-How did you get the Top Dog spot at DA Burns? I just work here.
-Describe your best tech and what it took to make him so. The best techs are the ones that figuratively stand shoulder to shoulder with customers and coworkers to solve problems. If they have an eye for detail and understand a service-first mentality, we can teach them the rest.
-How many trucks, one or two men/women, how many jobs a day and job average please. 17 cleaning vans, one man (currently no women as techs) crews. We dropped our jobs per day average from 4.7 to 4.2 per truck per day to improve service quality. I haven’t looked at a report lately, but by dollars the average on-location cleaning job would be somewhere between $250 and $300.
-What percentage of your biz is on location, draperies, rugs and or other services. 50% on-location carpet and upholstery cleaning, around 10% custom carpet fabrication and hand-repair work, the remainder in-plant rug cleaning. We dropped drapery cleaning a few years ago due to both regulatory pressures and pleated draperies falling out of style.
-If not this job, what? I went to college with the intent to become an architect, but was frightened away while working summer constructions jobs and meeting tradespeople that had put in their seven years and were working pounding nails because it paid better. I guess I could flip houses, but would have to learn how to do everything “close enough” and just hide problems so I could actually make money at it.
-Are you still using an Airpath ('s) on every job? Yes.
-Why won't you let the chimps use glides? We have smart guys on our staff, but human nature is to use the easiest method possible, even when it would be the wrong thing to do. Rather than have to deal with a tech that might explain to a customer why something isn’t as clean as it could be, I’d rather not offer the option.
-What ill effects on your health are due to having to deal with John Watson on a monthly basis? John’s terrific. Maybe since I’m such a wallflower I love people that have an excess amount of personality.
-and who is DA Burns? Company history? Dave Burns senior and junior started the company in 1935. Dave Jr. was instrumental in establishing the “Take care of the customer, they’ll care about the company, and the company can provide a good living for you.” philosophy that we still work by. He was also instrumental in founding the CCINW, the CFI, and the Alberta
CCA, and was famous for sharing information freely. Today we’re the local market leader in our chosen fields, targeting the mid to high end market.
