticeable. In fact the swollen fibres will look brighter and dare I say cleaner. This doesn't mean that you can scrub away to your heart's content; you will still need to choose your cleaning method with care. In essence the fabric will be damaged, albeit slightly, this can hopefully be offset by the customer's desire for clean furniture.

The dilemma now is whether we inform our potential customer of the fact that the fabric will be damaged during the cleaning process?

After all, the NCCA motto is still SERVICE WITH INTEGRITY!

Quality triple score for the Wrenalls Group

T

he Wrennalls Group, a Lancashire based carpet cleaning consultancy, is celebrating a triumph for excellence across its management systems dealing with quality, health & safety and environmental accountability by achieving IS0 9001 Quality Management, ISO 14001 Environmental Management and BS OHSAS 18001 Health and Safety. The three accreditations apply across the whole of the Wrennalls Group Ltd and all its associated companies.

Shaun Bradbury, Managing Director of Wrennalls, commented: “The Wrennalls Group is growing all the time - most recently with the addition of Columbus Cleaning Machines Ltd to its portfolio. So to achieve these ISO accreditations not only in quality management, but now in health & safety and environmental management, demonstrates our commitment to running our businesses in the most professional, efficient and safe way possible.

Columbus Cleaning Machines together with Wrennalls, Oates Laboratories UK, Dry Fusion, M2 Care and Cleaners Warehouse form a group where excellence is core to its business mission.�

ISO 9001:2008 is recognised worldwide. It requires organisations to demonstrate that they have a quality management system to ensure consistency and continuous improvement; leading to higher levels of performance and customer satisfaction. The revised 2008 standard has a much greater focus on the management and measurement of business

processes and their continuous improvement.

ISO 14001 Environmental Management, like all other ISO accreditations, is a voluntary standard that assists companies to continually improve their environmental performance whilst complying with any relevant legislation.

OHSAS 18001:2008 is the International Occupational Health & Safety Management Standard. It primarily addresses occupational health and safety rather than product safety. It provides a framework for companies to assist in their effective management of OH&S including compliance with legislation that applied to their activities and identified hazards.

sbradbury@wrennallsgroup.com www.wrennalls.com

page 14

T

he organisers of the Amsterdam 2012 ISSA/INTERCLEAN Show, held at the Amsterdam RAI, claim that it is an essential event for the industry. They also inform us that there were more exhibitors this year than previously and attendance was up 5000 on the 2010 event - as they described it, a record-breaking number.

I am never sure about the accuracy of attendee figures produced following exhibitions, but I can testify that there were some really busy times throughout this Show.

It is too large to visit in a single day and really does require an overnight stay to get the most out of it. And where better can you stay than in Amsterdam? The city has an excellent transport system, particularly the trams, metro and trains so with little waiting you are soon heading to your destination from the RAI. This year I chose to stay in the historic city of Haarlem and although this required three trains, each journey was completed in around one hour.

The Amsterdam show is not specifically aimed at carpet cleaners but there were plenty of wellknown industry suppliers in attendance, such as our corporate member Prochem, headed by Paul Robinson, along with others such as the German company CEBE. Also present on one stand was Rotovac and Aaron Groseclose with his Masterblend products. There were also two Turkish

Keith Robertson

ISSA Interclean - Amsterdam companies displaying rug cleaning and drying equipment.

There was a huge choice of vacuum cleaners including SEBO and Numatic and single disc rotary cleaning machines from companies such as Nilfix and corporate member, Truvox, who had a number of different products on display now that they are part of Tacony (this includes CFR, Tornado and Powr-Flite) and scrubber dryers from a wide range of manufacturers including Corporate Member, Columbus.

For those with an interest in sanitisation and trauma cleaning there were many diverse types of steam and foam cleaning machines from a number page 16

2012 of suppliers including Karcher, Santoemma and Polti.

Specialist stone and concrete grinding and polishing machines were being demonstrated by Klindex. They, along with a number of others including HTC and KGS, were showing their diamond impregnated or coated polishing pads for maintaining marble and terrazzo and, in Klindex's case, polished concrete.

The RAI, like the NEC in Birmingam, is a large facility and the show has to be divided into two sections on different levels. Much of the space in the three first floor halls was devoted to hygiene products although here and there were quite

different stands including one where I spent some time discussing marble honing and polishing powders.

Many companies from different countries were grouped together so, for example, Corporate Member Woodbridge Commercial was situated in a section referred to as the UK Pavilion.

There were a good number of Chinese exhibitors throughout the halls and it was noticeable that there were fewer direct copies of European and US machines and much of their equipment was well designed. Many were there to find distributors rather than end users and preferred to sell in container loads rather than single machines.

Fortunately, for an old man like me, Quartz, the publishers of Cleaning and Maintenance, had a hospitality suite in the middle of the show which became a wonderful refuge when my legs would no longer respond. Martin and Sarah were on hand to dispense lifesaving tea and coffee.

I found it to be a really enjoyable show. I hope our Corporate Members who exhibited also found it beneficial because it can be an expensive place to exhibit and demonstrate their products.

If you missed this year's show and want to attend the next one, which will be the 25th anniversary show, it will be held from the 6th to 9th May 2014.

Hopefully I will see you all there but before then we have some UK events we should be planning to attend starting with Wicksteed family day in September (see ‘From the editor’ on page 3).

page 17

Good customer service

I

recently joined the NCCA Board as a Co-opted Director and have been thinking a lot about how we can improve the already excellent Association image, to set us apart even further from non-member companies.

In 'one of my previous lives' I was involved in customer services, so when I set up my own carpet cleaning business I was able to draw from my experiences and previous job training. It has helped me a great deal and I am pleased to say I've never really had any problems with my own customers.

Aside from your own experiences it's amazing what you can learn from other people in the same profession, which is why networking with likeminded individuals is so important. I've learnt a lot on some of the training courses I've been on, not just from the training programmes and the course

Martin Johns (Co-opted Director) tutors but also from fellow delegates. I have also been able to impart some useful information over the years.

Some time ago I was on a carpet fitting and repair course and was having a general chat about the job when one of the delegates was commenting on his frequent problems with customer complaints regarding his cleaning jobs. He was fed up with customers calling him because the stains hadn't gone or had come back. My first question to him was “do you do a 'walk through' with the customer after you had finished the clean, pointing out any problems that may have occurred and addressing the issue of any stains which you were unable to remove?” He looked at me and said “no I don't have the time”. I gave the man my advice, with the benefit of experience, and told him that I thought it page 18

was hugely important to make the time. Hopefully he took this on board.

I am always surprised though when people don't make the time to do the things that I believe are necessary if you want to keep your customers, get referrals and avoid call backs and complaints.

Here are my tips to ensure you keep your customers happy: ! Make sure you have a smart and clean personal appearance. ! Keep your van clean, tidy and uncluttered - your van is an advertisement for your company. If your vehicle is scruffy and dirty what does it say about your cleaning ability and attention to detail? ! Ensure that your machinery is clean and in good working order. ! Do your utmost to ensure you are never late. ! If you are unavoidably late make sure you call the customer as soon as possible to let them know. ! When you arrive introduce yourself in a friendly, polite and respectful manner. Avoid being too overbearing. ! Ask the customer what they are hoping to achieve from the clean because sometimes their expectations may be too high. ! Enquire as to the nature of the stain and what has previously been used to try and remove it.

The initial answer to this is usually “nothing� but don't be afraid to question them (gently) further as it will usually materialise that a plethora of domestic products have already been used. ! Explain what is achievable and never guarantee complete stain removal. ! Produce a full written survey of the job prior to starting the clean. Look in detail for any imperfection. If you have a concern about the condition of the item to be cleaned, or you see damage, point this out to the customer and get them to sign the form. ! Take photos, especially if you are dealing with a problem caused/made worse by a previous clean. ! Explain to the customer how you will be proceeding with the job.

! When you move furniture place the legs on foil protectors to prevent possible dye transfer. ! When you have completed the work 'walk through' with the customer and show them what has, or hasn't, been removed and explain the reasons why. ! Advise them - and qualify in writing - to leave the foil under the furniture legs, for a specified amount of time, to avoid rust and dye transfer. ! Ask the customer if they have any concerns at all before you leave the property.

Following these rules, or a similar set of your own rules, will reduce customer complaints to almost zero. Apart from the obvious, such as your ability to do the job, communication is THE most important thing when dealing with your client.

Most complaints can be avoided by spending time with your customers and talking to them. You may think you can't afford to spend the time, but really you can’t afford not to.

page 19

Belonging

O

Cecil Aigin (Honorary Member)

ver the years, our company was approached by one organisation or another, offering us membership. Some of these companies were only providing window and car stickers which would promote our participation.

Training and promotion were only occasionally on offer and we were not always required to provide anything to prove our professionalism and integrity.

Needless to say, we were never attracted to such organisations. We were staunch and active founder members of the National Carpet Cleaners Association and, as far as a professional trade body was concerned, the NCCA was all that we required.

Our Association has always held the training and integrity of its members and the creation of a national image, both publicly and commercially, as top priorities.

Multinational companies spend enormous amounts in order to make their corporate image and logos immediately recognisable. Consequently, it has been a very long haul for the NCCA to have achieved the degree of public awareness that it now enjoys.

One of the major aspects of our membership is that many prospective clients will have some knowledge of NCCA and will be aware of the security that this will provide them with. I would always choose to be a member of a trade association that, in addition to other benefits, is active in generating public awareness.

However, needless to say, promoting the image and aims of the NCCA is a two way responsibility.

The directors have always played their part in this direction. But, members must never miss an opportunity to promote the NCCA and their own professionalism.

Your sales literature and quotations should always include details of your membership with regard to training provided by the NCCA, the availability of continuous technical updating and support and insurance requirements. Describing the conditions of membership, that every member must fulfil, will assure them of the best possible results for the cleaning of their valued furnishings and carpets. “Belonging� to the NCCA is something to be proud of, make sure everyone knows about it. page 20

ŠPhotograph: Pawlo Woloszyn

(Second from left: Cecil Aigin)

Oil spillage on carpet There's a bad oil spillage in the corridor of a commercial property and the two previous cleaners have been unsuccessful at removing it, should you attempt the clean?

Well, it could be that the oil removal has been successful, but what you may be looking at is the carpet backing, which could have been damaged during the previous cleans causing wicking. It would be advisable to attempt a trial clean before taking on a contract like this.

To remove the oil the use of a dry compound compress should prove successful. Once applying the compound you must allow time for the oil to wick-up and out of the carpet.

Clean your machine It is surprising how many carpet cleaning technicians will clean a carpet that has biological contaminants present, and who then pack away their equipment without any thought of sanitizing their machines, hoses and tools. Some don't even wear the most basic of PPE such as protective gloves!

You can drastically limit your exposure by being vigilant with your procedures.

PPE required for blood clean-up This is what you will need:1. Tyvek suit. You need to cover all outdoor clothes. Tyvec suits are inexpensive and disposable.

2. Facemask using charcoal filters, to prevent inhalation. Don't forget that the filters only have a ten-hour life span once the pack has been opened, so store the cartridges in an airtight box when not in use to prolong their life.

3. Double Gloves in every situation. The inner gloves should only be removed after all other contaminated PPE has been removed. Chain mail and/or leather gloves must be used when sharps (broken glass or hypodermic needles) are involved.

4. Goggles, in case of splash back.

5. Shoe covers, again these are disposable.

All soiled items must be double bagged and disposed of in the proper way. Contact your local authorities to find out where they should be disposed, more than likely it will be with the hospital waste.

Have you had a Tetanus jab, or are you in need of a booster? You should have also had a Hepatitis injection if you are carrying out any body fluid clear up.

Do you really need to worry about the half price carpet cleaners? David Coker

I

recently needed a new tyre for my car. As it was only the spare I decided to save on the cost and buy a part-worn tyre. After all, I may never use it. I wanted a Michelin preferably as they last longer. They cost around £90 but only £21 for part-worn which would do the job.

Here's the telephone conversation I had with my local part-worn tyre dealer: Me: “Have you got a part-worn 205/55/16?”

Him: “Oh yeah, loads of them” Me: “Have you got something decent, like a Michelin?”

Him: “Dunno mate. Can't really look” (sounding disinterested) Me: “OK. So is it best that I come up?”

Him: “Yeah” (sounding like he's busy with something else) I decided to go to the dealer immediately. When I got there the staff seemed to be ignoring me.

Finally a man approached and asked “Are you being seen to?” He then told someone to see to me. A man approached with his mobile phone in hand and walked past me. I asked him if it was him the other guy was talking to… apparently it was. page 22

I then asked him if he had a part-worn tyre, preferably a good make like a Michelin. He asked the boss who said, while walking away, “Dunno mate… we've got loads up there but haven't had a chance to sort them yet. You need to come back later.”

I decided to try a different tack and asked him if he had any other good make of tyre. He replied “I think there's a couple of Goodyears up there.” As we walked toward the back of the workshop he added “There's one here and here. But these haven't been tested yet so you can't have one.” So I asked him what else he'd got and we walked through a mound of dirty tyres until we came to three tyres which were the right size. I asked him what they were like and he replied with “You'd be best off coming back later”. With that I walked out.

I returned two days later as I was in the area. I walked into the workshop to find the staff all seemingly busy. The same man came out towards me and…walked right past without even a look. He didn't even say “I'll be with you in a minute.” It was at that point I decided that I'd had enough and left for good.

How can they get away with an attitude and service like this? Because of the business they are in… the CHEAPEST PRICE COMMODITY business!

After all, a Michelin is a Michelin is a Michelin! And this company are the cheapest, because they are selling part-worn tyres. If I want one at this price, there's nowhere else to go. I have to stand in line and accept it.

Now, do you imagine that in our industry customers are treated any differently? There are people who have to tolerate the same kind of

service because all they want to spend is £20 for the cleaning of their front room carpet. And have you heard of the 'half-price' cleaners actually NOT turning up at all? Usually giving the customer an excuse that their van has broken down, when actually they probably couldn't get enough jobs in the area to make it viable. That's what people have to put up with when they want the cheapest price.

But there are plenty of people who will not accept this and will gladly pay for a higher standard of service. That's why as cleaners we don't have to be in the price business or the commodity business.

As it happens, I was not a good prospect for buying tyres in this category. I only wanted a part-worn tyre for around £20 as a spare. If I wanted the 'cheapest price commodity' I had to put up with poor service, something I really don't like doing.

So, what's the lesson for us? Well, the worst thing you could do is to try to compete on price in a business like ours. You simply don't have to. It's sometimes very difficult for carpet cleaners to realise that there are customers out there that they actually don't want. There are different markets in our industry. Just like Kia, Ford and Mercedes buyers. They have different values, wants and priorities. There are people who want to pay £20 for a room and are prepared to put up with a poor service because they only want to pay £20.

But there are also many people who want high quality and are prepared to pay for it.

So, what's stopping you aiming for the high-end customers? All you have to do is deliver a high quality service. Gain these customers and keep them and you won't have to worry about price competition again. page 23

www.sitewizard.co.uk

Linking Twitter with your website and SEO

D

id you know around half of the 100 million active users of Twitter login to their accounts at least once a day? That's a lot of people reading their Twitter feeds. This kind of exposure allows for mass B2B and B2C communication all over the world. Twitter is the perfect opportunity for businesses to invest their time (not money!) into reaching wider audiences and marketing the heck out of what their business has to offer.

The most obvious use for Twitter is of course to network. This may be through following existing clients and keeping them updated with short and

sweet tweets, following potential clients and target markets, or simply by commenting on the latest trending topics.

However when used appropriately Twitter can help generate vast amounts of traffic to your website; opening your business up to a much wider online audience. Incorporate this with your search engine keywords and Meta tags, and things could get all the more exciting.

Placing a Twitter feed on your website is a fantastic way to link together your Twitter account and website, whilst making Google a very 'happy chappy'. Showing that you're regularly page 24

updating your website and that you're serious about your business helps boost your position in Google.

Why not push the boat out furthermore and invest a little time (again, not money!) in a blog?

You can make links between your Twitter, blog and website by promoting connections to each one.

Create a short tweet about your latest blog entry with a hyperlink to the blog, or write a blog post about your brand new Twitter account and encourage people to take a look around.

Another way to encourage movement of traffic from one location to another is to hold incentive competitions. Ask for your followers' opinions about your blog content, or perhaps what their views are on your flashy new website; all for a chance to be entered into a competition to win prizes.

Tweeting about your business, promoting competitions and contacting clients is all well and good, however at this point your followers may think you've got a robot sitting at the computer

dishing out tweets solely about your business. To get others interacting (and to prove you're not a robot), it is best to open your tweeting options up and not to focus purely on your own business. If you have a question you need answering, or have just heard a fact that you think others will find interesting or useful, tweet about it. If you come across an article to do with your industry, post a hyperlink to it in a tweet accompanied by a short description of what the article is about. If a similar business to yours posts some interesting statistics about the relevant industry, retweet it. Or better yet start a discussion about the statistics and what effect they may have, by trending #hashtag topics worldwide.

Sitewizard are offering NCCA members a FREE Competitor Analysis and a FREE Getting The Most Out Of Google Analytics Guide which could help you get an idea of what you should be mentioning in your Tweets. This could also help to highlight what keywords would benefit your business most. www.sitewizard.co.uk/ncca.

Buy any two 1L** Chemspec Products during June and get

Handy chemical holder absolutely FREE* Products include: P.O.G., Professional Spot Lifter, Liqua Gel, Spray n Go, Rust Remover, Leather Cleaner, Urine Contamination Treatment, DFC Mild Non Abrasive Cleaner, DFC 0.02% Sodium Hypochlorite Cleaner, DFC Calcium Lime and Rust Remover and many more. **Spray n Go included. *Offer available from Master Chemspec Distributors only, ring us to find your nearest one.

Chemspec Europe, Tong Park, Otley Road, Baildon, West Yorkshire, BD17 7QD. Tel: 01274 597333 Fax: 01274 597444 E-mail: info@chemspec-europe.com Website: www.chemspec-europe.com

Late payment issues

B

Phil McCabe (Forum of Private Business)

etween 2007 and 2008, the total amount owed to SMEs in late payments increased from £2.6 billion to £18.6 billion. In 2012, it stands at over £30 billion.

To highlight the problem, the Forum of Private Business organised a parliamentary summit with the commercial credit referencing agency Graydon UK on 24 April this year.

Attendees included representatives from the Labour Party, the department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Lloyds TSB, the Institute of Credit Management (ICM), and business journalists.

One of the summit's aims was to be a call to action over late payment, and to examine the impact it has on SMEs and the wider economy. Top of the agenda was a discussion of a recent survey

of small businesses by the Forum and Graydon examining the issues.

The findings survey report estimates that in 2011 late payment was a major issue for 266,000 British businesses, with 124,100 businesses facing insolvency as a result, 177,000 delaying investment, 209,000 seeing profitability reduced.

Further, some 130,000 did not take on new staff as a result of late payment cash flow issues, 98,000 lost turnover and - emphasising the ‘domino’ effect of the problem - 244,000 firms have, in turn, not paid their own suppliers on time.

The last figure is particularly disturbing - 56 per cent of respondents admitted that they pay their own suppliers late, with 77 per cent citing late payment from their own customers as the reason. page 26

Small firms pay late too. However, 99 percent of businesses in the UK are small. SMEs should not be held responsible for late payment - most often, it is a problem that originates in large companies at the top of the supply chain and creates catastrophic problems further down.

The survey highlights the systemic cultural flaws that lie at the heart of British payment practices, with large companies being the main culprits. This can be seen from the corrosive practise of SME customers extending their payment terms without prior agreement, which affected 65 percent of businesses surveyed.

Unfortunately, it is proving very difficult to bring large companies to heel, particularly as the Prompt Payment Code, introduced in 2009, has secured relatively few sign ups and the recent Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill overseeing the retail sector is largely toothless.

However, there is some good news. There is much that small businesses can do to minimize the effects of late payment.

Small firms which employ credit control procedures are far less likely to suffer from late payment. It is essential businesses have a formal credit management process based on reliable, accurate customer payment behaviour.

Unfortunately, less than half of businesses surveyed have such systems in place. Too many rely on ad-hoc procedures and even more only do something about late payment once it has become a problem, rather than embracing good cash flow management as a normalised business process.

Significantly, the majority of businesses surveyed felt that the best way to ensure payment was by simply submitting invoices to customers promptly.

Other tips include asking customers to pay by electronic transfer or direct debit to cut delays in waiting for cheques to clear. Importantly, once late payment has occurred, SMEs can write to customers to explain that they will be using their statutory right under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (interest) Act 1998, to charge interest on late payments and claim debt recovery costs.

Small businesses should also not be afraid to use a debt collection agency if late payment persists.

However, it is vital that small firms maintain cordial relations with all their customers when attempting to retrieve payments.

Despite the positive steps SMEs can take, the only way to effect a real cultural change in British payment practices is for the Government to act decisively and with the full force of the law. Until this happens, the problem of late payment won't go away.

The Forum provides credit reporting and business monitoring services via its Finance Director Business support solution, along with a Credit Control Guide.

page 27

Phil Crosbie (Eversheds LLP)

Extinguishing risk - Getting fire safety right “Business owners have a clear responsibility under fire safety law to ensure that both the public and their employees are as safe as possible from the risk of fire�š The above statement was made by Brian Coleman, Chairman of London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, following one of the first jury trials for fire safety offences. In recent years, prosecutions for fire safety breaches have hit the headlines and more stringent enforcement should be expected on the horizon. This article seeks to focus on where your business might be most at risk and what you can do about it.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 details the legal regime specific to fire risks and focuses on those duties owed by the 'responsible person'.

Identity of the Responsible Person The Responsible Person is typically one of two parties: 1. In a workplace, the employer will be the Responsible Person if that employer has any

control over the workplace (for instance, if the employer owns the building, rents the building or has taken over premises for the purpose of renovation works); or 2. in relation to premises not covered above, the Responsible Person will be the party that controls the premises in connection with their business or the owner of those premises.

Relating to businesses in the cleaning industry, there will typically be two common scenarios: (a) premises that your employees regularly work from and over which you have control (for example, admin offices or showrooms); and (b) premises that your business owns or rents (for example, where equipment is kept and vehicle garages).

For the above premises your business, as the Responsible Person, will have certain duties to uphold.

Requirements of the Responsible Person The duties of the Responsible Person include: (a) taking general fire precautions to ensure the page 28

safety of employees and others; (b) producing a 'suitable and sufficient' assessment of the fire risks in order to identify the appropriate control measures; (c) ensuring that fire safety and protective arrangements are properly planned, organised and reviewed; (d) introducing appropriate fire-fighting and fire detection equipment and ensuring that emergency exits and routes are kept clear at all times; and (e) providing information and training for employees, and others coming on to premises, so that they are aware of relevant safety arrangements.

The above is not an exhaustive list of what is required of the Responsible Person but it gives an indication of what is expected. Ultimately, the Responsible Person needs to make sure that the risks of fire on its premises are identified and then reduced as far as reasonably practicable.

Prosecutions Recent enforcement gives us an indication of where authorities are focussed and what needs to be a priority. High profile cases in the past few years have focussed on 'technical' breaches of the 2005 Order. These arise where there has been a breach of the legal requirements, but there has not been any fire or injury.

By way of example, locked fire doors or excessive material stored in corridors can prevent an escape in the event of a fire. Even if there has been no fire or injury, there is still a risk that individuals could be harmed in the event of a fire and a prosecution of the Responsible Person may result.

Recommendations The key with fire safety compliance is to get the basics right. A thorough and competent fire risk assessment is crucial at the outset in order to identify the risks and what can be done to tackle them.

Building on the assessment, businesses need to invest time and money reducing fire risks. If an assessment identifies a hazard that can easily be

solved; then it should be solved. Businesses in other sectors are already investing significant resource looking towards safer ways of working; using water-based solvents, regular collection and disposal of rubbish on site and banning smoking on site are common examples.

The next step is to ensure that all those working for the business understand the importance of what the business is doing. Buy-in from employees is important as it will be the employees that put theory into practice.

An important consideration As well as thinking about your own responsibilities for fire safety, you should also think about the procedures implemented by your commercial clients. Clients should have conducted a similar fire safety review for their own premises. It is important that your employees are made aware of the fire safety procedures on the site they are visiting. When contracting for work, make sure that you ask a client for their own fire safety procedures and the specific site rules they employ.

Businesses should also consider the impact that their actions will have on a client's fire safety plan. For example, working on a corridor for a week may block a fire escape route and therefore require some additional thinking as to substitute escape routes and emergency procedures. In addition, proper communication regarding the fire risks and working processes with all those involved will assist in lowering the possibility of harm.

Conclusion You may see yourself as fairly risk-free when considering the prospect of a large fire. However, it is the technical breaches and offences that are catching businesses out. Whatever the risk of fire, you still need to show that it has been considered and dealt with as far as reasonably practicable. ยนhttp://www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/ LatestNewsReleases_PR2940.asp

page 29

Items for sale BUSINESS FOR SALE Small, long-established, reputable NCCA Registered, working carpet, upholstery and soft furnishings cleaning company. Essex based. Owner Operator retiring. To be sold as a complete package only. Mobile HWE and dry cleaning system. Domestic and commercial clients.

Genuine interested parties only please to call 07903 497298 and leave details.

CLEANING EQUIPMENT AND VAN 2 Dryfusion carpet cleaning machines, 2 Drizair 110 dehumidifiers, 2 turbo dryers, 1 Dri-eaz fogging machine, 2 Dryfusion stair tools with pads, 1 Advance Dryfoam rotary upholstery cleaner, plus 1 large sign-written white Fiat Ducato Turbo Diesel van (less than 5 years old mileage 41,000). Must be bought as one lot - will not be sold as individual items. Total cost: £10,000. Phone Mike on: 01443 492455 or mob: 07881 807436.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Prochem 250 ft vacuum hoses for truck mount - £150.00.

Chemspec hose reel for truck mount plastic - £200.

Prochem sadle tank for truckmount 227 litre/60 gallons £300.00. Chemspec pile lifter hoover - £800.00. contact aquadriinfo@btconnect.com for further information or contact andy on: 07970 544806.

TRUCKMOUNT AND VAN FOR SALE Baneclean Truck Mount and van for sale. Due to retirement I will consider offers in region of £3500. For further details of this bargain contact Derek at Aquamaster on 01845 537640, 07976 218304 or email at derek@aquamaster-yorkshire.co.uk EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO START CLEANING CARPETS, UPHOLSTERY AND CURTAINS. Top of the range Ashbys Ninja 400psi portable hot water extraction machine with built in hot solvent system. Full sleeved high pressure V2 hose sets, twin wand, Kleenrite upholstery tool- Viton stem, stair and crevice tools. Sebo vacuum BS36, Sebo duo pre-treatment agitator, Hurricane pro air mover and chemicals, plus many more items. Also a Citroen Dispatch LWB 2007 in excellent condition. Equipment - £2750, van - £4000, together £6250 (no vat). Contact: seanhanly1@hotmail.co.uk Telephone: 07411 769559.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE 1 kirby g4 vac c/w full set of tools unused since recent service £100 ono. 1 nuva electric protector spray trolley c/w lance and hand gun + coily hoses offers over £75. 1 3" CFR hand tool+1 extra 3" nozzle needs repair £50 ono.

1 twin jet s/steel wand needs brazing on jet mounts c/w teflon guide £40 ono. Buyer collects or arranges carriage on items. Contact Stephen on 07766 327327 (Essex area).

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Prochem Bravo (complete) portable carpet spot cleaning machine (hardly used). Prochem Galaxy compact carpet and upholstery cleaner, good condition with hose and wand. 3 speed air mover (nearly new). Prochem dry carpet system (never used) complete with 3 different sets of new brushes and renovation kit. Genuine reason for sale. All items are in very good working order. £2300 or very near offer. Call Keith on 07734 144409 (Kent).

VACANCY & BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Experienced full time Carpet and Floor Care Technician required. Own van and equipment would be an advantage but not essential. Good business incentive package (profit share or buy in). Area coverage M4 corridor from Bristol to London. Apply by email to glynn.norcutt@gnccontractservices.com with full CV, etc.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Cimex CR61 24". 3 nylon brushes. £650 + VAT. Call Liz at Aastra Clean on 01934 750977 (Somerset).

BUSINESS FOR SALE Small, well established carpet, hard floor and upholstery cleaning business based on the London and Kent borders. The package includes a 57 plate Vauxhall Vivaro LWB Van with 53k miles on the clock, Prochem Blazer GT Truck Mount machine with only 270hrs on the clock, established interactive website (which had SEO programme last year), chemicals, turbo drier, 250 feet of solution and suction hose and van mounted hose reels, together with a property maintenance company name, website and promotional materials. Contact telephone number 020 8309 6517. Sale price: £18,000 O.N.O. EQUIPMENT FOR SALE C.F.R. spotting machine - £175+ VAT. Contact Liz at Aastra Clean on 01934 750977 (Somerset).

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Ashby's Ninja extraction machine 135 psi, 2 hoses, 2 carpet cands, upholstery tool, 1.5 hp Hurricane Pro Air Mover. Victor 400 floor buffer. Plus a selection of carpet and upholstery cleaning equipment, including a Prochem spotter kit, tarpaulins, grooming brushes etc.

Ideal as a 'starter' kit. All items in excellent condition, for full list please see our website, http://www.regiscleaning.com/ Please call Regis Cleaning, on 0208 677 8031 or email:info@regiscleaning.com

The Association advises that all goods are checked to be in a satisfactory condition, and comply to electrical and health and safety standards, etc. It is MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT recommended that equipment serial numbers 3 Ozone plates 4'' x 6'' to fit Jetazone 600 ozone should be checked to ensure the seller is the generator - £15.00 for the 3, plus £5.00 p & p. Chemspec legitimate owner. The Association accepts no stainless steel 4 jet floor wand in good condition responsibility or liability arising from any £300.00 plus delivery charge if applicable. Please phone transaction or dispute between the buyer and seller.

Pete Collins on 07885804560.

NCCA Shop The NCCA has a number of items to order by members. Below are some of the more popular items purchased. For a full list of merchandise please visit the website on: www.ncca.co.uk.

Orders may be placed online, or you can contact the NCCA office on: 0116 271 9550. + PAS86 Code of Practice £40.00 each + Carpet Care Survey Forms (Pad of 100) £20.50 each or £52.50 for 3 + NCCA Lapel Pin Badge £3.00 each + Large NCCA Van Sticker (21x7 inches approx) Pack of 2 for £17.63

NCCA Corporate Members + Allied Insurance Services Ltd: 0844 8156211 (I) + Alltec Network: 01763 208222 (C/M/F/T) + Amtech UK: 0845 130 4755 (C/M) + Ashby's Cleaning Equipment: 01322 227806 (C/M/E) + Asset Finance Solutions UK Ltd: 01254 584404 (FI) + Bio Productions Ltd (inc. Stapro): 01444 244000 (C) + Camberford Law (insurance brokers): 0208 315 5000 (I) + Chemdry UK: 01482 872770 (C/M/Fr) + Chemspec Europe Ltd: 01274 597333 (C/M/T/D/F) + Cleanerswarehouse Ltd: 01772 434333 (T/C/R/M) + Cleaning Support Ltd: 0844 8482371 (C/M/W)

+ Small NCCA Van/Machine Sticker (12x3 inches approx) £2.50 each

+ Cleaning Systems UK: 01334 656787 (C/M/T/F)

+ Promotional Leaflet 10p each (under 500), 8.5p each (500 and over)

+ Cleantec Innovation Ltd: 0870 733 7733 (T/C/W/M)

+ NCCA Tie £12.93 each

+ Dri-Eaz: 01908 611211 (C/M/T)

All prices include VAT and Postage and packaging.

A receipt invoice will be sent by the office. Please allow 21 days for delivery. Goods will not be sent until payment is received.

+ Cleansmart Ltd: 0115 8240034 (T/C/R/M/K) + Columbus Cleaning Machines Ltd: 01772 426527 (M) + Dry Fusion UK Ltd: 01772 433711 (C/M/T/W/Fr) + Forum of Private Business: 01565 634467 + Gleaming Insurance (insurance brokers): 0845 4740068 (I) + Hi-Tec Cleaning Group: 02866 341416 (C/E/F/M/T) + Host Von Schrader Ltd: 0151 347 1900 (M/C) + Hydro Dynamix: 01622 664993 (Fr)T)

NCCA Member Benefits

+ Mailboxes Etc: 01628 633336

+ Amicus Legal Ltd (free legal helpline): 01206 366500

+ McGregor Lloyd (insurance brokers): 0121 706 0616 (I)

+ SiteWizard (website creation) 08450 608860 + EMJ Management Ltd (workwear clothing and accessories): 02392 434650 + Brian James (Marketing Consultant): 08450 608860 + Thompson Local (Ask for Corporate Advertsing Department) 01252 390385 + Yellow Pages (Ask for Corporate Advertising Department) 0808 100 7890 + Adalante Merchant Services 01628 820500 + Payatrader www.payatrader.com + Control Account PLC 01527 882901

+ Nu Life Stone Care Ltd: 0161 480 7284 (M/C) + Oates Laboratories (Europe): 01772 433711 (C) + Prochem Europe Ltd: 0208 974 1515 (C/F/M/T) + Rainbow International: 01623 422488 (M/C/Fr) + Restoration Express: 01252 726106 (M/C/T/A) + ServiceMaster Ltd: 0116 275 9000 (M/C/Fr) + Sebo UK Ltd: 01494 465533 (M) + Stainshield Ltd: 01372 841467 (C) + Textile Cleaning Solutions: 01934 521155 (M/C) + The Big Clean: 0208 3934778 (M,C,W,K) + Truvox International Ltd: 02380 702200 (M) + Woodbridge Comercial Ltd: 01279 422220 (C/M) C - Chemicals / M - Machinery / W - Wholesalers / Fr Franchises / I - Insurance / K - Marketing / T - Technical Services / F - Fire Retardents / A - Auxiliary Services (Restoration Cleaners) / E - Supply/Repair of Curtains and Blinds / Fi - Finance

page 31

Carpet Cleaners Carnival 15th September 2012

Join us at the

Carpet Cleaners Carnival Wicksteed Park 15th September To register your interest in advance and be eligible for all the available discounts please call the NCCA office: 0116 271 9550