— By Patrick Scheb —
Keeping customers safe and happy: It all starts with a clean restroom.
Does anyone know a restaurant that is following social distancing?” “Are there retailers that are taking safety precautions seriously?” “Which businesses are offering outdoor experiences?”
Social media conversations like the ones on Facebook above are a telling sign of how customer actions and decision-making are drastically different in 2020.
We know that customers’ motivations and challenges changed in the past 5 months and retailers and business owners need to tackle these challenges head-on to bring customers back. Customers are not deciding where to eat or shop simply based on preferences or location, and their regular go-to options are not a given.
In 2020, a strategy to entice customers to physically show up to your establishment isn’t as simple as promoting attractive deals, posting about the latest products, or hosting social events. Instead, customers are making their decisions based on cleanliness, safety procedures and how seriously the establishment enforces mandated COVID-19 rules and regulations.
For retailers and business owners, bringing customers back to your venue relies heavily on designing a clean, healthy and safe end-to-end experience that gives customers confidence and makes them feel safe. Also, you have to let them know all about it before they even consider walking through your doors again.
Today’s environment is pushing customers toward adopting a “show me” attitude. Not only do they want to hear businesses talking about the precautions they are taking, but they also want to see these changes in action.
The Bathroom Problem
An important place in every building to show customers, clients and employees the steps you are taking to ensure their health and safety is in the bathroom.
Whether it’s outdated methods such as mops and buckets or employees who loathe cleaning them, bathrooms have been a cleaning and health issue for businesses for years. The amount of lost business they have caused over the years is so great that it cannot be measured.
Now that COVID-19 has been added to the list of bathroom concerns, the time has come to look at how we clean our public restrooms.
Customers who may not have paid close attention to restroom conditions before now will be. Of course, those who were paying attention will become more selective with their dining and shopping choices.
The time for “show me” is now…
The Solution
Now more than ever, businesses are searching for new and innovative ways to clean their facilities and provide customers sanitary and healthy conditions. UV light sanitizers, electrostatic sprayers and a host of other innovative cleaning methods are being used to rethink facilities cleaning.
The same goes for restrooms. New technology, such as no-touch cleaning systems, are allowing businesses to take their restroom cleaning to a new level while freeing up their cleaning staff to spend time elsewhere. These spray-and-vac systems have shown to be considerably more efficient at cleaning restrooms and much faster in doing so. They also deliver some peace of mind to the “show me” crowd.
A new trend in the industry is businesses choosing to outsource their restroom deep cleaning. Mobile companies are bringing these services to small businesses and others who are looking to have access to them without having to purchase or manage their own systems.
It’s All About Peace of Mind
In the end, this is about creating and maintaining a clean environment and creating trust. With everyone on edge and mentally exhausted from constant decision-making, the goal of any restaurant or retailer should be to offer comfort and peace of mind.
— Patrick Scheb is the owner of The Bathroom Cleaners, a mobile Kaivac service company serving the Mid-Atlantic region. For more information, visit www.thebathroomcleaners.com.