In recent years, companies have started to view restrooms in a new, even profitable light, and distributors taking notice can reap benefits while retaining and growing their customer base.

Given this fact, businesses are presented with a unique opportunity to make a positive impression on facility visitors, reinforcing their company's overall brand image through its building management and accommodation of guests. Instead of what was the old manner of equipping restrooms as a necessary expenditure or an area to cut corners, businesses are beginning to see the restroom as a means of improving the bottom line by enhancing image, improving hygiene, and producing operational efficiencies in product and labor. For distributors looking to improve revenue and strengthen relationships with existing customers, they need look no further than restrooms and touchless technology.

The trend of creating a better restroom experience can be found in virtually all industries. Regardless of the nature of their business, companies are making cleanliness and good hygiene the foundation for their restroom improvements. A growing number are turning to higher-end automated touchless technology, such as towel and soap dispensers, to help foster improved hygiene and more sanitary environments.

Automated touchless technology can now be found in most public restrooms. Touchless products allow visitors to activate a toilet, a water faucet, a soap dispenser and a towel dispenser without having to make contact with surfaces that have the potential to carry germs.

Eliminating the amount of contact with various restroom surfaces reduces the risk of cross contamination. In doing so, these facilities help to eliminate the spread of harmful germs that can cause colds and flu. This, in turn, reduces the levels of worker absenteeism due to illness.

In addition to the benefits associated with reducing the risk of cross contamination in the restroom, touchless products have proven effective in curbing wasteful use of water, soap and towels through controlled, measured dispensing. This conservation feature also results in a cleaner room through less waste.

Georgia-Pacific/North America, for example, has experienced a great deal of success with its touchless dispensers. Customers have reported efficiencies in operations and labor; reduction of wasted product; and satisfaction of facility patrons and customers.

The value of investing in touchless products in public restrooms extends beyond good hygiene and an overall clean appearance. In addition to a decrease in cross-contamination and waste, touchless products can also result in greater ROI for facility owners, due to their durable design that is built to withstand years of use; more efficient restroom operation thanks to the products' high-capacity storage and controlled distribution; and better support of environmental best practices by the reduction of wasted water, paper products and other supply items associated with public restrooms

As customers continue to become more and more knowledgeable, they tend to gravitate towards those distributors who go beyond the role of product provider to those that also provide industry expertise. Distributors who recognize this paradigm shift and stay ahead of the curve by offering touchless technology can realize greater profitability through customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention.