As the commercial cleaning industry continues to change and evolve, consistency has become more important than ever for companies looking to provide an elevated level of cleanliness, while prioritizing productivity and the customer experience.

To that end, ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) certification was created as a tool to help cleaning companies fully understand and address customer service requirements and to manage their companies to prioritize quality, efficiency, and overall customer satisfaction.

FC&M chatted with Rob Scott, executive vice president at Bee-Clean Building Maintenance, about what earning ISSA’s CIMS certification means to this Canadian-owned and -operated company.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

FC&M: What motivated you to attain the CIMS designation?

Scott: We’ve been involved with ISSA for a long time, and we’ve seen the importance of staying connected with industry associations and groups. I think for us as an organization, going through the process and the audit itself can serve as a functional overview of our performance within our own business and a little more broadly, within the marketplace. It’s great that as Canadians we can get a little more focused on the Canadian marketplace, along with being able to benchmark internationally for a broader audience throughout North America.

So, we appreciate that part of the process. Of course, internally, it’s a great place for us to work with ISSA’s auditing team to spot our own blind spots and to look in the rearview mirror to identify areas where we can improve. Coming out of our most recent audit with the ISSA in the summer of 2022, their team has been able to provide some insight into opportunities for improvement and identify areas where we’re performing well. We really see a lot of value in the certification.

FC&M: What does the certification process entail?

Scott: From start to finish, it’s probably about a three-month process. That’s right from kicking off with the ISSA to involving our own teams across Canada to working with the assigned auditing team. It involves a number of things including an on-site audit which is fairly comprehensive in that it makes a good attempt at covering the geography of Canada.

So, we are really fortunate to be a company that operates across Canada and, as such, one of the benefits for us was that the process allowed us to take a look at our own standardization and how we operate, as the audits took place across the country. Having such a broad company can also sometimes make it difficult to connect with each other internally, but this process gave us the chance to drive some of that much-needed connection and consistency.

FC&M: Why are these types of designations important?

Scott: Yes, they are important. We can all get caught up in looking for certifications and checking off all those boxes, but I think this certification has great value in that it’s less a box-checking exercise and more of a functional one. The ISSA is trying to develop janitorial contractors that perform at a consistent level, that have an easily-accessible base of knowledge to share with their clients. The intent of this designation is better-suited than some other auditing standards. This process has even encouraged us to take a more mindful view of other certifications and what they offer to us and to our clients.

FC&M: Why does standardization matter in the cleaning industry… or does it?

Scott: Part of the challenges in the cleaning industry space is that there is no red seal standard for us to point to, no consistent training curriculum to provide reassurance to our team members or to our clients that we have the skillset required to do a specific task, or that the skillsets of our organization translate to the ability to perform work.

Standardization is something the Bee-Clean would like to see across the industry; it gives our team members reassurance that what they’re doing is safe, and that the techniques they’ve been instructed on allow them to do their jobs and head home safely at the end of the day.

It also allows us to provide assurance to our clients that we are being effective with their budget dollars and that the occupants of their buildings will be safe and secure in the environments in which they work. I really do see a benefit to certification and standardization, and we certainly hope that we can be a part of an enhanced set of standards and certification processes across Canada and hopefully across North America.

FC&M: How do you think this type of standardization affects the industry as a whole?

Scott: I think an industry without standardization makes it easy to have service standards all over the map and it’s a real challenge for owners and customers to try and compare companies and services. There’s no good way to get a sense of what they’re buying and how it stacks up against competitors in the marketplace. Standardization and certification of industry practices is a good way for the industry to have the confidence that what they’re buying is on an equal footing, leveling the playing field, but that elevates the whole industry. Organizations will be able to take that and leverage it into good training for their employees and deliver better outcomes and visibility for their clients.

RELATED: Creating standard operating procedures for your cleaners

FC&M: How do you think the CIMS designation might help your business?

Scott: We have struggled historically with the market being aware of the CIMS certification, but increasingly (mainly institutions) are viewing the CIMS certification with a more favourable lens. They’re recognizing that it represents a standardization within the industry and a level of achievement that allows them to benchmark their competitors against one another. That has been really helpful. We are hoping to see more and more of that within the industry.

FC&M: Can you offer any tips for other companies looking to achieve the designation?

Scott: It is a rigorous process, but don’t let that scare you! I don’t think that should deter potentially interested parties. The process is really beneficial, and you will only know its true value once you’ve done it yourself. If a company is considering it, my recommendation is to contact the ISSA and jump in with both feet!

You need to commit to the auditing process. It’s not something that can be done off the corner of someone’s desk, you really need to make sure that you are able to put in the appropriate resourcing to take care of it properly. If you follow the standards that are set out in the CIMS program, it can make a meaningful difference to how your business operates, from efficiency to knowledge. We really have gained a fantastic insight into how our business runs, and we’ve been able to institute more consistencies throughout the business.

For more information about ISSA’s CIMS certification, please visit their website.