TIME TO GET PERSONAL? Amid all the media talk of AI and robots impacting our working lives, the personal touch was a
consistent theme amongst the winners of the 2017 European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards, says organiser Environment Media Group.
The European Cleaning and Hygiene Awards are deliberately wide ranging, attempting to include every aspect of the industry – including distributors, manufacturers and service providers – and secure entrants from all across Europe. We certainly look to celebrate innovation and technology, but something that stood out among last year’s diverse entrants was the essential nature of personal interactions in successful businesses.
This was undoubtedly the case for distributors WE Italia, whose bespoke customer service offering played a key role in their award win. Talking about the localised structure of the organisation, the company’s Director General, Simone Bertocci, explained that it allowed them: “to pay close attention to the specific problems faced by our customers. Our ethos is to always be close at hand wherever our customers may be. Every time we solve a customer’s problem it is a pleasure to us.”
Fellow Italian company Markas, winner of the sustainability award, also found good working relationships to be the winning formula. Its staff worked in partnership with colleagues at the Montichiari Hospital when it introduced new, more sustainable products and working practices.
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In a similar vein, Avril McCarthy, General Manager of Irish cleaning firm Derrycourt, and winner of the ‘Greatest individual contribution to driving up standards of excellence within a cleaning operation’ award has a very hands-on approach to client relationships, despite also having to manage the company’s head office function.
The personal nature of the industry is exemplified by the fact that two of the European Cleaning and Hygiene awards require personal nominations. Entrants to both the ‘Leader of the Year’ and the ‘Rising Star’ awards need to be nominated by someone working with them within their organisation (or a client in the case of the Rising Star category). We believe it is important to recognise and reward those who take extra care in their relationships in this way.
GREAT OPPORTUNITY The gala dinner, where the awards are presented, is a further opportunity to make the most of the personal approach. You can attend even if you’re not a winner and take the unique chance to network with top people from the cleaning and hygiene sectors from across Europe. You won’t see a gathering like it anywhere else.
This year’s venue is the 5-star Hotel Palace, in the German capital, Berlin. Having already held ceremonies in Spain and Italy, we believe it is important to host the event in different locations each year to allow as many people as possible to attend, and to celebrate the cultures of the various European nations.
NEW NAME, SAME HIGH
STANDARDS The more eagle-eyed among you will have noticed a few changes to the category names for this year’s awards – including the Rising Star Award. This is to make things clearer for entrants across Europe and ensure top quality entries continue across all categories and from all types of business.
To grow and prosper, the industry will clearly need to embrace the technological revolution including the Internet of Things, AI and robots, but we think there’s plenty of room for all that alongside the existing focus on people, both colleagues and customers, that has made the industry what it is.
We’re definitely going to continue showcasing and celebrating the diverse nature of the industry as it goes from strength to strength.
www.echawards.com twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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