Apartment Cleaning End of Lease Cleanup Frederick Maryland

End of lease cleaning is offered by Commercial Building Maintenance in Damascus Md for apartment buildings and condominiums. Our dedicated cleaners have the knowledge and expertise to successfully take on even the toughest end of tenancy cleaning work. Frederick Md and Hagerstown Md end of lease cleaning prices, please consult our prices page.

Dealing with fussy landlords and property managers has led us to constantly raise our end of tenancy cleaning standards, and we fully guarantee all of the work we do. For your information and peace of mind,  end of tenancy cleaning specifications and eviction clean up:

* All kitchen surfaces, fixtures, appliances, drawers and cupboards cleaned, scrubbed and polished to bring your kitchen up to the highest possible standard of cleanliness
* All bathroom and kitchen tiles and fixtures de-limed and de-scaled, making these areas of your home as clean as possible
* All bedrooms, living rooms, common areas and attending fixtures and furnishings will be dusted, hoovered and scrubbed to ensure a lasting, first-rate clean

Regular cleaning of common grounds and hallways from Thurmont to Brunswick,the Fort Detrick area, from Middletown to the Golden Mile off Route 40, to Lake Linganore, all over Frederick County, Hagerstown and Eastern Washington County

Glossary of Landlord Law Terms Frederick MD – Frederick MD …
Read on to get definitions for constructive eviction, cleaning fee, cleaning deposit, … I Got An Eviction Notice. What Should I Do? Frederick MD

Everyone knows that it is regular vacuuming and quick attention to the inevitable spots and stains that keep a carpet looking its best. But even with the most diligent attention to regular carpet care, all carpets will need a deep extraction cleaning every 12 to 18 months to remove stubborn and embedded soil, it may also be required for warranty purposes. These deep cleaning systems will keep carpets looking, feeling and smelling fresh and new. The cleaning – either by wet or dry extraction -- may be done by professional carpet cleaners, or do-it-yourselfers may tackle the job with purchased or rented equipment. Professional carpet cleaners may be found through referrals from friends and family members or even a carpet store. The do-it-yourselfers will be able to rent the correct equipment from any local rental store. The essential key to determining what is the best method for cleaning your carpeting is the construction of the carpet itself.



Most carpets manufactured today incorporate synthetic fibers, such as nylon, polyester, or olefin, and most deep cleaning methods are appropriate for them. In all cases, follow the manufacturers’ cleaning recommendations. Natural fibers, however, may require special care.

Wool carpets can withstand most cleaning methods. Caution should be taken with wool however, to avoid excessive agitation and excessive heat. Do not use cleaning equipment with heavy brushes or beaters on wool carpet. Wool is also easily damaged by bleaches and or detergents that are highly alkaline, so be sure to use a pH neutral cleaning solution on wool. Quick drying is important to avoid yellowing.

Silk carpets should be cleaned using a dry cleaning process. The beautiful silks in antique and contemporary area rugs and room sized carpets can be damaged by high temperatures, sunlight, and high pH solutions, and the fibers will lose strength when wet. Except for light spot removal, deep cleaning of silk carpets should be assigned to carpet cleaning professionals.

Cotton and rayon, popular both as pure carpet fibers as well as blended with other fibers, are made of cellulose, a plant fiber, and can withstand cleaning by almost all methods. All plant fibers are subject to yellowing if they remain wet too long, and too much moisture may cause the fibers to shrink. Be careful not to over-saturate cotton and rayon carpets, and if they do become too wet, dry the carpet as quickly as possible. As with all but the sturdiest synthetic fibers, avoid heavy agitation by the cleaning equipment, which can weaken and damage the fibers.

Sisal, jute and other plant fibers, including coconut, ramie, and hemp, have characteristics very similar to cotton and rayon. Most cleaning methods are appropriate for these plant fibers, but dry extraction or dry foam methods are usually recommended. As with cotton, too much moisture may cause these natural fibers to shrink, and cause discoloration. To reduce the chance of color transfer, only use a mild detergent, and dry the carpet quickly. For these specialized carpets, it is probably best to use a professional carpet cleaner.

Source: Flooring Knowledge.com



Everyone knows that it is regular vacuuming and quick attention to the inevitable spots and stains that keep a carpet looking its best. But even with the most diligent attention to regular carpet care, all carpets will need a deep extraction cleaning every 12 to 18 months to remove stubborn and embedded soil, it may also be required for warranty purposes. These deep cleaning systems will keep carpets looking, feeling and smelling fresh and new. The cleaning – either by wet or dry extraction -- may be done by professional carpet cleaners, or do-it-yourselfers may tackle the job with purchased or rented equipment. Professional carpet cleaners may be found through referrals from friends and family members or even a carpet store. The do-it-yourselfers will be able to rent the correct equipment from any local rental store. The essential key to determining what is the best method for cleaning your carpeting is the construction of the carpet itself.



Most carpets manufactured today incorporate synthetic fibers, such as nylon, polyester, or olefin, and most deep cleaning methods are appropriate for them. In all cases, follow the manufacturers’ cleaning recommendations. Natural fibers, however, may require special care.

Wool carpets can withstand most cleaning methods. Caution should be taken with wool however, to avoid excessive agitation and excessive heat. Do not use cleaning equipment with heavy brushes or beaters on wool carpet. Wool is also easily damaged by bleaches and or detergents that are highly alkaline, so be sure to use a pH neutral cleaning solution on wool. Quick drying is important to avoid yellowing.

Silk carpets should be cleaned using a dry cleaning process. The beautiful silks in antique and contemporary area rugs and room sized carpets can be damaged by high temperatures, sunlight, and high pH solutions, and the fibers will lose strength when wet. Except for light spot removal, deep cleaning of silk carpets should be assigned to carpet cleaning professionals.

Cotton and rayon, popular both as pure carpet fibers as well as blended with other fibers, are made of cellulose, a plant fiber, and can withstand cleaning by almost all methods. All plant fibers are subject to yellowing if they remain wet too long, and too much moisture may cause the fibers to shrink. Be careful not to over-saturate cotton and rayon carpets, and if they do become too wet, dry the carpet as quickly as possible. As with all but the sturdiest synthetic fibers, avoid heavy agitation by the cleaning equipment, which can weaken and damage the fibers.

Sisal, jute and other plant fibers, including coconut, ramie, and hemp, have characteristics very similar to cotton and rayon. Most cleaning methods are appropriate for these plant fibers, but dry extraction or dry foam methods are usually recommended. As with cotton, too much moisture may cause these natural fibers to shrink, and cause discoloration. To reduce the chance of color transfer, only use a mild detergent, and dry the carpet quickly. For these specialized carpets, it is probably best to use a professional carpet cleaner.

Source: Flooring Knowledge.com

Commercial Cleaning in Maryland

Commercial Building Maintenance LLC
carpet cleaning, janitor service,
25628 Ridge Rd, Damascus Md 20872
Phone: 301-482-2122

Carpet Cleaning in Frederick Maryland

Commercial Building Maintenance in Maryland Commercial Building Maintenance carpet cleaning, janitor service, 25628 Ridge Rd, Damascus Md 20872
Phone: 301-482-2122


Carpet Cleaning Articles

Carpet Cleaning Tips and Tricks. Different cleaning products can be used when getting rid of stains and dirt. When you require a packaged service complete with tools and methods, professional cleaners are the people you can turn to. There are four common but effective methods that are used for carpet cleaning.

The efficient technique for carpet cleaning that's always used by experts is water extraction. With this technique, a steam cleaner is used. They call it a hot water extraction. When extracting stains and particles from the carpet the cleaners would use hot water. Many people rely on this cleaning method because it deep cleans a carpet.

One of the most common methods to clean a carpet is bonnet cleaning. The machines needs to be coupled up with a bonnet or a clean cloth. Any professional company for carpet cleaning, always have an appropriate machine for bonnet cleaning. What professional cleaners do is spray with a solution then buff the floor from one area to another until the entire floor is polished. This method is best used for carpets that are full of dirt.

Dry cleaning is a carpet cleaning method that professionals normally use and offer. It is also called as the host method. For this method they would use a chemical called HOST. A damp powder type of chemical that looks like a wet saw dust, is what they call a HOST, but nobody knows the origin of the name. The carpet is then vacuumed fifteen minutes after the chemical was sprinkled on it.

All three methods differ in drying time but are very good in effectively removing stains and dirt. In steam cleaning, it will take about two to four hours before your carpet gets dry. For bonnet cleaning, drying time can take for 30 minutes to an hour. The fastest drying time is with dry cleaning which takes ten to fifteen minutes.

These are the type of approach that skilled carpet cleaners use. When you want a deep carpet cleaning, prefer one of those methods.

So if you get a company to do the cleaning make sure to see us at San Diego carpet.



As a carpet owner, it is important that you maintain a regular regime of general carpet cleaning. With regular cleaning, you ensure longevity of the carpet. Vacuuming the carpet a minimum of once a week is most important in carpet cleaning to minimize the amount of dust and dirt in the room.

A clean carpet not only is good to the eye, but it also controls the breeding of germs and bacteria and makes your home a much healthier place. However though many people own carpets, not everyone knows the right tips for general carpet cleaning.

Choose the right carpet cleaning materials

The first thing to consider for general carpet cleaning is the type of carpet you own as different types of cleaning require different carpet cleaning methods. With the right information about care for different types of carpets, your carpet lasts longer.

The cleaning materials you use for carpet cleaning is another important thing to consider in general carpet cleaning. This is because you not only have to wet the carpet, but it is also necessary to gently remove any dirt that is embedded in the carpet.

Hot water cleaning is an efficient means of cleaning your carpet; but not for woollen carpets. Heat is used to suspend the dirt particles that get stuck in the carpet, after which a cleaning agent is injected to remove the particles. After this, use heat and fans to dry the carpet clean.

Dry cleaning for woollen carpets

If you are using carpet cleaning services for cleaning your carpet, make sure that you first check out with them if this step is included in their carpet cleaning costs to avoid complications after the carpet gets cleaned.

If you have a wool carpet, or you don’t actually like wet cleaning, you could consider dry cleaning of your carpet. In this method of carpet cleaning, chemicals are used for cleaning, and not water. Once the foam of the chemicals dry up and the powder settles done, you have to use a vacuum cleaner to remove dirt and detergent particles.

Hire a carpet cleaning service

Though you can clean your carpet on your own, it can be a rather tedious process. Instead, it is better to hire an efficient carpet cleaning service for the general cleaning purposes of your carpet. There are quite a few cleaning services to choose from, like Supreme Carpet Care.

If you choose to use the help of carpet cleaning services, it is important that you clearly state your specifications, the care that your carpet needs and find out what the costs of the cleaning is. Moreover, find out how the carpet cleaner intends to clean your carpet, to ensure that you have no problems with their presence in your home or office.

And last, but not least, you could always give instructions to the carpet cleaning service to clean your carpet periodically; like once a month or once a fortnight, based on the amount of dirt and wear and tear the carpet goes through.

Authors Info

Supreme-Carpet Care - We do Steam Cleaning on your carpets and upholstery, also known as hot water extraction. Our machines stay outside your home and we bring in pipes to clean, this makes us very efficient.carpet cleaning in Bromley, carpet cleaning in Orpingtonl, carpet cleaning in Bromley.

Commercial Cleaning in Maryland

Commercial Building Maintenance LLC
carpet cleaning, janitor service,
25628 Ridge Rd, Damascus Md 20872
Phone: 301-482-2122

Effective Cleaning in Maryland

6 Keys to More Effective Cleaning

By: Steve Hanson

Sometimes custodial workers are in such a hurry to get the job done that they're not cleaning properly, or they're working too hard to get things cleaned. That's because they're not letting the tools and chemicals they're using do most of the work. Below are 6 keys to Maryland residential and commercial cleaning more effectively, without wasting more time or energy in the process.

1. Taking advantage of time. Many cleaning chemicals need time to work, so if you just spray and wipe, the area may not be properly cleaned or disinfected. Read the directions on the label to see if the chemical needs dwell time in order to kill germs or loosen soil so you can more easily remove it from the surfact you're cleaning.

2. Using the wrong chemical for the job. If you have greasy build-up on a stovetop, using an all-purpose cleaner may be the wrong choice because you'll have to work much harder to get it clean. Choosing a degreaser or citrus cleaner that can break through the grease is a much better solution.

3. Agitation. Sometimes just spraying and wiping won't get the job done properly. You may need a little more "elbow grease", or you may need better equipment to clean more effectively. If you have a ceramic tile floor with dirty grout, you'd be better off using a slow speed floor machine with a good cleaning chemical and a nylo-grit brush in order to agitate the soil so it can be more easily removed. This is much more effective than trying to do it by hand with a grout brush.

4. Temperature. Some cleaning chemicals work best with hot water, and some work best in cool water. Be sure to read the directions to find out what water temperature you should be using when diluting the cleaning chemical.

5. Ventilation. When cleaning floors or carpets, ventilation is important to make sure the surfaces dry quickly. If floor surfaces are allowed to stay damp, you could be creating additional problems like growth of mold and mildew.

6. Soil removal. Some cleaning tools like feather dusters don't remove soil, they just spread it around. Likewise, using vacuum cleaners without sealed bags or Hepa filters can spread soil that was just vacuumed up out into the air again. So removing soil is key to cleaning more effectively.

Think about the tools and procedures you use to clean. Is there equipment that you can use to make the job easier and more efficient? Are you using the cleaning chemicals according to the directions on the label? If not, consider the above tips and start cleaning more effectively.

Copyright (c) The Janitorial Store (TM)

Article Source: http://www.cleaningarticles.com

For more cleaning tips and information on starting and running a successful cleaning business, visit Steve Hanson at www.TheJanitorialStore.com. And while you're there, sign up for Trash Talk: Cleaning Tip of the Week. Read cleaning success stories at www.cleaning-success.com.

From Maryland Commercial Janitorial Service

Commercial Cleaning in Maryland

Commercial Building Maintenance LLC
carpet cleaning, janitor service,
25628 Ridge Rd, Damascus Md 20872
Phone: 301-482-2122

Commercial Cleaning Services - What Do You Want to Clean?

Outsourcing your cleaning

What parts of your facility need cleaning?

It's not widely known that you can hire a janitor service to do only the parts of your facilities cleaning that would be best outsourced. Sometimes it can be less expensive to have your employees clean parts of your facility and hiring an outside cleaning service to do what your people can't do as cheaply or efficiently.

A good commercial cleaning service can help you keep your office or building space looking polished and professional, leaving you to concentrate on the most important things, like running your business. One of your first questions for any service should be what services they provide.

Medium to large scale companies can usually offer the widest range of products and customization. The following is a run-down of typically available services.

Routine Office Cleaning

Depending on how large your building is and how much your businesses traffic sees each day, you can arrange services on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. In order to preserve good hygiene and a professional appearance, the areas that need frequent routine cleaning include restrooms and door knobs and handles that get a lot of use regularly.

Similarly, telephones and light switches need the dame constant care. These need to be both washed and disinfected often to keep germ populations to a minimum. A commercial provider can easily handle this as well as things like trash and recycling removal, floor cleaning, and general dusting of all shelves and office furniture. Another crucial area is the kitchen and lounge room.

Your company can keep these spaces scrubbed and sterile, making it a safe place for employees to eat and rest. Then of course, there are the routine things that you dont think about much but are truly necessary to keeping your office looking and feeling its best. Your commercial service can perform these things like clearing the baseboards and light fixtures, wiping down the blinds, and dusting out the air conditioning vents.

Window Washing

While this is also a task that needs to be done routinely, keeping both the inside and outside windows clean can be challenging depending on the size of your building and the location of the windows. A good commercial company will design a plan to get all of your glass surfaces clean on a regular basis and many can even take care of the maintenance of your screens and awnings.

Carpet Cleaning

If you have any significant amount of carpeted space in your office building, it is going to need to be cleaned regularly, not just vacuumed. Many offer carpet cleaning on a monthly or bi-monthly schedule.

This typically includes the use of professional machines and eco-friendly chemicals that will pull out ugly stains and remove any unpleasant smells. Before signing on with the carpet cleaning contract, it would be smart to ask if the chemicals used by the company are hypoallergenic and non-toxic.

Other Floor Services

If you have anything but carpet in your office, it too will require regular care and maintenance. A commercial service can generally handle stripping and waxing surfaces like tile, stone, hardwood, and linoleum. Some may be able to tackle more specialized care if needed.

After Construction Cleanup

One final service that cleaning companies can offer your business is help in getting your office back to normal after any remodeling or repairs take place. Specifically, this can include removing all the dust and dirt built up during the construction as well as general cleaning of all affected surfaces.

Each company will offer other services not mentioned here and selecting the right cleaning firm will be a matter of finding the one that offers all the services your office requires. The key is to understand your office needs first!

Source of this article: http://www.atlantaofficecleaners.com/ in Atlanta GA work hard to meet all of your building maintenance facility needs.







Commercial Cleaning in Maryland

Commercial Building Maintenance LLC
carpet cleaning, janitor service,
25628 Ridge Rd, Damascus Md 20872
Phone: 301-482-2122

Keep Your Facilities Spotless Today

Keeping your facilities spotless can be a difficult task in any environment. However, for a large company or office, it can be one of the worst tasks ever. Not only do you need to clean your offices, but you need to clean client area, restrooms and more. Commercial cleaning can be one of your companies most expensive services to bid out as well. Luckily, there are a couple things that you can do to reduce the cost of your cleaning.

One of the easiest things that you can do to reduce the cost of cleaning is to do some cleaning yourself. This could mean that you vacuum your own office, or take your trash to a central location. Whatever you do yourself, the less that you have to have a commercial cleaning service do. Sadly, for many offices this simply is not an option. In this case, you would then need to bid on the cleaning services from an outsourced company.

Finding a company that will help you with cleaning your offices can be difficult. Many smaller cleaning companies would rather do small home cleanings or certain types of offices. You should try your local yellow pages, ask fellow business owners or look online for local cleaning companies. Depending upon the size of your office, it may be worth asking a large custodial company to come in and take on the responsibility of cleaning your office. This can be rather expensive, especially if you have them clean a small location.

Another idea that you can try is to hire janitors who work at lower wages. Due to the economy, there are so many people who are out of a job right now. Luckily, many of them are excellent at cleaning at their homes and could bring their skills to your office. For a few hours a week at minimum wage, they may do an alright job for a small office. However, for any company that has an office that is larger than ten employees, you truly should consider bringing in a commercial cleaning service. Not only are you getting experienced cleaning staff, but they are very well trained. Another benefit of dealing with a cleaning service is that they have excellent biding abilities. They are able to undercut each other, giving you the best possible deal at the end of the day. There are a few things that you need to be on the lookout for. The first thing you must make sure you avoid is dealing with companies that have bad track records. Ask for a list of their customers and contact them to make sure they are happy with their cleaners services.

Finding a commercial cleaning company that will clean your offices can seem impossible. However, if you check out the company before they bid for the job, you can save yourself a large amount of time. Do not think that cleaning comes cheap, many people charge a large amount of money, but they will do a great job at keeping your facilities clean.

Commercial Cleaning in Maryland

Commercial Building Maintenance LLC
carpet cleaning, janitor service,
25628 Ridge Rd, Damascus Md 20872
Phone: 301-482-2122
5

Outsourced Order Management Among Other Tasks

Stellar Restaurant Solutions Wins Outsourced Order Management Contract with Borriello Brothers Pizza Chain

Colorado restaurant chain to centralize pizza phone orders and payment processing by outsourcing to Stellar Restaurant Solutions.

Colorado Springs, CO, April 02, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Stellar Restaurant Solutions, a leading provider of call center and online restaurant ordering services, today announced that they have signed a contract with Borriello Brothers, a New York style pizza chain in Colorado.

Under the terms of the outsourced restaurant ordering agreement, Stellar Restaurant Solutions will centrally manage phone orders and credit card payments for the pizza chain, allowing Borriello Brothers staff to focus on in-store food preparation and service.

The implementation of the pizza phone ordering service will also allow Borriello Brothers to merge their separate store phone numbers into one single contact number 719 884 2020 that can be used in all their advertising and promotions.

According to Rob Raia, owner of Borriello Brothers, “the specialized call center agents at Stellar Restaurant Solutions are like an extension of our business. They provide our customers with a high level of service on every single phone call and are trained to identify appropriate cross sell and up sell opportunities. This allows our in-store staff to just focus on face to face customer interactions and the preparation of our traditional New York style pizzas.”

Borriello Brothers chose Stellar Restaurant Solutions due to their restaurant ordering and management experience and their demonstrated expertise in managing complex call centre operations.

“The cost escalations in the pizza segment have been devastating over the past year. Increases from food to labor have taken their toll on this industry. Stellar Restaurant Solutions offers a way to improve sales and reduce costs at the same time,” said Steve Bigari, Chief Executive Officer of Stellar Restaurant Solutions.

The service will be operated from Stellar Restaurant Solutions’ dedicated restaurant ordering call center located in Colorado Springs, CO.

Commercial Cleaning in Maryland

Commercial Building Maintenance LLC
carpet cleaning, janitor service,
25628 Ridge Rd, Damascus Md 20872
Phone: 301-482-2122

Fast Food Restaurant Outsourcing Drive Through Order Taking

Fast-food restaurants begin outsourcing drive-through order-taking

By Jen Aronoff
1/26/2009

McClatchy Newspapers (www.mctdirect.com)

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - That crackling voice taking your order at a fast food drive-through may come from a lot farther away than the restaurant: Try Texas, or even overseas.

San Diego-based Jack in the Box has tested outsourced drive-through order-taking since mid-2008 at seven of its 30 Charlotte, N.C.-area restaurants. Spokeswoman Kathleen Anthony declined to specify the locations, though workers at the Cotswold restaurant in Charlotte recently said it uses the system.

The technology is intended to improve speed, accuracy and service, freeing up restaurant employees to process orders, accept payment and address other needs, Anthony said. The chain has not reduced staffing as a result of the remote order-taking, and the restaurants can turn the system on and off as they wish, she said.

Still, it's piqued curiosity among local customers who have encountered heavy accents with order-takers, then rounded the bend to find different people handing them food.

"I had noticed it (several months ago), but I just thought the person taking the order was somewhere else in the store where we couldn't see them," said Elizabeth Banks, a Charlotte teacher and mother of three who takes her 15-year-old daughter and her daughter's friends to Jack in the Box for Oreo milkshakes most Friday afternoons. "It never occurred to me they might be out of the country."

At one point the girls asked the order-taker, "Where are you?" There was a pause, Banks recalled. Then, the person on the other end said, "Texas."

"I really don't think that's where they were," Banks said.

The Jack in the Box test orders are routed to a Texas call center operated by Bronco Communications, a company specializing in fast food order-taking, Anthony said. Some may be routed outside the U.S., she said, but she wouldn't specify where.

Companies began trying remote ordering in 2005. As with outsourcing in other industries, technological advances _ namely high-speed Internet _ made it possible. When customers pull up to the menu, a call center worker takes the order on a computer. The order pops up on a screen inside the restaurant.

Even where people have grown accustomed to seeing bank and computer questions directed overseas, international order-taking is rare in the realm of cheeseburger combos and large Cokes, said Sherri Daye Scott, editor of QSR Magazine, dedicated to the quick-service restaurant industry.

A greater number of restaurants, including McDonald's and Wendy's franchisees, have tried centralized order-takers within the United States. None has introduced the technology nationally, in part because they've found it difficult to prove it saves money, Scott said. The parent company of Hardee's has conducted a limited test, too.

Other chains said they have not tried it and don't plan to at this point, including Burger King and Taco Bell, spokespersons for both said.

The technology has the potential to eliminate language barriers between Spanish-speaking employees and English-speaking customers, said Kate Mosteller, marketing director of Massachusetts-based Exit 41, which focuses on off-site order taking. Yet time zones and regional dialects can also present hurdles.

"You want someone who's friendly and articulate and who can understand ... different nuances," Mosteller said. "(Otherwise) you're going to know you're (being routed) somewhere else, and that's exactly what you don't want to do."

Jack in the Box's Anthony declined to discuss the results of the Charlotte trial, noting that the company doesn't speak in depth about its tests. "It is something we're testing, not something we're necessarily committed to at this point," she said.

Though the local run is wrapping up soon, Jack in the Box will continue to try the approach in other markets "here and there," Anthony said.

Customers such as Banks say the system can sound a bit distant: After all, fast-food order takers aren't always the easiest to hear even when they're around the corner, let alone around the world. But it hasn't posed any other issues, and the speakers are very polite. Then again, Banks said, that was the case with the old method, too.

"It would be nice to understand what the rationale was behind (the change)," she said. "It seems like an awful lot of trouble."

Even so, she noted, it hasn't bothered her family so much that they've stopped visiting for milkshakes. "We just kind of laugh about it when we go through there: 'Oh, there's a guy in 'Texas' again.' "


ADVENTURES IN OUTSOURCING

When I pulled into the Cotswold Jack in the Box drive-through on a recent evening, I was greeted by a woman's voice that sounded chipper and hyper-polite, yet slightly far away and delayed, with an accent that seemed Indian. She politely took my order for a combo meal, which I ordered by number to speed the process.

As she repeated the order before sending me on my way, something seemed off; I looked up at the screen and realized she'd typed in the wrong meal by one number. I pointed out the error and she quickly corrected it; anyone can mishear a fast food order, whether on the other side of the building or the world. Then, she thanked me and wished me a good night. No "please pull around," though.

Once I arrived at the window, I asked the cashier if the restaurant had outsourced its order-taking, and she said it had. But the cashier was also wearing a headset. I was confused, but she explained that employees in the restaurant can still hear the orders; they just don't take them. Sure enough, as I waited for my food, I heard other customers' voices piped into the food preparation area.

But, I asked, if that's the case, why not just take the orders at the restaurant? The cashier didn't know. Maybe, she speculated, the company just wanted to create some more jobs.

For the record, my food arrived smoothly, just as it had at the two other, non-outsourced Jack in the Box drive-throughs I visited. But the customer experience was definitely stranger _ by thousands of miles.

_ Jen Aronoff


© 2009, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)

==========

Restaurants are outsourcing non cooking tasks to improve efficiency. Kitchen staff performs better when they are being asked to cook and cook only. Cutting edge restaurant managers seeking to produce a better product with motivated employees are finding ways to motivate those employees with something other than salary increases.

Non cooking related tasks are being increasingly outsourced to keep the kitchen cooking, not taking orders or menial tasks such as cleaning.

Facilities Maintenance in Maryland

Commercial Building Maintenance LLC
carpet cleaning, janitor service,
25628 Ridge Rd, Damascus Md 20872
Phone: 301-482-2122