Author Archives: Terry Sanson

The Top 3 Things To Look For In A Janitorial Company

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It can be a challenging task now more than ever to find a reliable commercial cleaning company. Sure, you can go on your Google machine and search for “commercial cleaning near me” or “janitorial services near me”, but what exactly are you getting yourself into when you do that? Whether it be Yelp, Bark, Home Advisor, etc., some (not all) are simply marketing companies that pose as a commercial cleaner, and what exactly do they do? Some examples are Vanguard, Executive Cleaning Services and Jensen Brothers that simply gather your information and subcontract the work. All you want to do is find a REAL cleaning service without all the additional hassle, and unfortunately can be more tough than need be.


However, once you do find a REAL commercial cleaning company, your work is only halfway done since there is a slew of companies in the cleaning market. Are you starting to weigh the idea about outsourcing your cleaning? Click here for more information. Are you currently outsourcing your cleaning and think it may be time for a change? Click here to find out more. So, the million-dollar question, how can you find a commercial cleaning company that can give you the best and most consistent results? Read on for the top 3 things to look for during your search.


Problem Solving – I’m sure at one point in time or another you have heard the common phrases such as “We have been in business for over 30 years”, “customer service is our #1 priority”, “we use the latest technology”, or “our core values are x,y,z”. Who cares? The one thing you are looking for is for your problems to be solved so you have one less thing to worry about on your busy plate. It is super important for a commercial cleaning company or anyone for that matter to understand your problems and provide swift solutions to them! This involves reducing the number of distractions caused by janitorial issues, and having the peace of mind knowing that your facility will be properly staffed each and every day while bringing solutions to you without even having to ask.


Local Presence – In other words, it can be challenging at times to find a service that can provide consistency. To put it simply, janitorial work is not overly complicated to the point where it requires years of experience or all of this extensive training to go along with it. Sweeping, mopping, dusting, emptying trash, cleaning the restrooms, kitchens, etc. doesn’t sound super overwhelming right? What it all boils down to, is the adequate oversight. This mainly stems from the management level (i.e., field managers) that are relatively close to your facility. This is very important when you bring in a cleaning service since it A.) reduces risk and B.) it builds TRUST! A good cleaning company will always be looking to improve their work, encouraging their teams while coaching them!


Industry Leadership – As mentioned at the beginning of this post, there is a slew of commercial cleaning companies in this market that can easily blend into the crowd. Look for a company that goes above and beyond. For example, they are heavily involved in the local community, they genuinely care about the industry and providing the necessary services for your own well-being first, they are involved in the industry through association memberships along with learning and spreading helpful information.


Let’s face it, the internet today is FILLED with anything you can possibly think of. This ultimately can be and is a very good tool with seemingly anything you desire right at your fingertips. However, with a tool such as this providing such ease in our lives it can also be layered with fraudsters and an extra layer of caution with office/facilities managers alike. By learning these few items listed above, this will be able to help lead a decision maker in the right direction to eventually make the correct decision for their company.

Don’t Let Dirty Windows Obstruct Your View!

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All facilities, offices, buildings have one thing in common: windows. There comes a great deal of importance to clean windows with your business, but when exactly is it time to have them cleaned? What are the advantages of having clean windows? Clean windows are a win-win situation for all offices and facilities alike and is crucial for maintaining not only the cleanliness of your facility, but simply creates a healthier and happier environment.
In this post, we will discuss the importance of window cleaning with numerous advantages of having clean windows along with how often you should invest in getting your windows cleaned!


Extends the Life of Windows

– Windows, especially external can take on a lot of contaminants (think bird poop, pollen, etc.) and regularly cleaning your windows can help maintain removing these. – I am sure we all can attest to this one, but dirt, debris, dust LOVE to stick/cling to windows. Over time this can cause permanent damage and ultimately will require a full window replacement sooner rather than later.


Clear Visibility

– Clean windows with visibility are just more attractive to put it simply. Whether you manage an office, retail store, of any other type of commercial facility, your results to attract happy customers wanting to spend money or even employees working with a more positive mindset. – With glass clear of any and all fingerprints it helps engage potential customers and passer biers as they feel more invited into your business.


Eliminates Pests

– Are you constantly seeing webs in the corners of windows? Yeah, it can be a real downer! It can be pretty horrifying realizing that they come from spiders or even a worse cause. – Regular window cleaning will eliminate pests by getting into every nook and cranny, ultimately forcing them to move on.


Reduces Infection Risk

– As mentioned in our last post, germs are spread through high touch surfaces, and glass doors, windows or any glass surfaces are not exempt from this. Regularly cleaning these surfaces will ultimately help prevent the spread of viruses, colds or other illnesses. – Clean windows are beneficial in a way where it helps prevent the development of mold and mildew. Stale windows allow for the growth of bacteria, which leads the way to rust and other discoloration.


How Often Should My Windows Be Cleaned?

With all of this being said, you may be asking yourself how often do my windows need to be cleaned? Well, there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when discussing windows. Factors such as, exterior quality of the windows with other materials that can be affected by the climate of your specific area.


The ideal window cleaning schedule can vary depending on your office, building size and location, internal and external conditions. The best approach to this would be to develop some sort of regular detailed cleaning schedule. This comprehensive plan will help you determine how often your windows need to be cleaned and how this can save you MONEY and TIME.
If you can keep a regular schedule, you will have a set of windows free of all dust, dirt, etc. and windows you can be proud of!

Allow BCS Facilities Group to work with you to come up with the perfect window cleaning schedule!

Top 5 Things Most Businesses Forget to Clean

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We get it, when running a business, office or facility, there is plenty to manage and keep you busy on a day-to-day basis. Unfortunately, keeping a clean business is often overlooked and is not as high of a priority as other factors. Because of this, there are plenty of spaces that are often neglected, and we compiled a list of the top 5 most commonly missed spots while cleaning your facility.


Air Vents
Inside of your facility, or anywhere in general, heating and air conditioning is a key and central component. But when was the last time you got your high vents cleaned or even looked at for that matter? These are easy to ignore, and over time dust along with other particles will start to form in the air ducts. This can ultimately end up circulating throughout the air.


Why is it Important?
Dust in vents can trigger people’s allergies. Period. You are also running the risk of any mold existing to be circulated throughout which will end up getting employees sick. This ultimately decreases productivity.


Light Fixtures
Similar to air vents, they can be difficult to reach, thus easily neglected. Over time, there will be a lot of dust that gets collected on these surfaces.


Why is it Important?
To put it simply, the light won’t shine as bright if the fixtures are caked in dust. As stated above, any type of wind gusts within the office will blow the dust collected and end up circulating throughout the air in the entire facility.


Knobs and Light Switches
In case you are not aware as of yet, these surfaces specifically are a complete hotbed of germs and bacteria! Why? Door knobs and light switches are one of the most heavily used and touched surfaces throughout a typical day. Unless the dirt is physically visible, these surfaces are often times very much neglected when cleaning.


Why is it Important?
Surface contact is one of the most common ways of the spread of disease. If you consider how fast a cold can spread, one person can touch a door knob or light switch and before you know it a good portion of your employees will be taking their sick time.


Trash Cans
We all take out the trash on a daily basis, or as needed (hopefully). However, have you ever taken a peek underneath the bag to find all sorts of fluid, debris build up? If you have, did you ever clean out the can or just put a replacement bag over the top of it? Believe it or not, most people do the latter, and this leaves the trash cans some of the dirtiest items in the office.


Why is it Important?
Unlike previously stated examples above, this most likely will not make your office or work setting sick. What ends up circulating this time is horrible smelling odors circulating from the trash can itself. Not only that but it can generate different types of bugs or even little critters! Not to mention it just would not look pleasant and just straight up disgusting.


Stairs
One of the surfaces that are, or should be cleaned daily or weekly are the floors. How often are stairs included in this? To put it lightly, not too often and almost never. Especially if you have carpeting, in high traffic areas such as stairs you will begin to notice spots or even carpet discoloring as it gets worn down and dirty. The crevices on the stairs can be hard to reach as well which is a great place for dust and other things to build up.


Why is it Important?
With this being a high traffic area, it is seen fairly often and can create a bad image for your company. Especially if your customers end up using it! Even if they don’t, it’s the little things that boost employee morale and makes you and everyone else just feeling positive when working in the office.


There is a way to ensure that your offices or facilities stay clean and in the best shape possible! By hiring a professional commercial cleaning company, you will never have to worry about neglecting these areas ever again.

What Are the Reasons For A Site Visit

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One of the most important steps in the sales process for any commercial cleaning company in general is a site visit and/or a tour of your facility. Yeah, it is possible to receive a pricing proposal from your potential vendor within reason without even laying eyes on your facility, but how accurate will the results be? Below, we will discuss a little deeper about the purpose of a site visit along with some best practices to prepare for the visit.


Purpose of the Visit


– 90% of the costs affiliated with a commercial cleaning program stem from direct labor and labor related costs.

-Obtaining the most accurate number of labor hours needed to properly meet your expectations is single handedly THE most important factor when estimating the cost to clean your facility. -Seeing your facility first hand helps us create the most personalized experience possible!


What Items are Cleaning Vendors Seeking to Discover?


– Space density: This is essentially looking for the “tightness” of the area needing cleaning. A perfect example would be a call center office type. An office with cubicles everywhere tends to be very dense. Denser spaces tend to take more time to clean due to reduced efficiencies.

-Working Conditions: While not necessarily having a direct impact on the number of hours needed to clean, it could play a part in the wages needed to attract cleaners to work in certain conditions. This typically is the case with certain places like manufacturing facilities where working conditions may require extra personal protection equipment.

-Flooring Types: One of the main parts of any commercial cleaning program is, you guessed it, cleaning your floors! Cleaning companies need to see what types of flooring (i.e., carpet, tile, wood, etc.) are in your space along with measurements of each type. Hard surface flooring generally takes longer to clean with sweeping and mopping as opposed to carpeting which typically requires only vacuuming.

-Current State of Cleanliness: Potential cleaning vendors tend to look for a couple of items here. Firstly, they will look to see if the space/building has been cared for well. If not, it will require more labor time to bring the space back to a manageable level. Secondly, as stated above, cleaning companies want to assess your expectations. If there is a very high level of cleanliness expectations, then this will come into play when developing an estimate for work hours needed.

-Location and Size: This one is pretty simple, how big and how spread out are the spaces. Things a cleaning company must consider is how much time a cleaner will spend traveling from one space to the next or one building to the next and so on.


How You Can Help Making the Site Visit Productive and Efficient.


-Directions/Instructions: It can be helpful to provide some things to the potential vendor prior to the visit such as where to park or enter the building, who to ask for upon arrival, and any visitor safety requirements.

-When to Clean: It is good practice to help prospective cleaning vendors when you desire to have your space cleaned, even though your may have an RFP (request for proposal) that covers this. This would cover if you wish to have your space cleaned after hours, weekends, requiring a day porter during the specific days, etc.

-What to Clean: Circling back, you may have already provided this summary of work to potential cleaning vendors. This is very important to help understand what you wish to have serviced and how frequently. A good example of this would be, some places wish to have their bathrooms cleaned every day or every service, while let’s say dusting would only be required on a weekly basis.

-Specific Information: This would entail any unique and specific information pertaining to YOUR location and YOUR needs. Certain types of buildings require specific needs that others do not require. Or even just something that is a nuance to you that you wish was fixed and never has been.

FAQs With BCS

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Purchasing a janitorial service can come with a high degree of risk. Here at BCS Facilities Group, we strive to help build YOUR trust while reducing as much risk as possible. Below is a compiled list of the most frequently asked questions received during the purchasing process. If you are unable to find an answer to your questions, please do not hesitate to contact us here.


Service

How much notice do you need to get started?

Typically, we require at least 3 weeks to launch our services in order to properly staff your facility so we can accommodate your needs as efficiently as possible.
What types of services do you provide?

While we specialize in daily/weekly janitorial services, we are well versed in carpet cleaning, tile maintenance, window washing, as well as disinfection services.
Do you supply all of the equipment?

This will vary on a case-by-case basis. We leave this up to you and what is preferred by you. We are fully capable of providing all equipment and cleaning products for the cleaning of your facility.

Personnel

Who will I contact if there is a problem?

Your account holder. BCS prides itself that you will NEVER have to worry about who to contact as your point of contact will never change from day 1.
What happens if we don’t like one of your employees?

If there is an issue with one of our employees cleaning your facility, we will make certain to make the necessary changes where need be in staffing your facility. We at BCS pride ourselves on providing the best customer service in the industry.
How many people will you have in my facility?

The answer to this varies by each facility after the initial and final walkthroughs are completed. Once we have a good outlay of your facility and have a clear understanding of the desired services, we will inform you of how we will staff your facility and an estimate of how long the process will take.


Company

How long have you been in business?

BCS Facilities Group was founded in 1987 and since then has been perfecting the science of facilities maintenance.


Are you local/regional?

Yes. We are a local family owned and operated commercial cleaning company based out of Newtown, Pennsylvania servicing Eastern PA, New Jersey and Delaware. BCS is in what we like to call the “Goldilocks zone” of janitorial cleaning companies
How is your company different from all of the others?

Probably one of the most important questions ever asked. We are not just a janitorial service. It goes deeper than that here at BCS. Our main priority is building your trust, reduce risk, give you peace of mind. We take care of your business so you don’t have to! We view ourselves as an extension of your staff and a partner that will provide you a place that you can be proud of.

Tell-Tale Signs That It Might Be Time To Change Your Cleaning Company

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When it comes to finding the right cleaning service for your office space, you want to make sure you get the best quality of cleaning you deserve! Too many times do we all fall under the trap of a good first impression, however when the work begins the service seemingly falls off to the point of wondering if they even show up. And to top it all off you are more than likely stuck and locked in with some sort of contractual agreement with what seems like is forever and a day. This is seen to happen far too often when a cleaning company starts cutting corners because they either underestimated time to complete the scope of work and/or they estimated wages due to “low-balling” the price initially leading to additional difficulty in finding higher quality staff.
Here are just a few tell-tale signs that your cleaning company no longer is making you a priority and that it may be time to make a change:
Slow Reactions to Calls, Service Issues or Complaints There will be times where things are missed or an issue occurs. It happens. We are all human beings and human error is bound to happen. However, when issues or complaints do happen your service contractor should be prompt in their response time. If the issues are happening more frequently or you just straight up are not receiving timely correspondence, this could be a tell-tale sign that your cleaning company may be stretched too thin. Not to mention it could be a red flag that there may be deeper problems within the respective company itself. Ask yourself when was the last time you received proactive communication from your cleaning service?
Staff Is Starting To Complain More Than Usual The whole purpose of outsourcing your cleaning is to (let’s face it) make your job AND life a whole lot easier. The goal here is to not be bothered by mundane cleaning issues. If you are starting to get bombarded with comments from employees in regards to the toilet paper running out, no paper towels, if your office ACTUALLY GETS DUSTED, etc. then it may be a warning sign that your cleaning company is no longer dedicated to you.
Unrecognizable Faces Cleaning Your Space Each office, warehouse, facility is not ever one in the same and with this come specific nuances that must be handled appropriately. This is something that will be figured out by a dedicated contractor and its staff that is assigned to the task at hand. As with anything else, there will be some turnover expected since the cleaning services industry specifically has a high turnover rate of nearly 200%. If this is happening fairly often, this could point to a possible HR issue within the company with the inability to keep its employees. Not to mention it will cost YOU in the quality of service provided and could lead to a potential security issue.
Your Primary Contact Changes Often This is probably going to be the greatest tell-tale sign of all that there are some lingering issues with your current cleaning service provider. You have absolutely no idea who is in charge or who to call if you need to get in contact with the company. As just previously noted, turnover is higher in this industry, but in the manager-level positions this is a sign that there may be trouble ahead. This is an indicator of a troubled and unhealthy culture lying within the company.
If some or all of these problems persist, then it may be time to start preparing for a change. Develop a game plan and set a list of expectations not only for the next service contractor to walk through your doors but for yourself and your business’s safety in mind.


BCS Facilities Group can help you with cleaning of your commercial or industrial facility. We strive to build and grow a world class service organization.

Top 5 Cleaning Myths You NEED to Stop Believing

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It seems that today more than ever we are bombarded with different so called “hacks” that help create some form of short cut for even the simplest of things. Cleaning being one of the most popular out there! Whether you are clicking on a random article on the front page of Yahoo, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter you name it it’s on there. Now, most of these are meant to be for a “that’s pretty cool I might give that a try!” type of response and I’m sure we’ve all tried at least one of these so-called hacks at one point in time.
Read on as today I will be putting on my fancy “myth buster” hat to debunk some of these outrageous myths on cleaning that could be doing you more of a disservice than actually helping. Because who wants to live by taking short cuts in life am I right?

Vinegar is an Effective and Appropriate Cleaner for All Surfaces This one is a popular one that I have been seeing float around the internet and this is a huge NO! While vinegar may be able to help with certain tasks like removing grime on certain surfaces, it is not appropriate for everything. It can cause damage or corrosion to metal, glass or even certain ceramic and stone surfaces due to the acidic acid in the vinegar. It can strip the wax on the wax floors and even unseal tile grout over time. Pete He, PhD, the chief scientist and co-founder of Dirty Labs also notes that the EPA does not recognize vinegar as an antimicrobial agent for sanitization or disinfecting.
Using Newspaper to Clean Windows and Mirrors Another NO! This myth used to have some validity to it as newspapers used to be made with thicker paper than what they’re made with today. The thinner newspapers today will quickly deteriorate when they are wet and leave spots on your glass mirrors or windows. As if we all want to see last week’s headlines on the window when we want to take that much needed break from work and stare out the window wishing we were outside instead of inside.
Baking Soda to Remove Odors From Carpets Don’t hold your breathe on this one if you think baking soda can help you out with this. Yes, it seems like it comes in handy a lot for us all and has many uses but not for this. And yes, even myself included have done this before so guilty as charged but it’s a lazy way out. While it can absorb unwanted odors, it does not attack the main source of the odor and only masks the smell for a brief period. Just get your carpets cleaned once a year people!
Bleach Cleans Everything I know this one may anger a lot of people but the truth must come out and you can always count on me to have all of your backs! Yes, on its own it can be good for spot stain removal but still needs some sort of surfactant to lift the actual dirt out. And check this out, according to Caroline from Winc, bleach “degrades the layers of a surface, making them more susceptible to bleach resistant superbugs which breed when bleach is overused or used as a sole cleaning agent”. I am just going to leave that one there for all of you. Just use disinfectants that are less harmful.
Using Coca-Cola to Clean Your Toilets As with just about every single myth listed above including this one it may seem like an interesting cost-effective idea, it may not be the smartest. The sugar contained in the soda is actually very harmful as it attracts more bacteria. You vinegar folks this may be your moment as a good alternative to this with your toilet bowl is actually vinegar!
Any of you out there have any other fun cleaning myths that have been debunked? Or just myths in general? Please provide in the comments below and let us know!

Top 3 Benefits of Hiring a Professional Cleaning Company

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Let’s face it, we all have busy schedules. It’s just part of life. But, what the most annoying part about it all is when we’re busy and are preoccupied with other “bigger and better things” we tend to push certain tasks into the back of our minds or simply just brush it off for a later date. Now, will these tasks be completed? Who knows, right? One big task that gets pushed aside more often than most might admit is cleaning. There are the simple solutions such as hiring one or two internal employees to do it to keep it maintained, or you just brush it off completely piling up your to-do list saying “I’ll get to it eventually”. If you’re uncertain about hiring a professional commercial cleaning service, keep on reading and we will go over some of the key and crucial benefits of hiring a commercial cleaning service.
There is Higher Quality and Standards A professional cleaning company will make your space as clean as possible since they likely have a higher standard of “clean” as you do. The cleaners are professionally trained and certified to offer the best quality of service. Professionals know exactly where to look and no more constantly look at dust on baseboards! Life is hectic and we get that! Nobody has the time to set aside for a deep clean of your work space. So why not get that peace of mind that your work space has been thoroughly cleaned by people who, you know, clean for a living. There is no such thing as “out of sight, out of mind”.
Not to mention, most of the supplies used will be better. No offense. Cleaners use cleansers and equipment that are not always widely available to the general public. It is just a better way all around to improve the image of your business by leaving it tidy, clean and polished. This will lead to motivated employees, which we touched base on in a previous blog post. And the sky’s the limit when you have a happy work environment!

It Gives You Less Stress As stated up top, our lives are all hectic. Our to-do lists are probably all at least a mile long at this point so why not make life just a little bit easier on yourself? I am sure that cleaning tends to fall to the bottom of that list because NOBODY loves to clean. What if you had an unexpected business client or impromptu meeting at your office or work setting? You would hope for the best appearance possible and to avoid that unnecessary embarrassment of cob webs stringing across the walls and ceiling! Gross! And definitely a turn off to anybody.
This will all allow you to focus on your other objectives that need to be completed with more undivided attention. Not to mention it gives you the peace of mind and makes you just feel more comfortable and secure.
It’s Cost Effective The cost of spending nowadays can add up quick! Supplies, and equipment of all sorts can get very expensive. Not to mention the labor costs you would have to pay an employee to do the job itself. Why not get rid of at least one of these costs? With a professional commercial company, you only pay for the service! Hiring an external cleaning company will be a long-term cost-effective solution.
Gone are the worries of vetting employees, and worrying about salaries or benefits. Now, you’ve eliminated time, money and stress off of your plate!

Convinced yet? What’s stopping you from enjoying these benefits and then some? So, the next time you want to inquire about booking a professional commercial cleaning service or simply just looking, make sure to look for these benefits so you are doing what’s best for you and your business. Please feel free to check out our services page and schedule an appointment today for your business’s needs!

The Lowdown on Customer Service

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The 2020 Guide To 30 Customer Service Tools to Delight and Retain Customers

Ap·pre·hen·sive – anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen. Have you ever had this feeling before? Whether it be in any life scenario or in the sales profession being lambasted by a customer or potential customer? Regardless, it is not a pleasant experience to say the least and YOU can turn that around! It doesn’t really even matter what you do in your profession if you’re in sales, HR, marketing, management etc. YOUR self-brand matters for not only yourself but for your business. It is all about self-branding! Even if that is the only thing you take away from this and will determine whether you have more positive experiences as opposed to a hostile one. Below are the top 5 tips and best practices with customer service.


1. First impressions. This does matter and will be the most important as this is the quiet literally the first time a potential customer will interact with you or even with an already existing customer to keep them happy. You only have one first impression so always make eye contact, introduce yourself, and smile – even via a phone call because a smile can be heard over the phone. Whether you can see it or not a customer can tell if you are being sincere or not.


2. Commit to Quality Service. This may sound simple enough with all of you driven small business owners trying to start up your business. Myself included back being a young and eager and full of drive to push your business to the moon it can be difficult to lose sight on what you pride yourself on. The key is to NEVER over promise and under deliver. This will never get you on a good side with a customer and will more often than not lead to apprehension waiting for a phone call from an angry customer. If anything, you want to under promise and over deliver as a way to make a positive and noticeable impact.


3. Make it Personal. We’re all consumers and we’ve all been on that side of the table when purchasing a product or service. There comes a certain sense of trust, and comfort dealing with a representative when they attempt to see your situation from your shoes. Don’t be afraid to ask questions because at the end of the day it shows that you are trying to help assist the customer to specifically meet their needs. It’s a good way to not sound pushy or aggressive. After all, you’re just having a conversation and nothing more!


4. Know Your Products/Services. Now, this may sound silly but you never know what kind of question and/or complaint that is about to be presented to you. If you ask me, this is probably one of the best ways to build credibility for yourself and your company. Knowledge is power! And this is the truth. You don’t want to buy a brand new shiny tv from someone who has no idea what information they are spewing over to you and you buy it anyway because they’re the expert right?


5. Lasting Impressions Matter Too! After a sale or transaction has been completed, you don’t just want to celebrate and completely forget about everything else. Making the customer feel rushed and forgotten immediately after is NOT a good way to maintain a consistent customer base long term. You got the business but really what’s stopping them from canceling the service or returning the product? All that hard work now gone. Follow ups and check ins matter from my experience and keeps the customer engaged, which will more than likely lead to a positive experience and long-term happiness.


There are many other aspects and best practices to positive customer service. What are your experiences or tips to deliver and maintain superior customer service? Please provide your opinions in the comments section below!