While in a doctor’s office, getting a manicure, or even getting in a friend’s vehicle, we are constantly looking and judging our surroundings. These environments can make a big difference in our general opinion about the services we receive, the people we deal with, and the products we buy. How much? We did a survey to find out.
We surveyed 200+ men and women throughout Canada and the United States to find out how they really feel about cleaning. We discovered just how much the state of a bathroom, reception area, or even a friend’s car can change your mood and influence your opinion.
Our Survey Participants
Those surveyed answered a number of questions about themselves. This gives us a gauge of what kind of clean freaks (or not…) answered our survey. Our respondents were a great cross-section of healthy, clean people. Most people shower every day, clean their house either weekly or ongoing, and take out their garbage out as soon as the canister is full.
Your Car, Yourself
And that’s just a car!
How Cleaning Changes Everything for Businesses
For business owners, cleanliness can make the difference between being busy or slow. As customers, clients, or patients come into your establishment they have similar responses to that of those getting in a friend’s car.
How clean you keep your place is akin to the way you do business. Along those lines, there are three main places that are heavily affected by how clean you keep it.
An Uncluttered Reception Feels Better For Everyone
The first thing customers are greeted with at a medical office like a doctor or dentist, a membership facility like a gym or daycare, or a hotel is the reception desk. Often, these clients spend time waiting at the counter or in supplied chairs. During this time they look around and begin to notice the overall cleanliness of the room they are in.
In a doctor’s office, 85% of people say that they notice dust on decorations and mud on the floor. Not only does it lower their overall opinion of the doctor’s office, but it shakes their confidence with the doctor as well. Three-quarters of respondents said visible dirt on floors, baseboards, and walls would negatively influence their opinion. In fact, 12% would refuse service!
Customers are not always so fussy. There are a few areas that they are less strict about. People seem to empathize with the frustration of fighting streaky windows, as 60% said this would not affect their opinion on an office. Plus, clients understand the ongoing task of cleaning floors, as 21% said dirty floors would also not change their opinion of the business.
Bathrooms are the Dealbreaker
While you would think that customers are more interested in the services they receive or the goods they purchase, but the truth is that a bathroom can wildly impact your business. An overwhelming amount of participants surveyed, 59% of respondents, cited washrooms as the most likely area of uncleanliness to affect opinion negatively. Well worth the attention to detail.
However, you must be diligent about ensuring your bathrooms remain fresh and clean. Clients are not likely to tell you your bathrooms need attention, 69% said they would only alert the staff if it was exceptionally unclean. Worse than that, 26% of respondents even said they would never mention it to staff but that they would actively avoid the bathroom.
Are Referrals Your Best Marketing Tool?
When it comes to your word of mouth advertising, cleanliness can be a make or break situation. A staggering 64% of people said they would recommend a business based on cleanliness. Consider how much sanitization affects your actual service or product, a doctor or esthetician is certainly one to be judged on their pristine setting and it’s often the first question asked about their business.
Consider this: one-quarter of your visitors would be more likely to suggest they visit your business, based solely on how clean it is!
Your Business Relies on Cleanliness
The truth is, when people enter your business they begin making judgments about your business, skills, and service. If your office is dirty, they instantly associate it with negative feelings toward you. It can make a great doctor seem so-so, a fantastic nail tech seem sloppy, and a restaurant seem unsanitary. Not the impression you want to make.
Consider cleaning an investment into the future of your business. Ensure you have a regular schedule, proper supplies, and employees who care as much as you do. Or, if all else fails, call Picture Perfect Cleaning. We specialize in corporate cleaning so you don’t have to.
See the Infographic!
