Quality … The Ultimate Differentiator

Now arriving in mailboxes across North America is February’s issue of Textile Services magazine, including this month’s cover story dubbed “Ensuring Quality: Operators Talk Tactics, Strategies.” Read on to gain insights on this critical element of success for any linen, uniform and facility services company.

The various sources we quote in this article cite a range of issues related to their focus on quality. For Chris Welch, president of Prudential Overall Supply, Irvine, CA, the company’s embrace of ISO standards is a key element in its quality strategy. “Achieving ISO certification at every location has been a significant step in driving a quality mindset within the business,” Welch says. “Being able to drill down with specific product-quality standards, process work instructions and auditing procedures is helping us improve the delivered quality of the products our customers receive. It also blends nicely with our kaizen (i.e., continuous improvement) efforts and methodology.”

However you pursue quality, having it as a top-of-mind value for every employee from day one is a critical differentiator, says Paul Jewison, who plays a dual role as general manager of Textile Care Services, Rochester, MN, and as vice president for Healthcare Linen Services Group, based in St. Charles, IL. “People see our quality,” says Jewison, who recently oversaw a $10 million wash-aisle upgrade at the 96,000-square-foot (8,918-square-meter) Rochester plant. “They know it. We have that reputation for the best quality. There’s no doubt we sign and re-sign contracts that competitively, maybe we didn’t come in with the lowest bid.”

Having a series of steps in place to ensure quality is the approach that Tammie Hood, VP of operations for United Hospitality Services, Austell, GA, pursues to keep its Atlanta-area hotel clients coming back for more. These quality measures include:

• Inspection and Receiving Audit: Textiles are inspected for damage, stains or wear before processing.
• Sorting and Classification: Items are sorted by type, fabric, color and soil level to ensure appropriate cleaning.
• Standardized Washing Processes: The use of precise formulas for detergent, water temperature and cycle duration specific to textile types.
• Advanced Machinery: Automated systems monitor and control washing, drying and pressing for consistency.
• Post-Processing Inspection: Items are checked for cleanliness, damage or missing components prior to packaging and delivery.
• Packaging and Labeling: Ensuring that items are correctly packaged and labeled to avoid mix-ups or shortages.

For Tim Topornicki, president of Topper Linen, Toronto, quality measures in the plant are also critical, but he describes a special emphasis his company places on customer service representatives (CSRs) as the front-line interface with customers. “The most important thing about quality is from the CSR dealing with the customer,” he said. If for any reason, the customer isn’t satisfied, the company has to take steps to address the issue promptly and effectively, Topornicki noted. For Topper Linen, if an item such as a napkin is stained or damaged, a new one is sent. “We train and stick to an offer of an immediate replacement,” Topornicki said. “Not a credit, but a replacement.” In such cases, a memo is written to document the customer’s concern, and a manager from the company’s administrative department will follow up to make sure the issue was resolved.

Ensuring a clear channel of communication on quality/customer-satisfaction issues is especially important in a diverse market like Toronto, where a large segment of the workforce are not native speakers of English. Due to the war between Ukraine and Russia, Topper has tapped into a number of Ukrainian refugees who’ve fled the conflict there. Topornicki himself is ethnic Ukrainian; his grandparents emigrated to Canada in the early 20th century. Topornicki speaks a passable Ukrainian, but he relies on a dual-language manager who emigrated from Ukraine to speak to CSRs in order to minimize any risk of miscommunication with these employees. “We have a woman in our admin office,” he said. “She is from Ukraine but studied English in Ukraine. So now we’ve made it simple for our CSRs and anybody just to write down what they think the concern is. And then take a picture of it, or they can call her if they wish.” This gives CSRs a clear channel to explain the customer’s concern and get guidance from management on how to fix it, he says. That way, a CSR can’t use a lack of communications skills as an excuse to “just shrug their shoulders and walk away.”

Click here to read a PDF version of the full article.