Announcing!
Certification Program
CIMS (Cleaning Industry Management Standardization) Certification Program
1Class Consulting is proud to announce a milestone in our company and a new service offering
that will greatly enhance the service industry.
Lance Witschen, of 1Class Consulting, has achieved the certification of
Expert in the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS), administered by the
International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA).
What is CIMS?
The Cleaning Industry Management Standard is a framework to help service providers develop customer centered organizations. Compliance with the Standard demonstrates to the customer that the organization is structured to deliver consistent, quality services.
What does it consist of?
The Standard is based on universally accepted management principles, and consists of five major sections:
1. Quality Systems
2. Service Delivery
3. Human Resources
4. Health, Safety, and Environmental Stewardship
5. Management Commitment
Where does it come from?
The Standard was developed by and for the cleaning industry and those it impacts. Some of the contributors and resources include:
* Cleaning service providers
* Chemical and supply distributors
* Chemical manufacturers
* Representatives from the hospitality industry
* Representatives from manufacturing
* Health science professionals
* Educational facility managers
* International Executive Housekeepers Association
* International Facility Managers Association
The above list is not intended to be exhaustive. It is however representative of the cross-functional approach that was taken in compiling the Standard.
Why become certified?
Business "Best Practices"
The Standard is comprised of "best practices" gathered by leaders in the industry, and contains good business practice guidelines that will help the provider in:
* Insuring that processes and programs are appropriate to the Organization
* Insuring that all processes and programs are properly used at all levels of the Organization and at all locations serviced by the Organization
* Acting as a communication tool to facility managers/purchasers on a service provider's ability to perform within a clearly defined Standard
Competitive Edge
There are an estimated 40,000 contract cleaning organizations in the U.S., servicing an estimated $30 billion industry. The 50 largest organizations control less than 30% of the market share. (Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Dunn & Bradstreet)
In a fragmented market such as this, the progressive, successful company must constantly re-invent and separate itself from it's competition. Using CIMS as the differentiator serves to provide a distinct advantage among the providers, and acts as an equalizer where overhead and other constraints may act as separators in the bidding process.
In addition, the CIMS certified provider can take advantage of the following:
* When a provider's sales organization submits a "Request For Proposal" they can be confident in the service level that their operations organization will provide because both organizations will be operating from the same Standard and guidelines.
* End users will be confident in a "Request For Proposal" submitted by a CIMS certified provider in that all of the components will be in place for the selected provider to successfully meet client requirements.
* Contract turnover will be significantly reduced from the national average by creating a "win-win" partnership between provider and client, making it less advantageous for the client to go looking for an unknown entity when they already have a certified provider that is meeting their needs.
Why use an Industry Certification Expert?
The Industry Certification Expert has been trained in, and demonstrated proficiency in, all of the components of the Standard. Utilizing the Expert's knowledge base of the Standard will help to facilitate the path toward assessment and certification.
Many providers already have many of the components required for certification. It is the role of the Expert, as a third party auditor, to assist in organizing those components a provider already has, and perhaps modifying where required. The Expert will also insure use of the components, as required by the Standard, in all of the provider's locations and at all levels of the Organization.
Make no mistake, certification in the Standard is very important. The components of the Standard just make good business sense. That is the primary reason that 1Class Consulting is proud to be a part of this extraordinary industry initiative.
If you would like more information or wish to schedule an audit, please use our "Contact Us" link.