The basic requirements in a washroom haven’t changed all that much in the last 30 years. The provision of toilet tissue, hand soap and a means of drying hands remain the basics for anyone visiting an away-from-home washroom. What has changed, particularly since the onset of the global pandemic, is the increased public demand for washrooms to be cleaner, and as far as possible, touch-free, versus the challenges faced by the Facility Manager and Service Provider to provide these increased demands as cost effectively as possible, according to Richard Scott, Sales Director at Hyvest Group
Away-from-home washrooms have become a daily part of our lives, whether at work or at a restaurant or shopping mall, the washroom is somewhere that we all need to visit from time to time, and when we do, we have certain expectations of what that experience should entail. We want it to look clean and smell pleasant, we expect an adequate provision of hygiene dispensing and disposal systems and we want to be able to wash and dry our hands effectively and quickly.
Facility Managers are acutely aware that the perception of the user as to the appearance and functionality of the washroom reflects directly on them. This in turn reflects directly on the overall perception of their facility itself. A pleasant washroom experience in a restaurant for example, which appears to be clean and has a pleasant fragrance, a good quality soap and paper towel, leads to the automatic thought process that the kitchen hygiene and food quality must also be good, and the chances of a repeat visit to the establishment are far higher than if the perception was poor.
The challenge for service providers in today’s tough economic climate is to be able to provide an exceptional washroom experience for the user at a price acceptable to the Facility Manager and balancing these two needs whilst still being able to make a profit. Although the basics of washroom hygiene itself haven’t changed that much, the look, feel and particularly the technology of washroom dispensing systems has.
From the Facility Manager’s perspective, a coordinated range of dispensers that complements the overall design and flow of the washroom is paramount, and from the washroom user’s perspective it is the quality and efficacy of the consumables dispensed. Balancing these two elements is the first step for every Service Provider, as the needs of both the primary and secondary customer must be satisfied.
The third element of the equation, and the most important for the service provider is making a profit. This is where the decision to invest in quality dispensers becomes so important. Not only is the return on investment greater, but the reliability factor that goes hand in hand with quality will ensure that unscheduled maintenance visits to repair faulty dispensers is minimised over the duration of the contract. With the rising costs of fuel, logistics and labour, this one factor alone can mean the difference between a contract showing a profit, or not.
For more information visit: www.hygienesystems.com