National VS. Independent Providers
Businesses have a wide variety of options when it comes to choosing a provider for their laundering or facility service needs, so what sets an independent provider like CITY apart from national counterparts?
We spoke to our employees who are out in the field and we spoke to some customers that came to CITY after partnering with a national provider.
“You are not a number at CITY,” Ken Schnor, CITY’s Director of Service said. “At CITY, you are a customer that turns into the family. If you have a problem, you can call us and we will figure out or resolve your issue faster.
Here is what we found:
CITY Customers:
“Up until we went with CITY, we had bounced back and forth between most of the local vendors in typically the same pattern. We’d start out and have a couple of good years then it would trail off. And typically, with our previous vendors, it took quite a while to get uniforms changed out, but with CITY things are pretty seamless.
The relationship has been outstanding. To me, when I find a vendor that is a partner, and you don’t have to manage them, that’s a win. And that’s what we got with CITY. They deliver a quality product, and I don’t hear complaints from my department, or the guys wearing uniforms. We have a great relationship.” – Tony Bolletta Tones Spice
“With our previous company, we were spending too much time and effort not only with billing issues but with uniform issues as well. Each week, our route rep stops after delivering our clean uniforms, rugs, and supplies to ensure our needs haven’t changed and if we ever have a concern, he makes sure to be prompt and professional in getting things taken care of.”
– Emily Nymeyer, Jensen Ford Ford Lincoln
“Consistency, Consistency, Consistency! The technician’s uniforms are always clean, well pressed, never mismatched or missing items, nada! Our man Marc has been, and is, the same face we see every week! Every week for the last 6 years. He’s punctual, always pleasant, mixes up our air freshener scents, soaps and rugs in a timely fashion and is consistent, consistent! Anyone can be great for the “honeymoon phase” but to MAINTAIN the same level of service for all these years is impressive especially after having other uniform companies who are not even in the same ballpark as CITY! With all the daily stressors of running a business, it’s really nice to have one less thing to worry about.”
–Michael Bauer – Midway Outdoor Equipment
CITY Employees:
CITY Service
Ken Schnor is CITY’s Director of Service. For over 2 decades he has ensured CITY’s customers can take advantage of accountable, reliable and responsive service. He knows all too well that many businesses who have worked with national providers often encounter the same issues. He knows that responsiveness is key for customers and not being able to talk to someone in person often results in frustration. With this knowledge, Ken knows the utmost importance of being transparent and readily available to take a phone call or meet with the customer face-to-face. There is a reason we have our direct contact information on our website, send services reports, and onboarding packets introducing your service team and how to get a hold of us. When it comes down to it, it’s the people, the communication and being personable which is the key differentiator for CITY.
“You are not a number at CITY,” Ken said. “At CITY, you are a customer that turns into the family. If you have a problem, you can all us and we will figure out or resolve your issue faster. It’s not a 1-800 number that you call into and you leave a message and you hope and pray that someone gets back to you. Our response time is key and something that we take great pride in.”
CITY Sales
“I think the biggest thing is the people. At CITY, you are always going to have direct contact with the people you need to talk to from the top, down. It’s about building partnerships and building strong relationships,” Hildy Webb, one of CITY’s Rental Sales Representatives said.
The Route Service Representatives are another important difference to national providers. CITY’s RSRs are truly held accountable for their route. They are empowered to make decisions almost like they own their own mini business, including all of the responsibilities that come with it. Their main goal is always to ensure their customers have what they need. The customer has the ability to talk to someone face-to-face every day of the week, creating accountability for our service.
Unlike our national competitions, we are looking for a partnership that lasts for decades because of the way we mutually respect and treat each other. We are not looking to sign people for just one contract, we want to build a partnership, a relationship and ultimately a friendship,”
CITY Regional Manager
One of the key components at CITY is the ability to work with customers from the very beginning, from the sale to the onboarding process and beyond. We learn about everything we need to know upfront so that we understand our customers’ needs; It allows us to provide the professional account management that our clients deserve. For Mark Ballo, CITY’s Des Moines Regional Manager that approach has been key when it comes to introducing businesses to CITY.
“When you decide to move forward with CITY, you’re going to get us, me especially,” Mark said. “I am involved in the sale side and now I’m going to be involved in the service side. We don’t forget about you no matter where in the process you are. You will see us again on a regular basis, which from my experience I hear from clients that almost never happens with national companies.”
Having a vendor that is committed to those values, will provide consistency for companies long term. CITY’s success comes from partnering with businesses looking for long-term relationships. We strive to forge partnerships that last
“We are so much more personalized, versus the national provider,” Mark said. “I truly believe that it’s so much easier to build meaningful relationships with industrial laundering services that are private, family-owned and operated just like us. We have been doing it for over 100 years and we want to keep doing it with you.”
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