“The Company that Cares”.
It’s our company tagline, but what does it mean, exactly?
A quick Google search for the definition of the word “care” yields the following: “the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something.”, and to “feel concern or interest; attach importance to something.”
The maxim that keeps us on our mission course here at ZOOM! headquarters – our “North Star”, if you will – is this notion of “care”. It is this principle – “the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone” – that we strive to keep at the core of every decision we make here; something that we apply not only externally in our interaction with customers and our home cleaning services, but – perhaps more importantly – internally as well, to the inclusion of each individual ZOOM! team member.
It’s an easy slogan to throw around… the company that cares… care for people, care for property, care for the planet. And it’s not like it’s exclusive. Most companies will boast of excellent customer service – or care – in their marketing efforts. So how do we differentiate between tossing around a simple slogan, and the consummation of an authentic imperative to do the right thing by all people?
Here are a few thoughts on the “Authentic Care” that we aspire to here at ZOOM! Home Cleaning, and that we strive to deliver to both our team members and customers alike:
Authentic Care has a Conscience
Most of us have a conscience; an “inner voice” or “gut feel” that prompts us regarding the right or wrong thing to do. Often it can be in conflict with what we might really want to do in a given situation. Authentic care is demonstrated when we act in alignment with what we know to be the right course of action, even if we don’t want to do it. Authentic care can even transcend our conscience, when we give beyond what will appease our conscience, or beyond what might be considered reasonable or fair.
Authentic Care is Inconvenient
Care is most easily demonstrated when things are going well. But our true colours shine when things are going poorly, or when the wheels fall off our plans. For example, it is never convenient when one of our team members struggles with a life crisis in the middle of a work week, or a customer cancels a house cleaning at the last minute due to illness. Every parent is familiar with a tug on their trouser leg at the least convenient time, from a child in distress yearning to be acknowledged and comforted, and would never consider deferring their response to a more convenient time. Convenient care is cold and conditional care. Authentic care is punctual; it shows up when it’s needed most.
Authentic Care has a Cost
As a rule of thumb, authentic care will cost you something. That cost might be pride, giving up being right, acknowledging a mistake, eating a little crow, or losing money. When we have our crews stand down and cancel cleaning services on a snow day due to hazardous road conditions, it costs us financially. But authentic care puts the safety and well-being of our cleaning crew members ahead of an invoice. We have in the past conducted house cleaning jobs that have not – for whatever reason – gone well and failed to meet the expectations of our customer. Instead of trying to cut our losses and run, authentic care means we pursue these failures as opportunities – with a cost – to demonstrate to our customers the depth of our commitment.
Authentic Care is not always Comfortable
Because authentic care can prick our conscience, has a real cost and is not always convenient, it goes without saying that it is often not comfortable. It can mean we have to step out of our comfort zone, engage in a confrontation, bite our tongue, or come to terms with our own inadequacies. Authentic care is not always an easy road, but one that leads to significant, loyal, longterm relationships. And considering almost everything of value in this life can be found within our interactions with others, it is a road well-worth travelling.
