Turning over your facility to a commercial cleaning service isn’t necessarily the easiest thing to do. Whether it is an office, industrial building, retail business, or some other type of property, your space is important to you and your staff. Of course you would want to vet any commercial cleaning services hoping to earn your business.
Vetting takes time and effort. But it’s worth it. Vetting is your opportunity to get to know a commercial cleaning provider as well as you possibly can. As such, you have a right to expect certain things during the vetting process.
Below are the top three expectations, at least in our book. If a commercial cleaning company doesn’t deliver on them, you might want to reconsider your options. Your property is too important to trust to a cleaner you are afraid might not put forth the effort to take care of you.
Expectation #1: A Facility Walk-Through
It is beyond us how a commercial cleaning service can provide a quote without first doing a facility walk-through. There is no other way to truly understand a client’s needs. Expect to do a walk-through with a company representative. Expect that walk-through to be thorough. If it’s not, you can take the lead to make sure no stone is unturned.
The walk-through offers an added benefit to both you and the cleaning company representative: the ability to ask questions. Without a walk-through, the cleaning company will not know what questions to ask. Seeing your property in person changes things. It facilitates questions organically.
Expectation #2: A List of Quoted Services
Let us assume a commercial cleaning company makes it through the first stage of the vetting process with a thorough walk-through. Next up is the quote. You might get a service quote the same day; it could take a couple of days to come in. Either way, expect the document to offer a list of quoted services along with prices for each one.
The list of services is something you never want to leave to chance. Doing so only leads to misunderstandings. You should expect the cleaning company to list everything they will do for you, how frequently they will do it, and how much it will cost. The list should include both routine services and extra services not performed on a regular basis. Anything you will eventually be paying for should be on that list.
Expectation #3: Access to an Account Manager
Assuming you are happy with both the walk-through and written quote, there is one last thing to consider before you sign on the dotted line: an account manager. Does the cleaning company offer a dedicated account manager you can communicate with directly? If not, you may be forced to address problems by calling a general phone line and talking to whoever happens to pick up at the moment. Not good.
A dedicated account manager is really what you need. That individual knows you and your business. They are familiar with the services you get. Your account manager is there to answer your questions, solve your problems, and liaise with the cleaning crew on your behalf. Do not underestimate the benefits of having an account manager.
Vetting commercial cleaning services is worth the time and effort. Proper vetting increases the chances of landing a cleaning company you can trust. If you choose the first company that comes along without proper vetting, there is no way to know what you are going to end up with. So go ahead and vet. And as you do, bear in mind the three expectations discussed in this post.
