Interview with Ahmad Al Hendi, Founder and Managing Director of Bleach Cleaning Services

How would you describe your industry and where does Bleach Cleaning Services fit in the industry in Kuwait?

We aim to create a new standard for how the industry operates. Facilities management is about resource management. Resource management is central to the operation of this sector, as cleaning and all other types of maintenance fall under the management of facilities. Cleaning itself is hugely diverse, just like other sectors of the facility management industry. However, when it comes to cleaning, it’s all about managing your resources and having sustainability, not only in the sense of being environmentally friendly, but in terms of sustainability for better revenue, a healthier business and an easier transaction for your customers. Environmentally friendly and non-toxic chemicals and tools are used with good results and less hassle at the same time. Accessibility and transparency are also important for everyone, where everyone knows their rights, whether customer or worker. In this sense, sustainability makes you change the way the business is run and helps you make things more digital than they are in the normal management process. In fact, labor management is considered both the primary resource and the most time consuming resource for this particular industry. Therefore, we are looking at how we can make it easier, more flexible and more suitable to deliver the end result to all clients and all types of clients.

What are you doing to transition to this new digital way of running the business?

It’s all about intelligence. When you have smarts in your workforce, that’s when you can do almost anything. When you do this, you will be able to migrate this intelligence to your system. It will make it so much easier for you and the client to know what is available and how to make labor requests. For example, sometimes there are human resources issues, like someone who is sick and can’t show up for work at certain types of venues at certain locations or at a certain event. These questions can only be a button or a click away for the employee to complete their sick leave, annual leave or any other transaction.

Do you implement specific systems, programs or applications to do this?

We have four main service categories, starting with detailed cleaning, which was how it all started. Second, cleaning with special care. Third, cleaning the kitchen. Finally, we have infection control.

We’ve been working hard on this over the last three to five years and it’s becoming a very good and healthy investment in how we can grow quickly as a business. In fact, when you’re too tall, you’re too slow to move. However, when you optimize to the last drop, every resource you have, you can be much stronger, faster and smarter than anyone else. We need to change the way we understand cleaning service providers. It’s not about labour; it is a question of intelligence and knowledge of needs. It’s not always about systems or digital. You can still buy a car, but you have to use it properly. You can get the best systems money can buy, but it all depends on how you manage those systems. When you combine the system and your advanced or skilled management, you can have your success at lower cost, with higher revenue, with more customers and with higher satisfaction as well.

What are you doing to switch to a greener way of doing business?

It must start with having an extremely strong and professional inventory department first. When you have a well-established inventory service, that’s when you can move on to something more advanced. You must have control over your consumption of all raw materials. Also, your finished products here are the ones that are not given to your customers. Your finished goods are delivered to your operations because operations are the customers of the inventory department. You must have full tracking of their assets, amount of raw materials used, etc.

What services do you offer?

We have four main service categories starting with the detailed cleaning, that’s how it all started. Second, cleaning with special care. Third, cleaning the kitchen. Finally, we have infection control. Each of these categories has a group of services you can choose from. It is something that can be beneficial for all categories of customers, whether industrial, commercial, retail, private or individual. This is due to the fact that cleaning services are a need and a necessity for everyone.

Who are your main customers?

The domestic sector is where we derive most of our income with an average percentage of 40% to 50%. The rest is split between industrial, commercial and retail. We expect to capture larger shares of other customer segments in these four categories. Our plan is to increase our services in all categories to a total of twelve. They will now be defined more clearly and correctly. When you choose a service category, you know that the service you are interested in is related to deep cleaning, but not marble grinding or textiles, upholstery, curtains or mattresses, for example. Therefore, all of these fall under the category of special care. Even kitchen cleaning includes its service group because kitchen appliances are a world apart. Some companies are only established to clean kitchen appliances and nothing else. Such an approach and clarity in how we present our services allows for easier communication and understanding between us and all of our customer segments.

What makes you unique? Why should a customer come to you rather than one of your competitors? What can you offer that sets you apart?

First of all, it is not only the service that is important, it is also the after-sales service and the guarantee to go further with the customers. When you’re in the outsourcing business, no matter how strong you are, there are always things that can happen. the service sector is a slippery road. It’s not about providing 100% service. It is necessary, but the after-sales service is more important. There is always room for comments. Even when you get your car serviced every few thousand miles, you might have an investigation into something that might have been missed. They use every system they have to give you accessibility on what they do and how they do it. This is also how we manage things through our digital software and more specifically our CRM.

What is your medium-term vision, three to five years?

We have regional development ambitions. Currently, we plan to focus on the local market as the demand in the domestic sector in Kuwait increases. Even considering its geographical location and size, there are other domestic sectors to come and there are growing needs for facilities management and services in other governorates of the country.

What is your source of inspiration? What drives you to get up in the morning every day and do what you do as an entrepreneur?

As an entrepreneur, you shouldn’t worry about whether you’re going to win or lose, whether there’s pain or gain, etc. That’s not how it works for me at least. It is rather a question of continuing on this path. You have to get up every morning at 5 or 6 in the morning. You have to believe and live the ambition you always have, whether in business A or business B. There are people who continue in this way and others who do not. There are people who succeed after nine months of establishment and there are people who succeed after 20 or 30 years of hard work. They are both good. It’s not about who is the best. It’s not about right or wrong. The point here is whether you have what it takes or not. It’s all about who breathes the deepest to get down underwater.

ABOUT BLEACH CLEANING SERVICES: Since 2013, Bleach has been dedicated to providing customers with cost effective cleaning and maintenance solutions for today’s competitive markets. Bleach has earned an outstanding reputation throughout Kuwait, allowing the company to continue to evolve and set new industry standards. As a leader in the cleaning industry, Bleach Cleaning Services understands the specific requirements of a fully managed service. Bleach provides domestic, commercial and industrial cleaning services, with a wide range of specialist services.

For more information, please visit: www.bleach-kw.com.

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