"Every customer contact is a piece of quality"

The focus is on a holistic approach to quality. The business model of the family-owned company in Subingen/SO is based on a closed circle of eight quality seals - customer care, equipment, resources, training, organisation, surveys, audits and controls - as part of its professional all-round service in facility management.

Facility Services with eight seals ...
"This '360-degree understanding' of quality is crucially important to us as a service provider," emphasise CEO Simon Stampfli and QM Manager Stefan Balsiger. "We therefore communicate this internally and externally at every opportunity." In an interview, the two exponents explain what this is all about:

• Customer Care: Every contact with the customer is a piece of quality. Special care is taken to ensure this. State-of-the-art IT systems make support possible at all times.
• Equipment: Techniques, material and equipment are adapted to customer service together with selected suppliers.
• Resources: National presence facilitates the selection and deployment of the right professionals to the customer.
• Training courses: All employees complete basic customer-oriented training - from occupational safety and health protection to personal appearance.
• Organisation: Stampfli is clearly structured, makes decisions quickly and communicates openly. Every customer has a direct contact person.
• Surveys: Regular customer satisfaction analyses ensure feedback from the order front and provide an opportunity for improvement.
• Audits: The management system as well as performance, organisation, processes, safety, care and friendliness are audited on an ongoing basis.
• controls: The central audit and control system operates digitally and without paper. On-site checks are carried out by management staff. Improvements are initiated immediately.

The concept with the eight Stampfli seals is embedded in an integrated management system. The basis for this is the SQS certifications according to ISO 9001, 14001 and OHSAS 18001. All three certifications took place in 2004. They are combined in a manual. Every employee has access to it. Audits are carried out to ensure that everyone actually complies with the guidelines and regulations. On the one hand, the certificates reflect the company's extremely quality-oriented corporate philosophy, and in some cases they also open doors to the market.

Stampfli is considered a full-service provider in the building management sector. What were the most important steps in the company's development?                     
Simon Stampfli: My parents built up the business 29 years ago. In keeping with the times, the business was run on a very patronage basis, and the mandates were still small and local back then.

I joined my father's business in 1994 after completing my apprenticeship as a structural draughtsman. We built up further services and marketing was intensified through increased acquisition. After that, branches were established, first in Biel, then in Berne and Lucerne. An important milestone for us was Expo 2002, which we won as a customer. We received the order to clean the Arteplages Biel and Neuchâtel. Around 200 people were employed there. Step by step, other branches were added: Basel, Herisau, Aarau, in French-speaking Switzerland and in Ticino. The business continued to develop. New important customers were acquired: Railways, bus companies, large industrial enterprises, etc.

In 2009, Arthur Stampfli handed over the business to his four descendants. A holding company was founded and Stampfli AG was launched as a subsidiary. Today, the three brothers are all active in the company, while the sister holds her shares externally. In 2007, I was appointed CEO, Jeremias Stampfli is Chief Financial Officer, and Noah Stampfli works in IT & Development.

In 2015, the business strategy was communicated externally with the 360-degree approach and the full-service offering. We have been building on this branding ever since. Today, with 1800 employees, Stampfli is one of the leading national providers in the FM market.

You are the second generation to run the family business. How can you tell?   
Simon Stampfli: To me, cooperation in the company is important. I value employees who think for themselves, have something to say and make suggestions. This manifests itself in an almost family-like atmosphere in the workforce. For example, we have no prescribed break times and no fixed workplaces. Anyone can work anywhere. We rely mainly on trust. This corporate culture is appreciated, even expected. It allows us to distinguish ourselves in the job market and attract good people. We currently employ people from over 60 nations. And we understand each other.

And what about the risks? Are there any services that are particularly sensitive in terms of occupational health and safety?
Stefan Balsiger: Yes, definitely. That is why this area is very important to us. We regularly carry out appropriate training, also in cooperation with clients. All Stampfli employees are identifiable by their uniform professional clothing, and they have an identity card. Where required, they wear protective clothing. Fortunately, we have not had to register any serious accidents at work to date. However, there are also potential hazards in our business. For example, in public areas such as parks or railway stations. There, there is a particular risk of cuts, stings, infections, etc. when handling waste disposal. In public transport, sensitive zones are to be mentioned with the cleaning of trains. Particularly, for example, are the stepping on railway tracks, the danger of tripping, the danger of collision and the particularities of night work. Prerequisite for working at heights are the courses on the lifting platform and the personal protective equipment against falling.

Special conditions also prevail in clean rooms in the medical sector, in industry and in research laboratories. Strict mask and clothing regulations ensure the cleanliness of the rooms and prevent contamination.

What is occupational health and safety worth to you?
Stefan Balsiger: We invest in this important sector to protect our employees. Accident-free performance of tasks at the customer's site also prevents disruptions to the work process. Occupational health and safety is a separate learning module in all our internal training courses. The direct departmental superior is responsible for ensuring compliance with the regulations. Our employees adhere well to the guidelines and are aware of the potential risks. Stampfli also takes preventive measures in the area of non-occupational accidents. Here, too, the number of incidents is low.