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Last week I had the pleasure of addressing what some people would consider a hostile crowd while I was attending a cleaning show in Las Vegas. I know that’s hard to believe. How could anyone possibly be hostile towards me and especially in a city where everyone is supposed to be having fun?
Unfortunately, not every one views the world of cleaning carpet through the same pair of glasses. We’ve talked a lot about the reasons behind the Carpet and Rug Institute’s (CRI) foray into the cleaning and maintenance world, and how we got down this road of testing cleaning products and equipment.
The Seal of Approval (SOA) program came to be after a lot of consumer surveys in which cleaning and maintenance were identified as culprits in the decision to choose other flooring over carpet. It was pretty dramatic, actually, and across all demographics, both residential and commercial.
Anyway, when we started investigating the reasons behind such data we quickly found out that not all cleaning products and equipment performed on the same levels. In fact, some of it out and out didn’t perform at all. No wonder people were dissatisfied with their ability to clean their own carpet!
For the greater majority, our testing program has proven to be a godsend. It has allowed folks to measure their performance, and as I like to say around here, if you can’t measure then you can’t improve it. That’s exactly what has happened: Chemical and equipment manufacturers have found ways to better their products through the testing, and today it is the consumer who is reaping the benefits.
There is a small vocal minority, however, that is not happy with the way their products have performed in the tests, and instead of spending money to research them and better them, have chosen to try to discredit the CRI SOA program.
So here I am walking into the lions den of a supposed bunch of angry people to talk about our SOA program. I mean, these folks are loaded for bear, I am told. And sure enough, there were those there who had questions which had been written out for them, and they gladly read them when it came time for the question and answer part.
A funny thing happened along this road to ambush: There was dialogue. One of the things we have always tried to emphasize with all of our programs is the fact that we don’t want to let perfect get in the way of progress. For that reason alone, we have upgraded several of our signature standards over the years as we have seen new developments or additional technology. We are not the end all or know all, but simply an organization willing to try to put forth the best foot for our collective industry.
We are advocates for not only our manufacturers but for our consumers and for the people who serve our industry in whatever capacity. We know that some people were not completely satisfied with the SOA program we rolled out at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center six years ago, but you know what? We have listened to the valid complaints and we have addressed them.
CRI is not here to rule the cleaning industry or any industry with an iron fist despite some of the talk to the otherwise that has been going on leading up to last week. If people have legitimate complaints or questions, our staff and our committees are always here to welcome them with open arms and address those that we can.
Last week was a situation that had a lot of potential to go wrong, but in the end it was productive, and hopefully those who left the room left with a feeling that they could work with CRI hand in hand. And in the end, customers of both will be the ones benefiting most!
Werner Braun is president of the Dalton-based Carpet and Rug Institute.
