What Expertise should you look for in a Commercial Cleaning Partner?

If you only pay for the cleaning, you are being cheated

Imagine paying a commercial cleaner to keep your facility clean… and that is all you get.

You wanted the facility to be clean and that is all you get, that’s crazy.

Let’s be honest, if running a Commercial cleaning company was only about cleaning then there will be a lot of competition and bad quality cleaners. Oh wait, there already is.

This is why as a Facility Manager you need to read all of this and understand that you always want to pay for more than the cleaning itself. That is truly the only way to ensure a high-quality cleaner.

What Expertise should you look for in a Commercial Cleaning Partner?

There are a few areas inside their business that you want to ask about and make sure there is a clear explanation, process and understanding. Hiring the wrong cleaner is really costly. 

Here are the 5 areas you want to look into and ask about:

Vision
It’s important that when you both do business, there is a clear understanding of both companies goals and how the partnership allows both parties to benefit from this. Think about it, why would you want to partner with a commercial cleaning company that doesn’t have a vision for their business and doesn’t want to grow.  How do you think that would reflect in the work they do for you and how much importance will they put into it?

Sharing the vision allows you to have a healthy relationship and accountability with your cleaning partner. Ask yourself:

• What kind of company am I partnering with?
• How valuable is my business to them?
• How will they support what we are building here?

Account Management
This entails everything internal on how they manage your business. Here you want to understand the following:
How effective is their supervision?
What kind of lines of communication are open to you?
What does their team consist of, and how will they manage your facility?

Once again this is where you need to be impressed with their team and feel that you would be set up for success as their client. Don’t forget you are paying for their expertise as well!

Customer Service Management
This should be a high priority on your list. How many times have you reached out to your cleaning partner with no response, or not knowing if they even go inspect the facility?

A quick way to test how good they are at this is: Do you know the name of your commercial cleaning partner and have you visited with their supervisor in the last 45 days?

If any of those answers are NO, then this is why asking the right questions here is important.

You want to be able to understand: 

• How often are inspections conducted and how will they notify me?
• What is their customer service available and will I have a point of contact?
• Are they clear on your expectations and standards?
• How will they review my satisfaction as a customer?

Having a strong relationship and communication with your commercial cleaner is important as it is our job to make your facility look good and always give the best impression.

Coaching and Training

Cleaning sounds simple but there is science behind cleaning the right way, and allows keeping every individual in your facility safe from bacteria. The last thing you want is for employees or customers to be getting sick from visiting your facility.

Knowing how your commercial cleaner partner trains and coaches should be looked into by you, so here are a few questions to ask:

• What kind of training and certifications do the employees receive?
• How are the employees praised or celebrated when they do a great job at my facility?
• What happens if one of the cleaners assigned to me misses? How well versed will the next cleaner be?
• If a mistake happens in my facility, what would we do to ensure it doesn’t happen again? 

If they stumble or don’t have the answer to one of the questions, look elsewhere.

Sound Finances

I’m not asking you to ask them for their report or taxes from last year but to do business with a company that won’t disappear from one day to the next. Because our barrier to entry in the commercial cleaning space is low, there are so many companies that come and go. 

It’s important to understand:

• How long have they been in business?
• How many accounts do they manage and how do they ensure quality all around?
• Do they pay their cleaners a good salary? (Low payment means more turnover in your facility)

If you want a commercial cleaning partner that will rock all 5, reach out to us. We will be honoured to keep your facility clean and be the trusted partner you are looking for, get a quote today!