Why SERVPRO? Because We're Truly "Here to Help"
6/17/2020 (Permalink)
June 17th, 2020
When I was made aware of SERVPRO and the opportunity to serve a local franchise as their Sales and Marketing Manager, the first thing I did (as many do, or should do) is conduct some brief research on the organization. I had observed the bright green trucks buzzing around in the community, and I recognized the orange house as well as the name SERVPRO. As someone on the outside of the organization who had never utilized them before, I was not aware of what exactly the company did.
What I saw was a Mission Statement and Vision which was very customer centric, which, any company that provides a service should be. Where the line between a standard company and service versus an exceptional company and service differs, is the ownership in the language provided in the Mission and/or Vision of the organization. In other words, the language is more than just words on piece of paper, it is lived and/or practiced from the top down.
Shortly after accepting the position and the completion of the training program, it was time to hit the road and begin introducing myself to the communities in which our franchise services. Just as I was getting to know our customers and agents by name, COVID-19 set in, and as it has for anyone who relies on a face to face continuous relationship by which to keep the wheels turning, this disrupted that routine, forcing all of us in the SERVPRO organization from the top down to adapt and evolve.
From a marketing standpoint we are taught in college to look for ways to capitalize on an opportunity. Naturally for a professional cleaning organization, the knee jerk reaction to a viral pandemic is to recognize that the services we provide are a (not necessarily THE) solution to the problem. Naturally, a marketer would understand and see that through this, the organization has the potential to not only be a solution to a problem, but also see an uptick in cleaning service opportunities.
During a sales forum weeks into the pandemic as shutdowns began to increase across the nation, the question was raised as to why there were no television advertisements communicating the message that SERVPRO has a potential solution to the question of disinfecting facilities. The response given was simple, but strong. As the national leader in cleaning and restoration, there is an ethical responsibility to recognize the depth and severity of the national crisis. Instead of flooding the airwaves with advertisements which could be viewed by many as a means to capitalize on what continues to be a tragic and uncertain time in our nation’s history, SERVPRO turned to its dedicated team of marketing professionals to approach their respective areas based on the needs of the community, and from a sense of personal compassion. In other words, there is no better way to say “We’re Here to Help”, than to do it in person, from a position of genuine care.
SERVPRO’s Mission Statement reads “To develop a team of quality people who focus on excellent service, fairness, and mutual respect.” From this, and a position of recognizing the uncertainty many families and businesses in our community are facing, we can assess each situation and request for help on an individual basis, and the sense of compassion that comes along with this, can only be done by living up to the final three factors of excellent service, fairness, and mutual respect.
SERVPRO of LBL South understands that each of our customers are trying to balance the safety of both their employees and their customers, and the ability to lend a hand during a time of need is a genuine gift. Our organization has been able to mobilize crews on a moment’s notice when the call comes in that assistance is needed to deep clean and/or disinfect a facility to help minimize the chances that members of our community may have in contracting the virus. When our production teams have been stretched thin with other projects, our sales and marketing team as well as our office staff have stepped up to ensure we are able to help our community. It isn’t necessarily enough to say “we’re all in this together”, but SERVPRO is most certainly “Here to Help”.
John Norwood
Sales and Marketing Manager
SERVPRO of LBL South