The Maids Home Services

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FALL 2004 NEWSLETTER

Let me take this opportunity to give a warm hello to all of our clients. It has been several months since our last newsletter, so I figure we are way overdue on catching up. We've moved our offices a few blocks east (still no ocean view!) but we have a lot more room now at 157 Maple Ave., Red Bank.

Many of you may have recognized the familiar voice of Michelle, who came back to work (3 or 4 days a week now,) after giving birth to Connor Alfred Robert Stark on May 9, 2004. Whenever Michelle (and husband Wayne) can keep their eyes open long enough…….. they are very proud of their precious little angel! Since my kids are 20, 22 and 24, my sleepless nights are for totally different reasons!

Aurora has done a great job learning how to run the office over the last few months and just recently, we've added Patrick to our happy group. He will also be handling sales and client services and may be spending time on the road helping me meet our clients in person. So now, with the three of them competently in place, we are looking to grow our business several more levels. There are still some houses here in Monmouth County that we are not cleaning!

Team-wise, most of our old reliable employees are still here, there are some new faces as we expand, and a few people that have been out on maternity leave and/or extended vacations have, or will be returning soon. So overall, our crews have been solid and dependable and I am very proud of their dedication and hard work ethic.

BONUS BONUS BONUS BONUS BONUS BONUS

I've mentioned before that I've been developing a network of contacts in the various service fields. My goal is to find reputable business people whom I can recommend to you in confidence that you will receive preferential treatment due to our rapport. Now I would like to introduce Michael Perri, representing A.J. Perri, Inc. They service heating and air-conditioning systems and provide air duct cleaning. Their offices are in Red Bank and cover Monmouth County and surrounding areas. For any of "The Maids" clients who call A.J. Perri @ 732-747-3131 and mention this newsletter, they will receive $50.00 off an air duct cleaning service. Most people are concerned with indoor air quality, and understand the potential hazards of air pollutants. Michael will be happy to explain the specifics for you. Please note there is no financial incentive for me or my company in this. I am simply playing matchmaker for clients who may need services that we do not provide with quality business people who can competently deliver what you are looking for. And even here, I am always looking for feedback.

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WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO ARRIVE?????

Scheduling: Most clients are delightful and flexible and we do love you all for that. There are so many uncontrollable things. This is why the office staff is never allowed to give out arrival times. We will schedule for early morning, mid morning, late morning, early afternoon and mid to late afternoon. We can call you with one hour's notice. WE ARE NEVER GOING TO SAY "THE TEAM WILL ARRIVE AT 10:30 OR 1:00 OR 3:00. It is physically impossible and it's never going to happen. Each team has 4, 5 maybe 6 houses a day. They just keep going from one to the next. It is best for us when our clients give us a house key(s), or access to a lock box, or garage door keypad so no one is inconvenienced. It is best when we have home, work and cell numbers to reach you - this makes it so much smoother on both ends. Despite all the confirmation calls there are always variables we need to juggle. Such is life and anger rarely changes these facts.

Critical to us here at The Maids is that every client benefits from our services and appreciates how we differentiate ourselves from all other cleaning companies. Yes, you probably will get lower prices elsewhere, but we are committed to distinguishing ourselves from the various low-end companies. First with the quality of our cleaning crews and second, the quality of our office staff. We all know the truth of the statement;" you get what you pay for". Our employees appreciate that we are a luxury for many of our clients and that we need to deliver consistent quality day after day.

Referrals/advertising costs: Happy clients usually go hand in hand with referrals. As you can imagine, this is music to my ears. But my ego aside, the more referrals we get, the less I need to spend in outside advertising. This in turn means the less likelihood of rate increases. We have held steady for three years now at $125.00 per hour for our four person teams. We try to maintain a bare bones budget. . We track every call to determine what marketing is successful but I would much prefer to thank my existing clients when they send me their friends/family/coworkers etc. Please give us a call so not to miss out on our referral program.

While I never want anyone to feel obligated by any means to do so, we do get a lot of questions on tipping around the holidays. Some clients with an established rapport with their particular team may give them something directly; others prefer to mail a check to the office where I will ensure it goes to the appropriate people. We value our clients with or without tips. I don't want anyone to feel awkward about it.

CLEAN TIME DRIVE TIME BUDGET MINUTES DEAD TIME TIME BUSTERS
Lockouts the $40.00 fee rarely covers all that lost time. Drive time inefficient drive time is brutal, clustering is key. Last minute cancellations adversely affect the remaining clients; everyone loses. Waiting for payment each 5-minute increment costs $10.42.

Automatic fees are $40.00 for lockouts, $30.00 for bounced checks, and $25.00 for canceling with less than twenty-four (24) hour notice. These fees are enforced to offset our expenses. Clients who reserve a first time slot then want to reschedule on short notice will need to be scheduled in the afternoon going forward because this creates a problem for the rest of our clients scheduled that day. Clients with a history of canceling on a Thursday or Friday will be switched to a different day going forward. We have a waiting list of clients that prefer a Thursday or Friday cleaning date and these schedules need to be consistent. This is required to minimize the inconvenience to our other clients.

All maintenance cleans are assigned budgeted minutes. For example, if a house is determined to be a 75 minutes clean, the team is expected to unload the car and begin cleaning in no more than five minutes; use the assigned 75 minutes to clean; then take five minutes to load up the car again. Every five-minute increment is valued at $10.42 (based on our $125.00), which can considerably alter a cleaning fee if a team has to wait an additional 10 minutes for a client to find his/her checkbook etc.) So please have your payment ready. The team really needs to get to their next house and the teams are accountable for every minute. There are GPS units in our cars so we can track the teams all day. We review the GPS printouts daily and know to the minute every day's detailed summary.

MORE HEALTH ISSUES: DUST MITES AND CARPETS

Don't think of carpet cleaning only when you spill something. Consider your health, what you're breathing, what's getting trapped down in your carpets. While you can't see them, if you read up on dust mites, it's a pretty gross combination of the mites, their droppings, their carcasses and their eggs all found in carpets, sofas, chairs, draperies, mattresses, pillows etc……………. Also realize (strictly thinking dollars and cents) that regular maintenance will extend the useful, physical life of your carpeting even if you never spilled food or drink on it. High traffic areas are best done 3-4 times a year; low traffic areas are probably fine done twice a year. Kevin handles our carpet-cleaning department. He is IICRC certified and is almost always on site supervising the crew. While I may be biased, I think he is extremely conscientious and quite effective! Please call for details on our process and pricing.

Carpet cleaning: "GLS" crystal dry system benefits.

Our system will get out the dirt, dust, gunk and /or sticky, oily residue that gets trapped in your carpets. Your carpets are not wet for 4-8 hours (or in some cases days!) afterwards. If a hot water or steam system is used incorrectly, your carpets could be soaked as well as the padding. This is of no benefit to you, your carpets, or the air in your home.

Pile lifting. The brushes work in opposite directions to get down into the pile and pull up all the ground in dirt, dust etc.

Stairs. We use a separate machine designed specifically for stairs, which also operates with the brushes working in opposite direction to clean and bring new life to the carpeting.

Healthy products. You've no doubt heard the horror stories of pets taken ill (or worse) because of the cleaning agents used on carpets. The crystal dry product is safe. It has no carcinogens, VOC's or other hazardous elements.

General maintenance. It's not just about stains. You revitalize your carpets. They will be cleaner; the pile stands up better by reversing all that matting down by constant use, so ultimately, they will look better. Don't just wait till you have too many stains, your carpeting will have a longer life with better care.

For health reasons alone you should get your carpets cleaned 2-4 times a year. Vacuuming is critical but it is always amazing to my customers who happen to be home when we are cleaning their carpets at how much dirt etc. is brought to the surface by our "GLS" machine. This is of great concern to allergy sufferer's and equally important to anyone looking for optimum conditions. Who wants to be sitting, rolling, playing etc. on a dirt collector? While the carpeting hides the dirt better than wood floors, nonetheless it is there trapped underfoot. (And again not just where the stains are!)

"No shoes in the house" is a great rule for keeping dirt on the outside and out of your carpeting.

One last tidbit... While not really related to carpet cleaning, here's another suggestion for improving your indoor air quality. It is ideal to open a few windows for 10-15 minutes daily. It really makes a difference. Same goes for bathroom windows to release the steam and discourage mold.

So in closing, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU so much for your business. We're always looking to improve, always looking to grow, and welcome the opportunity of helping you enjoy your free time without the hassle of house cleaning yourselves! Enjoy the holidays.

Warmly,
Gerry and Kevin Elwood and everyone here at The Maids

PS: if you are still reading this, then yes, I know I talk too much!

The Maids Home Services
Phone: (732)224-1105 Red Bank
Phone: (732)333-2990 Freehold
Email: pkocenthemaids@aol.com
157 Maple Avenue • Red Bank, NJ 07701
11 Marcy Street #3 • Freehold, NJ 07728