CHTMAG.COM INDUSTRY INSIGHT NEWS ICE ACQUIRES CLEANING EQUIPMENT On 1 December 2016, ICE acquired 100 per cent of the shares of Cleaning Equipment Supplies Ltd (CES), who are based in Cwmbran, South Wales. Commenting on the acquisition, Mark Bresnihan CEO of ICE, said: “This is a very exciting and strategic acquisition for the ICE business. We have been in discussion with CES for some time, to learn about how this opportunity could benefit both organisations and its customers. We feel really positive about the CES business, its people and what it can bring to the ICE group. “Our market is evolving and changing, and we are keen to gain strength, depth and coverage within the UK through many areas, one being acquisitions. We hope that what we have achieved with Cleaning Equipment Supplies in completing this deal will form a blue print for future development and acquisition/ joint venture opportunities.” Sean Edwards, former partner and one of the founders of CES, will stay with the organisation and assume the responsibility of business director for the CES division. He also joins the ICE senior management team with immediate effect. Colin Moore, co-founder of CES, will retire from the industry once the business has been fully handed over. The CES business and brand will remain independent, along with its offices and workshops in the South Wales area. DECEMBER / JANUARY 2017 5 CLEANING HYGIENE TODAY FIGHTING BACTERIA & GERMS IN THE WORKPLACE WITH WELLBEING INITIATIVES Thirty-one million work days were lost to minor illnesses like coughs and colds last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). That’s the equivalent of 84,934 years. It’s an increase on the previous year. Between 2014 and 2015, the number of working days lost to minor illnesses increased by more than a quarter to 31 million days. In fact, research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that minor ailments like colds are responsible for 95 per cent of short-term absence. Common ailments can easily be picked up in the workplace, which is why Irongate Group is encouraging businesses to clean up their act and be proactive in creating good wellbeing in the workplace. As part of its initiative to get businesses more involved in workplace wellbeing, Irongate Group has teamed up with Deb Group Limited, to help tackle germs in the workplace and reduce absenteeism. Pam Wakefield, facilities specialist at Irongate Group said: “Most germs are spread by our hands and germs can stay alive on hands for up to three hours. That’s why it’s so important to teach employees about the importance of handwashing and keeping surfaces clean. “Office desks can be up to 400 times dirtier than a toilet seat, so businesses should provide necessary resources for cleaning computers, keyboards, phones and desks regularly to get rid of bacteria that’s hanging around on the tools we use every day at work.” Workplace wellbeing is on the rise in organisations up and down the country. When surveyed by CIPD, 63 per cent of organisations said that making their company a great place to work is the main reason for increasing their workplace wellbeing efforts. VOICEMAIL IS COSTING CLEANERS’ TRADE Britain’s cleaners are missing out on work because they are failing to answer their phone calls, and are instead letting them go through to voicemail. This means they are losing business at an early stage, as the majority of callers refuse to leave voicemail messages, according to new research. In a survey of 300 micro businesses (0-9 employees) which included professional cleaners, and an examination of its own call data from 10,000 businesses, telephone answering service, Moneypenny, found that a third of the businesses surveyed (33 per cent) failed to answer their incoming calls. In its report, Small Business Call Report 2016, Moneypenny also revealed that 69 per cent of the callers who were answered by voicemail declined to leave a message, and instead hung up. Moneypenny warns that this can have an enormous negative effect on a cleaner’s revenue, as the value of each missed call significantly impacts its bottom line, particularly in the current economic climate. Ed Reeves, director and co-founder of Moneypenny, explained: “Quite simply, a customer getting through to a voicemail instead of a person is like tearing up money. It’s akin to walking into a shop with no one at the till. Buyers simply ring the next supplier on the list. “Pretty much every prospective customer hangs up at an answer message, yet so many businesses, especially those run from mobiles, have no solution in place. UK SME’s are losing a fortune in business opportunities, and our dependency on operating our business from our mobiles is making things worse. “We all hate leaving voicemail messages as much as we dislike listening to them. But if a mobile is answered by a real person, you’ve immediately got a business connection. It really is that simple.” The report states that those who do let their calls go through to voicemail are letting themselves down with their message greetings too. A staggering 54 per cent relied on the standard network message to greet the callers who wanted to leave their details.
Cleaning Hygiene Today December/January 2017
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