Toward the end of 2017, Canadian Linen launched its comprehensive, fully managed first aid service. Since then, we’ve rolled out the offering to all locations throughout Canada and the U.S. Jeremy Potter, Sales Executive, shares his thoughts on why customers are responding positively and how the differentiated product essentially sells itself. During his 14 years with the company, in service and sales roles, this is the program he has been the most excited about.
What are your early impressions of the first aid program?
We started selling first aid in October last year. We love the first aid cabinets! Our branch has been really successful with them. Once you walk into the customer’s business and show them the products, they sell themselves. The customers that we introduce them to are immediately interested.
We’ve come across some of the self-managed programs where the company spends $20 on bandages, and that’s pretty much all that was in the cabinet. And some of the businesses are really large companies. Thankfully we’re able to provide a higher quality, cost-effective solution.
Your program has been very beneficial for our company. It's very organized and meets all of company's safety needs while saving us a significant amount of money.
– John Martin, Plant Manager, food services company
Which industries have been the most interested?
Most of our success has come with the hospitality industry. Unfortunately, restaurant employees deal with cuts and burns constantly. Our kits are well geared toward those instances with finger cots, waterproof bandages, burn gel and the burns module.
The industrial and automotive space has also been successful. We’ve had a lot of interest from tire stores. Our branch recently visited a local tire supplier. When we were demonstrating the program to their head buyer, he said, “This would’ve been so helpful last week.” He explained that one of his employees suffered a major eye injury in a work-related accident. Even though it was a week late for that specific employee, he signed up for cabinets for all eight of his shops. And he loves the program.
What has been the feedback from customers so far?
They’ve been receptive when we explain the low cost of our program versus having to deal with a potential workman’s compensation cost. When I’m demonstrating the cabinets, I always have one of the modules open so I can show them how the products are packed in the order to be used to treat the injury. They like that the module is compact and easy to take with them.
I’ve had some customers put the kits in front of their safety committee to make sure they meet their needs. They appreciate the monthly documentation that we provide, which our competitors do not have. Once the sleeve is replaced, we sign the log, which satisfies CCOHS recordkeeping standards. We’ve had customer’s eyes light up when they see that the service log is right there in the cabinet.
In your opinion, what are some of the benefits of having the Canadian Linen first aid program?
We’ve heard from customers that having a fluctuating bill with their current provider is their biggest pain point. They can see their monthly bill go anywhere from $100 to $400 a month. Our consistent, flat weekly fee has been one of the major reasons customers buy our service.
Another benefit for customers is having one vendor provide all their services. If we can provide their first aid needs in addition to their uniforms and linens, that means they only have one vendor to manage and one less invoice to keep track of.
Speak to how important it is that sales and service work together on this program.
Because the Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) have built the relationships with the customers, they typically start the conversations and then pass it along to the proper channels. They’ve built that trust with the customers so they know we have their best interests in mind. That relationship opens the door for our sales professionals to go in and show off the features and service to close the deal. Synergy between sales and service is key.
To learn how Canadian Linen’s first aid program can help keep your employees safe, contact us today!