Getting the Big Picture - It's Not Just Cleaning!

• Content
• Cleaning, Hygiene & Washroom
• Getting the Big Picture - It's Not Just Cleaning!

30 March 2016 | Updated 01 January 1970

Wednesday 30 March saw a bit of a do at BAFTA. Not Just Cleaning or NJC as it would like to be known, has grown and developed and is ready for a re-brand to encompass this. We asked MD Paul Crilly why?

 

Can you provide a little history?

Not Just Cleaning was founded 32 years ago by Connie Heppelthwaite with a starting fund of £40.00 and one cleaning operative.  Connie knew instinctively that service quality was a product of attitude, training and support. She carried out all NJC's training for a number of years - and though I'm loathed to use such a hackneyed phrase, that attitude is a corner-stone of our 'company ethos'. Over this time the company has grown from a family run business into the commercial support service provider it is today, with over 1000 employees.

 

Why have you decided to launch a new brand identity now?

NJC is embarking on the next phase of its journey. Our focus on high quality services, delivered by well trained staff who use technology to drive efficiency and effectiveness, remains unchanged but the scope of our services has expanded over the years. We wanted our logo to reflect this. I am very excited that we have reinvigorated the NJC brand to reflect who we now are as a business, both visually and culturally, for our people and our customers.

 

OK, you used the phrase, so tell us what is the NJC ethos?

Fundamental to NJC is recruiting people with the right attitude, supporting them with training and empowering them by good management. This encourages attention to detail and that's how we look after our customers.

 

Can you provide a description of the newish HQ?

Le Clare Business Centre had been the company base for decades and it was clear that we had outgrown it physically and organisationally. We required a mix of modern commercial office for the customer contact centre and business support functions and semi-industrial space to accommodate our wholesale janitorial supplies business. We also have excellent transport links, whilst retaining sustainable travel journeys for existing staff.

 

The emphasis for Not Just Cleaning is 'it's not just cleaning; there's more to it than that' but NJC does have a variety of strings to its bow - what are they?

NJC’s heritage is cleaning but we have grown our offer to include a wide range of other services. This includes office and window cleaning, rope access building maintenance, janitorial services, waste management, post room and front of house services.

 

To illustrate 'it's not just cleaning', can you describe the rope access operation and why you go to such lengths to protect not just your staff and reputation but also that of your clients?

Our approach to vertical cleaning really does show how we do things differently. There can be few greater service improvements than ensuring Zero Tolerance to harm in one of the UK’s most potently dangerous careers, which is high level, complex commercial window cleaning. Our use of roof access controls, cradle training and management controls and personal video recording, places NJC at the forefront of Health & Safety and pushes our services beyond compliance. The use of personal recording equipment, whilst enforcing process governance, has additional benefits with actual footage used in induction and training, resulting in greater understanding of risk and successful process.

 

Can you provide a description and rationale for the janitorial supply business?

As a wholesaler of Janitorial consumable products and materials, we are into sustainable and responsible service solutions. We treat the provision of janitorial materials and equipment as a service, focussing on both the quality of the products and how we support both their delivery, use and ultimately disposal. We see the products, our services and the infrastructure that supports the delivery of our product as one cohesive unit, with one carbon infrastructure.

 

You often work for managing agents but are seen by their customers. It is your belief that your customers' customers should never perceive a problem or need to raise a complaint. How do you ensure you achieve this goal?

NJC believes that by behaving differently, by demonstrating that we use our minds as often as our hands, we can support the positive business outcomes that are now compulsory elements of our customer’s briefs. We believe that well trained, well supported colleagues deliver a positive user experience and can add significant internal brand value. For those organisations for whom brand, image or service quality are key internal customer concerns, which includes developers, landlords, managing agents and owner occupiers, anything other than a positive user experience could harm their revenue flows.

Our industry is not just cleaning, it is how we demonstrate and evidence a positive customer experience and we are committed through intellect and effort to demonstrate this daily.

 

You sub-contract some services - can you give examples of the management you bring to bear to make this happen effectively and to your standards?

It is NJC’s philosophy to limit the use of subcontractors and we consider it a USP that we drive high levels of self-delivery of services. We have worked to increase our in-house technical capability. We only use subcontractors when there is a strategic or financial advantage for our customers and where it is not be possible for NJC to provide the specialist service directly.

To date, we have used a supply chain partner for pest prevention and washroom services, although we continue to challenge their critical mass to understand whether this will permit the creation of the next NJC division.

 

Why do you believe NJC is different from its competitors?

Our services are governed by our award winning Amonet technology. The system (which is also integrated with mobile devices) streamlines our processes, increases productivity and reports on all tasks in real time, greatly reducing monthly reporting input. The planning, reaction, auditing and reporting of all cleaning and support services tasks is tightly controlled, with evidenced outcomes. We deliver the management information that is key to good decision making, whenever our customers need it, providing transparent service and reducing customer contract management and service monitoring time.

Picture: Above - BAFTA's HQ where the NJC logo launch took place

Below - the logo and Mr Paul Crilly

Article written by TWinFM Reporter | Published 30 March 2016

Share

---

Related Articles

---