What’s the only thing worse than having an ineffective cleaning company? Being locked into a long service contract with one. Want to know ahead of time if you are partnering with a reputable, quality janitorial services provider or simply being sold a bill of goods, consider the following 10 critical factors to effective, consistent, affordable commercial cleaning services before you sign on the dotted line.
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The Big Ten Janitorial Services Must-Haves Checklist
1.People Power
In any service business, people matter most. But what is people power? People power is what those janitorial services companies have when they invest in the best from start to finish. This means attracting quality applicants through a positive reputation as a good employer within the community. Then a commercial cleaning company must thoroughly vet applicants. Of course, your industrial janitorial services company should conduct a criminal background check but the best multi-service commercial cleaning companies go beyond that including things like reference and employment confirmation and even personality testing in order to find the people most suited for janitorial jobs and service positions. Then, premier building maintenance companies must prime their teams for success with quality training, accountability systems, management, competitive pay and benefits and performance incentives. These measures are not just about altruistic goals, well managed, well trained and fairly compensated employees are less likely to leave reducing turnover and improving the value in your janitorial services.
2.Transparent Pricing
Transparent pricing is a critical element of effective janitorial services. Transparent, clear pricing means you know exactly what you are purchasing with your janitorial budget. Janitorial and cleaning bids should always be detailed and easy to understand allowing you to compare competing janitorial bids in a meaningful way. Additionally, when your medical cleaning company or office cleaning company provide you with a clear janitorial bid and pricing, it makes it easier for you to hold them accountable. The best Michigan janitorial companies know that clear janitorial pricing creates a road map of sorts to help them deliver the most effective responsive service to you by setting agreements ahead of time.
3.Experience, Reputation & References
Cleaning companies come in all sizes and types from the ‘one man and a van’ operations, to large local janitorial companies to the monolithic giant national janitorial companies. To get the most from your cleaning services, you should match up with a company that is sized big enough to meet your needs, small enough to be agile and responsive. Experience is important because your account may require some specialized knowledge and you want a commercial cleaning contractor that has cut their teeth on other customers not you. Whether you are looking for medical cleaning, office cleaning, school cleaning, industrial cleaning or even commercial handyman services or a day porter, you want a facility services company that has extensive experience working with other businesses much like you own. When you outsource your janitorial, you want a turnkey service rather than have YOUR facility be the training ground for a fledgling cleaning business. Don’t neglect to ask for references and ideally, your cleaning company should be able to provide you with a few from within your industry.
4.Health & Safety
The best office cleaning companies and janitorial companies never take shortcuts on health and safety. This can incorporate many things from thorough safety training on both the methods of cleaning for health and protecting the health and safety of your building occupants. Additionally, it means a janitorial company understands both science and chemistry so that they use the correct materials and equipment in the right. From chemical handling and labeling to employee training to OSHA and other regulatory and compliance requirements, your janitorial company must be aware of and adhere to any safety and health requirements that are a function of your industry and their own. So whether you need medical cleaning or industrial cleaning or something else, ask your prospective commercial cleaning company how they inform themselves on all the salient requirements.
5.Certifications
Certifications are the kind of a ‘put your money where your mouth is’ evidence that can help you separate the talkers from the doers. Good commercial cleaning companies want to deliver effective service to their customers, great commercial cleaning companies succeed in delivering effective service because of the actions they take every single day in every part of their business. CIMS, the Cleaning Industry Management Standard, is a challenging framework for cleaning industry management, operations, performance systems, and processes. The Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) was created to provide a framework of best practices from which building services companies could develop assure quality, customer-centered organizations. The International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA), the organization that developed the standard, created this framework, developed the standard for those commercial cleaning companies and building services companies that sought to adopt, implement and drive industry best practices. The criterion outlines five fundamental areas of management practices where a best practices standard has been developed. These are: Quality Systems, Service Delivery, Human Resources, Health, Safety & Environmental Stewardship, and Management Commitment.
6.Systems To Assure Reliability Through Accountability
Lots of companies want to be great but only a small percentage ever are. What is the difference between wanting to do something and actually doing something? It boils down to systems and processes that turn wishes into measurable, achievable goals. This means your building services company should utilize things like janitorial inspections, technology and formal communications that systemize communications. In doing this, issues and obstacles to effective service can be communicated and resolved quickly. The best janitorial services companies in Michigan are continually looking to raise the bar on the responsiveness and professionalism of the services they deliver to their customers and this level of service never happens by accident, it happens by design.
7.Agility & Ability To Adapt To Your Individual Needs And Requirements
Don’t make the mistake of getting locked into a contract where you are either inadequately staffed or overstaffed. Your cleaning program should meet your needs and not just those of your janitorial company. The best way to get the most for your budget is to not pay for services you don’t need. The best commercial cleaning companies in Southeastern Michigan will customize a plan or maintenance schedule specifically with your facility in mind. The best janitorial companies should be able to set a good baseline but also adjust up or down to meet your changing or even seasonal needs. Likewise, the most effective Michigan janitorial service contractors understand how to do more with less. That will help you get the most value from your janitorial budget. How do some office cleaning services achieve this ‘Smart Cleaning’? They focus their time where it is most needed to both protect health and assure a clean and well-maintained work environment. Smart cleaning is about using everything at one’s disposal to continually get better results from your commercial cleaning. State-of-the-art equipment, cutting edge cleaning methods and innovative techniques can create significant cost-cutting efficiencies. If your commercial cleaning service or school cleaning company doesn’t understand how to do more with less, you are just getting less.
8.Best Practices Make For the Best Commercial Cleaning Companies
From hiring to training to insurance to safety, the best janitorial services company must build in quality from the beginning. You don’t get best quality service delivery by taking shortcuts or operating on a ‘good enough’ mentality. So, let’s talk about what a best practice really is. A best practice is defined as a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved by other methods. Because it is the better way to do something, it becomes the benchmark, or standard by which other things may be measured or judged. Still, a "best" practice is typically changeable better ways of doing things continually evolve. The companies that continually implement industry best practices are going to perform better over the long haul period. Why? Because they are building in quality from the beginning.
9.Green Cleaning
The best Detroit area cleaning companies will offer effective green cleaning programs in order to insure your facility can reduce its environmental footprint while still getting effective maintenance. From automatically dispensed amounts of cleaning products maximize effectiveness to the use of recyclable paper products to energy efficient equipment and mindful water usage, your janitorial company can be a real partner in your green cleaning efforts.
10.Commitment To Continuous Improvement Not Constant Coasting
Anyone can shine for a few weeks but your janitorial contractor must be determined to go the distance. Your cleaning contractor should be committed not just to the health of their own business, although that is important, but to your business and helping you solve your problems. So don’t shy away from asking a prospective office cleaning company or industrial cleaning company to provide you with real-life examples of how they have come through for specific clients. Ask what they do to measure and track their success. The companies that shine in these areas will be happy to share with you what makes them a great choice to partner with in your facility maintenance.
Whether you are newly considering outsourcing your cleaning and maintenance, looking for the right cleaning service Michigan or deciding whether or not to renew an existing janitorial contract, consider these 10 must haves to getting responsive, customized, effective janitorial services for your facility.
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