We try to be incredibly careful about convincing people to switch cleaning companies just for the sake of doing so. We don’t want potential customers to ever feel as though they’re being manipulated. That being the case, there still are legitimate reasons to make the switch. Sometimes a company’s cleaning service just isn’t getting it done.
We have been in the commercial cleaning business for a long time. We have worked with facility management companies, industrial property owners, office managers, and retail operators. We know what it takes to do the job right.
Is it time for your organization to switch cleaning companies? We can’t answer that. But we can give you five telltale signs to look for. If you have been noticing them for some time now, consider a switch.
1. Increasingly Poor Performance
When you first hired your current cleaning company, there was some sort of agreement in place. The contractor agreed to provide certain cleaning services in areas throughout your facility. Things were going fine, until recently. Now you are starting to notice a gradual loss of performance.
The floors aren’t as clean as they used to be. Restrooms are not being cleaned as frequently. You suspect the carpets aren’t being vacuumed on schedule because they are starting to look dingy. All signs point to your contractor not living up to its end of the bargain.
2. Outdated Cleaning Equipment
It is possible to use outdated equipment and still do a quality job. But it’s rare. Outdated equipment tends to not do as good a job as more modern equipment. That’s why modern equipment was designed. With the exception of things like mop buckets and brooms, your contractor’s cleaning equipment shouldn’t be 50 years old. If it is, you need to wonder why.
3. Inadequate Cleaning Supplies
This next point only applies under arrangements in which the cleaning company maintains a storeroom of supplies in the customer’s facility. If that’s the deal in your case, what does the storeroom look like? Does it seem like there are never enough cleaning supplies on the shelves?
A cleaning company maintaining an inadequate supply of cleaning materials may be having money problems. And if that’s the case, those problems will eventually trickle down to reach you. Maybe you don’t want to make things worse by switching. But at the same time, you cannot allow commercial cleaning to be held hostage by a company no longer up to the task.
4. High Turnover Rates
Commercial cleaning is no different from any other business in terms of turnover. Employees come and go. Hiring and firing is part of the game. But a cleaning company with an excessively high turnover rate may have trouble maintaining consistency and quality. If the rate at which your cleaning contractor turns over employees seems unusually high, it may be a red flag for you.
5. A Lack of Customer Service
Perhaps you’ve noticed deficiencies in some of the previous four things and attempted to reach out to the contractor about them. And maybe you haven’t gotten any response. You have suddenly discovered that the company’s customer service isn’t what it used to be. Unfortunately, you have another red flag suggesting it might be time to find a new provider.
Commercial cleaning services are not all the same. Some companies do a better job than others. If you are not satisfied with your current contractor, perhaps it’s time to look elsewhere. We would be happy to sit down and talk with you about your organization’s cleaning needs. We might be able to help.
