Taking the initiative

1 December 1998



Educational and training requirements together with the promotion of the industry’s commercial activities are to the fore of the TSA’s agenda. Marc Sansom reports.


The Textile Services Association assumes many roles—its core task as a trade association being “trade protection” or more appropriately, says Murray Simpson, chief executive, “trade promotion”.

The mission statement of the TSA has always been to protect its members interests and to provide good quality information services and products. Under the guidance of Mr Simpson, the TSA has taken this mission statement a step further to proactively look for new ways and methods of promoting the industry.

Traditionally, the most important part of the TSA’s work has been its representation of the industry’s case in the corridors of power, to politicians and civil servants both in the UK and internationally.

It is a role which is as vital as ever, and with Mr Simpson’s background as a civil servant, and the current influence of the TSA at the interdepartmental stage of governmental legislative consultation, there is a strong case to argue that the industry has the right man at the helm.

Increasingly to the fore on the TSA’s agenda is its role in promoting the commercial interests of its members. Taking charge, a specialist marketing company, Publicity Overload, has been recruited to implement a market research campaign which, hopes Mr Simpson, will help to stimulate the commercial interests of the industry.

He says: “In the past we have always managed to produce comprehensive industry reports and videos. The difference now is that we are investing the association’s funds into taking our market research to the next stage.” The TSA’s aim is to talk to the very end user—the hotel’s customer, for example, and not simply the hotel manager—to find out what they require from the laundry and linen services provided.

Mr Simpson says: “Publicity Overload are very experienced in this area, and will be conducting a comprehensive market research campaign which will involve speaking to 3000 hotel customers over the telephone with the expectancy that 1 in 3 will participate in the survey.” The survey questionnaire will ask customers if they are happy with the linen services provided. Mr Simpson explains that hotels are always looking for ways to reduce costs and that laundry and linen services are usually the first to suffer.

He says: “Anyone who has stayed at a hotel in recent years will have noticed the signs in the bathroom advising of the hotel’s commitment to maintaining the environment and requesting that customers’ place any towels they require to be cleaned in the bath.

“This is basically a cynical ploy on the part of the hotel to use public concern over the environment to save on laundering costs,” says Mr Simpson. “We hope to use the results to persuade hotel managers that their customers actually want all their towels to be cleaned and two pillows or a bathrobe to be provided. We hope to persuade hotels that laundry and linen services need not always be a cost but can be a revenue generator.” Simply researching the information and making it available to the industry will be only the first stage, however. Mr Simpson believes that the TSA has a role to play in training the sales staff of laundry and textile rental companies to make full use of the results. “Once we have turned the surveys into quantifiable results it is important that we train the industry’s sales staff to use them effectively,” he says.

He explains that if the campaign is successful the intention is to look at other sectors of the industry such as dust mats and cabinet towels. “The aim is to provide comprehensive market research-backed information on all the different sectors of the industry and to make it readily accessible.” Education and training is another core element to the role of the TSA. Mr Simpson says that it is an area where the TSA has a duty to take the initiative. “Our role as a provider of educational and training services to the industry is fundamental. We have to make sure, however, that we are not competing in this area with other associations. We try and focus on those courses which are asked for and we talk regularly to members about which courses they would like to see provided.” Currently the TSA are running a number of courses designed to provide members with industry specific training in laundering, drycleaning and textile rental.

Organised by the commercial section of the TSA is a one-week, 5-day residential course in Textile Rental Management. Designed for both newcomers and junior managers, the course is entirely run by senior practising operators.

Mr Simpson says: “This course is concerned with a range of management issues, and is designed to give an overview of the industry.” The course focuses on the key areas of textile rental management, including customer service, energy conservation, finance, health and safety, marketing and sales, personnel, production systems and quality management.

Proud of the way the industry has pulled together, Mr Simpson says: “For this course we don’t use external trainers. It is a super example of the industry working together to train its junior and middle managers.

“The course is self financing. It is not a profit making exercise but a resource to the industry. Funding for the course comes from membership subscriptions, industry sponsorship and benevolent industry benefactors. We only cover our costs,” says Mr Simpson.

The Textile Rental Management course is held every two years with the next one due to start in February 1999 in High Wycombe.

The TSA also runs a course entitled, “Essentials of Leadership”, a three-day residential management and leadership skills programme for middle and senior managers. Describing the rationale for the course Mr Simpson says: “This is an industry specific course designed for all sectors of textile care, including textile rental companies, launderers and drycleaners.” The course looks at three principal areas including: approaches to leadership and teambuilding; communication skills with specific attention paid to problem solving, information presentation and management briefing sessions; and performance management skills with focus given to motivation, delegation and time management. Mr Simpson says that core to this course are real industry case studies.

The next Essentials of Leadership course is due to take place from the 16-18 March 1999.

The 1990s has often been described as being the decade of customer care. As a result, front line personnel now shoulder far greater responsibility. Recognising the importance of customer care, the TSA runs a one-day practical workshop for counter staff, customer service personnel and district managers in both laundering and in drycleaning.

Mr Simpson says: “This course covers important areas such as care labelling, the benefits of good customer care and the testing of speciality garments. It also teaches counter staff about how to say no to a customer who asks you to remove the impossible stain.” The increasing influence of the international standard bodies—the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and the Comité de European Normalisation (CEN)—is also a key focus of the TSA, evident in its recruitment of Mike Palin as technical director.

Mr Simpson says: “The recruitment of Mike Palin is a real departure and a real investment for the association. Mike’s technical background as a chemist and as technical director with the FCRA has put a major industry resource at our disposal.” He explains that issues such as the proposal of a new work item on hygenic laundering to CEN will have considerable implications for UK laundering: “We can either allow a standards benchmark to develop or we can actively participate in the work.” Mr Palin agrees that it is essential that the TSA, as a representative body, is involved in the development of standards in hygenic laundering: “It is likely to succeed and, given the interest in the topic in the UK, we will need to be present.”



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