That’s why the National Carpet Cleaners Association has a Code of Practice, which all members have to follow. The code is intended to provide consumers and commercial clients with additional security and peace of mind when employing the services of a carpet and upholstery cleaner who is a member of the Association. Read on as we discuss what it is and how it works.
The NCCA is a professional body that upholds the standards of professionalism, quality and skills required by trained carpet and upholstery cleaners. To do this, a Code of Practice is in place that sets out aims and objectives to protect customers, both domestic and commercial.
The motto of the NCCA is ‘Service with Integrity’, and all members of the associations are expected to adhere to these practices and keep up to date with regulations.
The Code of Practice set out by the NCCA includes a range of points that cover excellent customer service and satisfaction. This helps to reduce customer complaints and resolve issues in a timely manner.
The Code of Practice sets out specific criteria that members have to adhere to. This has several benefits for customers, such as:
As a customer, you can expect to receive professional standards from members at all times. That’s because the Code of Practice covers training and obtaining relevant industry practice to meet adequate levels of service.
With this in place, customers have specially trained carpet and upholstery cleaners with relevant experience and a roster of successful projects behind them. So there’s peace of mind you’ll get a job well done.
Customers also benefit from excellent communication from start to finish. The Code of Practice sets out what is required, and as a result, customers receive prompt responses and punctual appointments. That’s paired with clear and transparent information about costs, the time needed and outcomes.
It’s essential that customers feel they are getting great value for money. When choosing a carpet cleaner with NCCA accreditation, customers benefit from fair pricing when they receive a quote. The same is true for any additional work required while the job is being carried out. Rest assured, you won’t experience hard or pushy sales tactics either.
When you see an advert for carpet cleaning from an NCCA member, it will always adhere to the Code of Practice in regard to honest, transparent, clear and unambiguous communication. This ensures that customers have a good idea of what they’re going to receive before getting a quote.
There are many benefits of using a carpet cleaner with NCCA accreditation. Overall, you have greater confidence in the level of service you’ll receive, with peace of mind that these professionals adhere to a Code of Practice that goes beyond the typical service agreements.
Looking to book a carpet cleaner? Search for nearby NCCA carpet cleaners via our handy tool.
All registered members can be found on the NCCA’s Trusted Local Cleaners directory.
Members can edit their profile on the directory by adding:
Customers can submit enquiries for potential jobs and also leave reviews. We've also created a unique embed code that you can use on your own website to display the reviews from your listing.
Many Members have already taken advantage of this, and made
their listing stand out by adding a logo, photos, videos, social media links, a company description and that all important back link to your own website.
The website is regularly reviewed to ensure we can be as optimised as possible when it comes to SEO. Updating your own listings massively helps with this. If you need assistance with anything technical, our office team are always happy to help.
Members can benefit from the ‘members price’ on all training courses, which can mean up to £100 off standard training fees. A further discount is automatically applied at checkout if booking two or more delegates from your company on the same course. We run a variety of courses throughout the year, including a number of member-only programmes such as Textile Insect Pest Control.
Our Professional Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning course is now CPD accredited, which means cleaning professionals undertaking course will also earn CPD points, which will help reflect their ongoing skills in training and competence in their field.
Did you know? As a member you have FREE access to FOUR essential business services; Health & Safety, HR, Legal and Tax from Quest. With these services you have access to document libraries where you can download from a bank of hundreds of templates. A helpline is also available for further advice and support. All schemes and important details can be found under the Membership Benefits page in the Members Area.
The NCCA Members group is a private environment where fellow members can network, in a professional capacity, about all things industry related. We also have a Corporate specific group where multiple Corporate Members can openly advertise, engage and respond with brand specific answers.
The NCCA Directors have been involved in the carpet and upholstery cleaning industry for many years and are on hand to offer free advice and generally assist with any cleaning related problems. As the Directors are not based in the NCCA office and offer their time voluntarily, we have a technical advice form on the Members Area of the website. We receive weekly enquiries ranging from tricky stains to unusual designer fabrics.
Following on from technical support, sometimes the NCCA need to provide further assistance to Members. ADR is now a lawful process within the UK legal framework to find a resolution to disputes to endeavour to free up more court time for the most important cases. If you have a dispute with a consumer who wishes to progress the matter to court, the court will refer the matter back to both parties to instigate the ADR process before it is returned to the court. The cost of employing an outside ADR representative will cost on average, anywhere between £50-800 per hour. The NCCA will act as an intermediary on the behalf of both parties to use our knowledge and skills to determine a resolution between both parties, without the need to engage expensive legal representation.
All official NCCA documents, membership upgrade application forms, TrustMark application documents, general meeting minutes/reports, complaints guidance and many more can be found in the secure Members Area of the website. Being a member of the NCCA means you have agreed to abide by the Articles of Association, Code of Practice and other rules and regulations. Please take the opportunity to fully review and understand these documents.
We have created a bank of images, audio & video clips and guides under Member Documents, which members are free to use on social media pages, websites and any other marketing materials.
The online shop has bespoke membership merchandise, including leaflets, decals, survey forms and other items available to purchase from the NCCA.
Corporate Members are industry suppliers, manufacturers and service providers registered with the NCCA. We recommend our Corporate Members for equipment, chemicals, insurance and much more. The list can be searched by category and location online. Many Corporate Members offer member-only schemes and discounts such as:
Factotum - Telephone Answering Service
Coversure Kidderminster & Movo Insurance Brokers - Insurance
Sitewizard - Web design services
The Rug Laundry - Commission on rug cleaning referrals
Various suppliers - Discounts of spot & stain kits and chemicals following our Advanced Spot & Stain Removal course
The NCCA are working in partnership with Controlaccount Plc to assist members in dealing with slow paying customers. A fast, efficient, low cost solution to outstanding account management by the UK’s leading Collection Company to the service industries. NCCA members are entitled to a discounted rate for the collection of accounts. Controlaccount are able to collect outstanding accounts utilising the LPA (late payment act) to cover the majority of recovery costs reducing fees. This service works on a no collection, no fee arrangement, and so if they are unable to recover your debt there would be no charge for using our service.
Membership fees can be spread across 12, 9 or 6 month Direct Debit plans. All Direct Debit plans are interest free and no additional charge. If you want to pay over a bespoke plan, such as every 6 weeks or every quarter, not a problem!
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, we introduced payment holidays and extended due dates for invoices. We've extended our usual 30-day terms to 90 days for all invoices for membership fees. Direct Debit plans also have the flexibility of having payment 'holidays' so can start paying in July or September when paying over 9 or 6-month plans.
TrustMark is the Government endorsed initiative to help consumers find reliable and trustworthy local tradespeople to carry out repairs and maintenance within and outside the home. It is widely supported by consumer protection organisations, local Trading Standards authorities and the Office of Fair Trading.
The NCCA was awarded Scheme Operator status for the Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning industry category, and TrustMark membership within that category is only available to NCCA members (who meet the eligibility criteria). All the relevant TrustMark documentation and application can be found on our dedicated TrustMark page.
Your unique membership logo will be provided following your welcome email. Feel free to use this on your website, social media pages and any other marketing materials. Tip: If you're using the logo on your website, be sure to link the image back to your Trusted Local Cleaners listing to help with SEO!
We also have a number of logo branded merchandise available to purchase from the NCCA online shop.
As of 27th January:
Merry Christmas from the NCCA!
The NCCA has a tiered membership structure from Associate Member to Senior Member. Companies can progress through the levels of membership by fulfilling additional criteria, such as length of service and further training. Each member has their membership level on their directory listing.
Associate Member
All companies new to the Association and/or cleaning industry will begin at Associate Member level.
A list of our Associate Members, filtered on reviews, can be found here.
Member
A company must complete one year at Associate Member level and complete a recognised Advanced Spot & Stain Removal course in order to progress to Member level. Many companies choose to stay at Member level throughout their membership.
A list of our Members, filtered on reviews, can be found here.
Advanced Member
A company must complete two years at Member level and complete an additional recognised training course in order to progress to Advanced Member level. Advanced Members are also eligible to join the TrustMark scheme.
A Member can make an application for Advanced Membership upon their renewal in April. Upgrading is free of charge and included in the standard membership fee.
A list of our Advanced Members, filtered on reviews, can be found here.
Senior Member
A company must be a registered member for seven years and must have completed an additional four training courses throughout their membership. Senior Members must attend a training course every three years as well.
An Advanced Member can make an application for Senior Membership upon their renewal in April. Upgrading is free of charge and included in the standard membership fee. A Member can progress straight to Senior Member level if they meet the criteria.
A list of our Senior Members, filtered on reviews, can be found here.
We're pleased to announce that we have added new dates and courses to our training calendar. Become an expert in soft furnishing care & maintenance or refresh your knowledge bank with an NCCA training course.
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