ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

ECJ Dutch reporter Jacco Vonhof, chairman of VSR, examines the increasing focus on total user experience when it measuring cleaning quality.

Besides the technical quality of cleaning there is now increasing focus on the quality ‘experience’. Indeed, if you ask people using a building how they experience the quality of cleaning they will not only judge how clean it is. They will also mention how friendly the cleaning staff are, the use of professional materials and whether it smells nice in the toilets.

Having said that, experience is very subjective. This makes it intangible and that can be challenging. Certainly for us as Vereniging Schoonmaak Research (Cleaning Research Association), where cleaning is approached from the scientific angle: for us, measuring technical quality is the holy grail.

Therefore when we invited quality experience expert Iris Bakker, D.Eng. to come and speak during our annual event recently, we stepped out of our comfort zone.

“Experience is currently a poor consolation,” argued Bakker. In saying this she refers to trends like a striking purple bench in the reception area. Or complex posters in the toilets. This doesn’t make people happy.

Bakker argues we need to get back in touch with ourselves. “Sucking a straw, staring out of the window at work. Such things make people more creative and are how ideas are generated. People become happy when doing things they like and experiencing a purpose. When talking to people, we ask: are you happy? However ask an organisation and we say: is it successful? But an organisation is nothing more than a group of people.”

So, is experience overrated? Is it really just about good cleaning? It’s not that either but, in Bakker’s opinion, experience cannot be influenced by one small detail in the organisation. It’s about the full picture.

“We experience the environment with every one of our 12 senses.” By this she is referring to the 12 senses from the famous philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). Touch is one of these, and from that we know people like to feel cocooned, for example with a wall behind them. “This is essential for a sense of psychological safety and therefore for intellectual power,” explains Bakker.

Colour also plays a role. Lots of black and grey can create an unpleasant environment. While plants and colour make things feel comfortable. This can make a room ‘feel’ good. Or not. Bakker says: “There is a connection between the body, soul and mind and this is how we experience an environment.”

According to Bakker these types of aspects can also be applied in a cleaning contract. The question that remained after the event was: how do you manage on an experience basis rather than on quality?

And this brings us to a point that I often argue: add value as your client’s cleaning partner. We are not just there to clean the toilet, it is thanks to us that people work in a healthy building. And the same applies to experience: we can play a role in the employees’ or guests’ experience. For example, by leaving a written card (“I hope you enjoy your stay”) in a hotel room, or extending a heartfelt greeting. If you are struggling to do this in practice, find out more. That’s what trade associations are for.