Four Questions To Ask When Hiring a Cleaning Service
When first making contact with a janitorial company you’re considering hiring to service your building, you’ll want to make sure to ask a number of important questions whose answers will certainly influence your ultimate decision.
Here are some key areas to cover when interviewing these cleaning companies:
How does your commercial cleaning service handle complaints?
Sure, in the day-to-day operations of any business, mistakes are bound to happen and issues will arise. The mark of a truly professional janitorial service is how it handles these uncomfortable or unfortunate situations after the fact. Asking the company about how it reacts to complaints is important, as this answer will most definitely lead to the even-bigger issue of customer service. How seriously does this company take the feedback of its customers? Are there specific procedures in place to appropriately and efficiently handle – and, if necessary, escalate – complaints from tenants or property managers? Does the company have several possible ways of being contacted by you or a member of your team, both during business hours and after-hours?
How does your pricing for building cleaning services work?
The old adage “you get what you pay for” is truer than ever when it comes to building cleaning and janitorial services. Just like you might ask deeper questions of a service with higher prices, so too should you ask them of the cheaper services. All too often, you’ll find that the less expensive service isn’t always what it seems up front, whether new, previously-hidden costs arise along the way or whether what initially sounded inexpensive wasn’t actually a true “apples to apples” comparison. How many hours of cleaning is required per night? Do the labor hours truly permit proper cleaning of the facility per the Scope of Work?
Can you tell me more about your janitorial team and personnel?
Your commercial cleaning team is only as good as its people, right? You want to be sure that you are hiring the best trained and most dedicated of the bunch. Ask how long a company’s teams have been on the job. How do they screen and hire their people? What kinds of training do they receive?? What kinds of incentives are they offered to be the best at what they do? Is safety an important part of their training and daily focus? Does their work include only what they are told to do, or are they empowered to make some of their own decisions as to what needs the most cleaning attention on any given day? Who oversees their performance and work?
How “green” is your cleaning approach?
We hear the term “green” as it relates to cleaning a lot these days, but have you thought about how much it matters in relation to your building, its safety and its cleanliness? When it comes to cleaning your commercial space, there is more to consider than just the final result. It’s important that you know how seriously your cleaning company takes its environmental responsibility and what it is using as far as equipment, methods and products. Ask specifically about any green or related certifications, as well as any sustainability programs they have in place. What is the company’s philosophy about the environment in its clients’ buildings, as well as the environment overall? Is its approach to green cleaning one that is reflected in the work and actions of all team members? How up-to-date is the company’s knowledge on what the latest and greatest best practices of green cleaning are? How can you be sure that the cleaning processes will not harm the vulnerable occupants of the building?
Your cleaning questions matter…
Choosing a commercial cleaning service is an important decision, and one that takes more than just a brief conversation or two. Be sure to take the time to get the information that matters – it can make all of the difference in the future of your office building.
