It’s time to say thank you for all those window cleaning referrals

Companies use an array of tools to attract business. They advertise in newspapers, radio, television, and magazines. They build Websites and establish social networking accounts to get the word out about their companies. They put up billboards, signs, and paint their logos and message on the side of their vehicles. But, there is nothing better for a business than word-of-mouth marketing.

As much as we rely on word-of-mouth to spread the news about Northern Illinois Windows, it is only fitting and proper that we should take a moment to thank our customers, networking-group partners and friends for all they do recommending us to those who need their windows cleaned, as well as other services.

We take pride that the quality of the service we provide is sufficient that customers and friends feel at ease about the idea of referring us to others who can use our window cleaning and other services. But, providing quality service does not obligate customers to tell others about how we did an exceptional job cleaning their windows; we were compensated when we finished cleaning someone’s windows, or installing 3M window film or cleaning their gutters. 

When you share a good word about NIW with someone, we realize that, doing so, isn’t part of the agreement we made when you contracted us to clean your windows.

So, when someone passes our name along as a referral to another potential customer, while we thank you, we also take that as a compliment and, importantly, as a responsibility.

You’ve spoken highly of us and we have a responsibility to ensure that we live up to the quality expected, based on that referral; we have a responsibility to live up to your good word.

So, with no small measure of gratitude, I say Thank You,

Bill Thomas, Owner
Northern Illinois Windows

Window tinting not just for the car – your home and office will love window tinting, too

Have you ever climbed into a hot car in summer? The temperature can be stifling. On a 70-degree day, within an hour, a parked car can reach temperatures approaching 113 degrees. On an 80-degree day, if left in the sun, the temperature inside a car can reach anywhere from 130 to 172 degrees.

An egg white will cook at 149 degrees. The egg yolk at 158 degrees.

One way to keep the temperature from reaching these highs is to lower the windows a little. Another way is to have the windows tinted. Window tinting can block 99.9 percent of the sun’s UV rays and makes a big, big difference in keeping the car cool. Window tinting also keeps things cool in your home or office.

Window tinting is great for the home and office, too

Most people have heard of window tinting for cars. Fewer are aware that window tinting is also readily available for their homes and office. And the benefits go beyond keeping your home or office cooler. In fact, there are five significant benefits to adding window film (tinted or otherwise) to your home or office.

• Save money on energy costs: By cutting down the heat coming in through your windows, you’ll reduce the energy required for your air conditioning to cool your home or office.
• Preserve furnishings and floorings: Over time, your furniture and flooring is dramatically faded by the sun’s UV rays. But, it happens slowly so you probably haven’t noticed. One way to see the difference is to move a dresser that sits in the sun a lot and compare the floor around it and the floor that was under it before you moved it. You’ll probably be shocked at how effective the sun is at bleaching the color out of wood and fabrics.
• Maintain your privacy: While clear window film can also block 99.9 percent of the sun’s UV rays, tinted window film can eliminate the fishbowl perspective that you may have around the windows in your home or office. Tinted window film can enhance your privacy dramatically.
• Increase your security: A window covered with window film is extremely difficult to break through, even with a hammer. If it won’t stop a burglar, or worse, from getting into your home or office, it will slow them down and require that they make extended noise thy won’t appreciate. And, with tint, they’ll find it harder to look in and see if the coast is clear to break in.
• It’s a cost-effective improvement: Tinted window film can dramatically change the appearance of your home or office. It’s a quick and easy makeover.

A great Mother’s Day present? Hire someone to clean the house and clean the windows

How many of us struggle to find that exceptionally wonderful gift for mom each year at Mother’s Day? Flowers, a box of chocolates, and dinner at a nicer restaurant, are the staples of Mother’s Day gifts. And, they’re appreciated. Mom would probably tell you that you don’t need to get her anything else. But, you know in your heart that, if you could take that Mother’s Day gift to the next level, Mom would just love it. So, how about hiring someone to do some of chores around the house, such as hiring someone to clean or wash the windows?

Those staples of Mother’s Day giving are so expected that they’re kind of boring. There’s no surprise. It’s kind of like buying a tie for Dad every Father’s Day. You watch him feign excitement but everyone knows he’s only appreciative that you took the time to acknowledge him on this day, as mom reacts when you acknowledge her with flowers, chocolate and dinner.

It’s not that you shouldn’t take her out for dinner. And the flowers and chocolates are still nice. But, imagine her surprise when she finds out that a crew of professionals will arrive at the house to clean – and clean the windows. She can sit back, smell the flowers and enjoy the chocolates while a cleaning service does a professional job of giving the house a professional cleaning. And, she can enjoy the flowers and chocolate while gazing out windows that clean and streak free after the professionals cleaned the windows for Mother’s Day.

Taking Mother’s Day giving to another level is not difficult. On Mother’s Day, you can give mom a certificate so she can schedule to have the windows cleaned when she’s ready. Or, and there’s still time with Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 15, you can schedule the cleaning to occur a few days before or after the holiday. That way, she’ll have nothing to do but enjoy the flowers and chocolates.

Water-fed poles keep window cleaners off ladders and safely on the ground

You’re the kind of business owner who thinks ahead and considers threats and opportunities and how they could affect your business. You understand the importance of making a positive first impression on potential clients (see our recent blog about businesses making positive first impressions). As part of making a good first impression, you wisely insist on keeping the windows clean. Unfortunately, with a multi-story business, this involves window cleaners climbing on ladders to get to the upper windows.

Of course, you insist that the company cleaning your windows is insured and bonded. Still, it’s a little nerve wracking watching those workers up on the ladders knowing that, with one little misstep, they could fall and hurt themselves. Besides, you don’t want your customers walking under ladders while the windows are washed. If only they didn’t have to climb on ladders to clean your windows.

It turns out there is an alternative to using ladders to clean windows. Qualified window cleaning companies have the right equipment to allow access to upper windows without climbing on ladders. The equipment is called a ‘water-fed pole.’

A hose is connected to the bottom of the water-fed pole. Most water-fed poles can reach up five-stories high. And, five-stories high, they do a great job in the hands of a qualified window cleaning technician. And the job is generally done much quicker; the window cleaners don’t have to climb up and down the ladders – they don’t have to move the ladders.

The point is that, with a water-fed pole, you’ll have clean windows without the worry of someone climbing around on a ladder to get them that way.

Keep your business and windows clean to maintain a good first impression

BUDDYZ Pizza in McHenry knows the importance of the first impression and takes pains to present their restaurant in a positive light, including with clean windows.

As a business owner, you’ve probably read books about the importance of making a good impression. No doubt, you realize this is a concept that extends to the physical presence of your store or office. That’s why you take the time to clean and organize. This is why you spend time designing your signage and decorating the front window to give potential customers the right impression. Of course, while creating a storefront-window display, you also make a point of cleaning the windows.

An Sept. 5, 2014, article, in Forbes magazine, refers to one ‘expert’ who suggests that first impressions are often “highly accurate.” Though another expert refers to first impressions as “frustratingly arbitrary,” the question is really a matter of how people react to their first impressions.

If you own and operate a restaurant, cleanliness is more than ‘next to Godliness;’ it’s one of the business commandments for a place that serves food. Someone who is considering your restaurant as a place to dine wants to know that their food is properly prepared and, in fact, safe. One sign they’ll automatically look for is the general cleanliness of your establishment. But, this also applies to other businesses.

Ask yourself, why would a hiring official reject a resume with a few grammatical errors from someone seeking a position as a welder? The answer is that the quality of the resume is a demonstration of the prospective employee’s commitment to doing a thorough job. It doesn’t matter that the welder will, probably, never have to consider grammar while welding.

Still, if someone thought about it, they might say, ‘I don’t care that things are unorganized in this store or office; why does it matter to me that the windows aren’t clean?’ They might figure that, once they bring the products they buy home, or contract for your services, they may never return to your office. But, they might also say, how good are can their products or services be if this is how little they worry about creating a good impression.

Worse yet, many people don’t consciously think about first impressions at all. The first impression is made silently, without conscious thought, while coloring their decision-making processes. This is why it’s essential to maintain a clean and organized store, restaurant or office. You can save yourself from that bad first impression. Oh, and don’t forget the clean windows.

Office cleaning checklist – don’t forget the windows

Do you have someone come in to clean your office? Or, have you assigned that duty to one or more members of your office staff, in addition to their other duties? Maybe you do the office cleaning yourself.

When your office is cleaned, is it done right? How do you know if the office is cleaned properly? This is not as much of a subjective question – depending on your personal definition of ‘clean’ – as you might think. There are two primary factors to consider when you determine if your office is cleaned properly: thoroughness and effectiveness.

Thoroughness refers to whether the office was cleaned in its entirety. Effectiveness refers to whether the office is truly clean. The latter refers to how clean and includes whether your office is adequately sterilized. This is an important question when you look at your office as a potential incubator where germs, and other nasties, can grow, thrive and infect you and your workers resulting in sick days that cut into productivity.

Sterilization is achieved through the proper application of effective cleaning products (be wary of those that might leave foul chemicals in their wake – there are effective cleaning materials that are based on natural products that don’t leave chemical landmines on the surfaces, and in the air, of your office.

In terms of what you should clean, and this depends on whether you’re doing a deep cleaning or a maintenance cleaning, you should …

• Remove waste, dump wastebaskets and clear clutter
• Wipe surfaces with proper cleaning products (test in an obscure area first to make sure the cleaning solvent won’t damage the surface where you’re using it)
• Sweep and mop the floor
• Wipe around doorways and handrails and other areas where people frequently place their hands
• Wipe and sanitize keyboards, computer mouses, printer keypads and other equipment that is used in the office
• Do extra sanitary cleaning in bathrooms and eating areas
• Clean vents, often found in the ceiling, as well as light fixtures
• Clean the windows and other glass surfaces

This latter step, is an area where it often takes a trained expert to do a good job. Frequently, when someone is less familiar with proper cleaning methods, it is very difficult to do a good job of cleaning the windows. It may look good at first but, as the window dries completely, spots and streaks will appear. And, to make matters worse, for the amateur, cleaning windows poorly takes much more time than it takes a professional to clean the windows properly.

A clean office will give your employees a better feeling about their environment, even if it is subconscious. Clean windows to look through are a big part of this. And, if you have customers coming to your office, clean windows will give them a better impression of your business, too.

Windows contribute to workplace productivity, but keep ‘em clean

Put an employee at a desk in a cubicle without any sunlight and, over time, you can almost watch them shrivel and wilt from the seclusion. To some degree, their motivation with atrophy. Like flowers, they need a sufficient quantity of the nourishing rays of sunlight. And, for sunlight, you need windows – clean windows that enhance productivity.

Once you let the sunlight in, keep in mind that it will shine on your employees, as well as their surroundings. Cluttered and dirty, their surroundings may do better in the dark. But, relatively neat, organized and with just the right sense of comfort (comfort that makes them feel at ease without putting them to sleep) the sunlight coming through the windows can produce an environment that is conducive to greater productivity. It can even help increase employee retention.

If the workplace is somewhere people enjoy coming to work, they’re more likely to want to keep coming. And, they’re also more likely to be productive.

This is not an abstract idea. A study in Psychology Today “links light exposure in the workplace to improved sleep and vitality.” The article also refers to a Northwestern University study that reported on “the detrimental impact of working in a windowless environment.”

Once you’ve accepted the idea that sunlight can improve the demeanor and productivity of your employees and, therefore, have also accepted the value of windows to let the sun shine in, it’s not much of a stretch to equally recognize the value of keeping those windows clean.

Dirt on the windows is not an appropriate filter for sunlight. The positive effects of windows on productivity are not enhanced when employees glance though dirty windows.