Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Seal of Approval (SOA) Featured In ICS Cleaning Specialist Magazine
The February 2010 issue of ICS Cleaning Specialist magazine features an article entitled, “The CRI SOA Program: 5 Years Later”. The article details the origins of the one-of-a-kind Seal of Approval testing and certification program for carpet cleaning products and equipment, and talks about the changes the program has undergone during its first five years of existence. Authored by Carpet and Rug Institute President Werner Braun, the article begins:
“To my mind, nothing is more rewarding than seeing hard work pay off.”
He then lists some of the program’s accomplishments, such as its growth. As of this writing, there are 285 solutions, 67 deep cleaning systems, 157 vacuums, 83 extractors, and 984 Service Providers on the Seal of Approval lists.
The article explains how the current Seal of Approval program started after CRI performed a nationwide consumer survey that revealed consumers’ number one complaint about carpet was that they did not know how to clean it properly. This survey and the subsequent field study that showed that many cleaning solutions on the market at the time did not perform very well formed the backbone of what later became the testing parameters for the solutions category of SOA testing. As Werner notes in the story,
“In the end, these disappointing first results produced a positive outcome: as SOA testing identified problem products, conscientious manufacturers reformulated their solutions so that the entire industry moved ahead.”
“As pleased as I am with the growth of the SOA Program, I think it is even more important for CRI to do all it can to increase the market share for each SOA participant and Service Provider, and our efforts in that area have been impressive.”
As examples, he lists CRI’s enhanced Service Provider program, with new language emphasizing the importance of ethical business practices and good customer relations. This new SOA “code of conduct” requires certified providers to uphold a high standard of accountability, responsibility and customer-oriented service. The agreement also strongly recommends that Service Providers be certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, or IICRC.
Other recent additions to SOA:
· New “toolkits” of professional marketing materials for Service Providers and SOA solutions and equipment manufacturers. These downloadable toolkits include customizable versions of a press release, brochure, Frequently Asked Questions and talking points fact sheets.
· The new CRI blog which has gained significant exposure for the Seal of Approval program through search engines and on the internet
· A collection of “Seal of Approval Success Stories” on the CRI blog
· CRI’s YouTube channel, featuring the “Jet Stream Grill” video of a SOA firm bringing some seriously dirty carpet back to life. (Watch the video at www.icsmag.com or go on YouTube and enter Jet Stream Grill in the search window to find it.)
Werner finishes by saying, “Since its beginning, the SOA Program has existed with the sole intention of giving all consumers – businesses and individuals – a better way to tell the carpet cleaning products and services that work from the ones that don’t. We knew from the start that there would be a certain degree of push back to the program, and CRI continues to keep an open ear to potential ways the SOA Program can be improved or expanded.”
Congratulations, Werner on a well-written article! And thanks to ICS Cleaning Specialist for helping CRI tell the Seal of Approval story.
For the complete version of the CRI SOA: 5 Years Later story in the ICS Cleaning Specialist magazine, click here; you'll find it on pages 16 and 18.
“To my mind, nothing is more rewarding than seeing hard work pay off.”
He then lists some of the program’s accomplishments, such as its growth. As of this writing, there are 285 solutions, 67 deep cleaning systems, 157 vacuums, 83 extractors, and 984 Service Providers on the Seal of Approval lists.
The article explains how the current Seal of Approval program started after CRI performed a nationwide consumer survey that revealed consumers’ number one complaint about carpet was that they did not know how to clean it properly. This survey and the subsequent field study that showed that many cleaning solutions on the market at the time did not perform very well formed the backbone of what later became the testing parameters for the solutions category of SOA testing. As Werner notes in the story,“In the end, these disappointing first results produced a positive outcome: as SOA testing identified problem products, conscientious manufacturers reformulated their solutions so that the entire industry moved ahead.”
“As pleased as I am with the growth of the SOA Program, I think it is even more important for CRI to do all it can to increase the market share for each SOA participant and Service Provider, and our efforts in that area have been impressive.”
As examples, he lists CRI’s enhanced Service Provider program, with new language emphasizing the importance of ethical business practices and good customer relations. This new SOA “code of conduct” requires certified providers to uphold a high standard of accountability, responsibility and customer-oriented service. The agreement also strongly recommends that Service Providers be certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, or IICRC.
Other recent additions to SOA:
· New “toolkits” of professional marketing materials for Service Providers and SOA solutions and equipment manufacturers. These downloadable toolkits include customizable versions of a press release, brochure, Frequently Asked Questions and talking points fact sheets.
· The new CRI blog which has gained significant exposure for the Seal of Approval program through search engines and on the internet
· A collection of “Seal of Approval Success Stories” on the CRI blog
· CRI’s YouTube channel, featuring the “Jet Stream Grill” video of a SOA firm bringing some seriously dirty carpet back to life. (Watch the video at www.icsmag.com or go on YouTube and enter Jet Stream Grill in the search window to find it.)
Werner finishes by saying, “Since its beginning, the SOA Program has existed with the sole intention of giving all consumers – businesses and individuals – a better way to tell the carpet cleaning products and services that work from the ones that don’t. We knew from the start that there would be a certain degree of push back to the program, and CRI continues to keep an open ear to potential ways the SOA Program can be improved or expanded.”Congratulations, Werner on a well-written article! And thanks to ICS Cleaning Specialist for helping CRI tell the Seal of Approval story.
For the complete version of the CRI SOA: 5 Years Later story in the ICS Cleaning Specialist magazine, click here; you'll find it on pages 16 and 18.
~ Bethany
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