Carpet cleaning technicians have to learn a variety of skills and one of them has nothing to do with the science of cleaning carpets. Instead, it's all about dealing with your customer and/or building occupant.
 
Doug Berjer with CFR (continuous recycling extractors) offers the following suggestions on what to do or say in some common customer situations:
 
Customer: See these spots...do you think they will come out?
What not to say: "Yeah, no problem."
What to say: "May I test the area first and see if they come out?"
 
Technician: Ms. Smith, would you show me what carpet in the building you want cleaned?
What not to do: Just listen and expect to remember the details.
What to do: Carry a pen and notebook and jot down notes. It shows you are a caring professional and ensures that special instructions are clear.
 
Technician: Drive up to the house and park.
What not to do: Park in the driveway.
What to do: Ask the customer for permission to park in the driveway and explain why it may be necessary.
 
Customer: This cabinet is more than 100 years old, please be careful around it.
What not to do: Nothing.
What to do: Call your crew over and mention this in front of the customer. It's reassuring and helps prevent an unfortunate incident.

Customer: Is your work guaranteed?
What not to say: "Sure."
What to say: "If there is a problem just call us back and we will correct it. If we cannot correct it, we will refund you money."
 
Technician: Needs a place to dump out dirty water.
What not do to: Dump the water in a toilet
What to do: Ask Ms. Smith's permission to empty the soiled solution in a toilet and invite her to see how much soil has been removed from the carpet.

Customer: How long will it take the carpets to dry?
What not to say: "Few hours."
What to say: "The carpets will likely be damp for a few hours. If you can, avoid walking on them for about eight hours."