Most business owners understand the value of hiring a commercial cleaning company to make sure their facilities are regularly cleaned and disinfected to a consistent standard. Professionals do a much better job than employees would, and not adding cleaning to their already full workload makes them a lot happier.
But office managers tasked with the job of hiring a commercial cleaning company have their work cut out for them. According to 2022 figures from IBIS World, there are 1,136,663 janitorial service businesses in the United States. Some are large franchise operations with dozens of locations around the country. Others are smaller chains or mom-and-pop shops. They provide many different services and a variety of price points.
There are a few specifics office managers are looking for when they decide which cleaning company is the best fit. Knowing what they want will help you stand out from the competition.
Reputation
The first thing they will search for is a company with a great reputation. They will talk with office managers at similar businesses. They also read online reviews and avoid companies that have a lot of negative ones.
The personnel of a commercial cleaning company are also very important. You need to have a trustworthy staff that can get the job done correctly. What kind of background checks do they undergo before being hired? Are they licensed, bonded, and insured in case of breakage and theft? Make sure you can answer questions about what kind of training they undergo to make sure they really know what they are doing. Office managers often want to know if the same team will visit their facility each night, so be prepared to provide the consistency they are looking for.
Professionalism
Professionalism is a must, both in the way the staff acts to their appearance. Uniforms are a small thing, but they make a big difference. Studies have shown that wearing uniforms increase professionalism and productivity in workers. Plus, it’s an added level of security for the business. If a cleaner is wearing a uniform, everyone in the building knows they are supposed to be there.
Equipment and chemicals
In order to do the job correctly, you need to have the right tools, specifically the correct chemicals. Reputable cleaning companies know there are no one-size-fits-all cleaning solutions. Cleaning a restaurant is different from cleaning a medical facility, which is different from cleaning an automotive centre. The best cleaning companies know which chemicals are strong enough to do the job while gentle enough not to damage surfaces.
More and more companies are now offering green cleaning. While cleaning solutions aren’t as harsh as they were decades ago, many still contain chemicals that are damaging to the earth’s environment. They also impact the environment inside the facility as they contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may cause headaches and respiratory problems in building occupants. Because of this, many office managers are now adding green cleaning to the list of things they’re looking for in a commercial cleaning service.
Since the start of the pandemic, there are new standards for disinfecting and sanitizing surfaces to kill the COVID-19 virus. The CDC and OSHA both have guidelines concerning the best ways to clean to prevent the spread of disease. Any professional cleaning service should be aware of these guidelines and make sure their employees are following them.
Cost
While cost shouldn’t be the determining factor in whether someone hires a certain cleaning company, it will play a role. Decisionmakers want to find the company that will provide the most value for the price.
Many office managers start the process of finding a commercial cleaning company believing all are the same. Following some of these suggestions will help your company show why and how quality matters.
Doug Flaig is the President of Stratus Building Solutions, a janitorial services franchise organization, where he ensures that franchisees and customers receive world-class service. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer with Safe Facility Services, a janitorial services provider, headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA.
