With Halloween upon us, as a Facilities Manager, you are probably trying to figure out how to insure you get a treat from your prospective cleaning company instead of a trick. If you are anything like most Facilities Managers, you are busier than a one-armed paperhanger and already overwhelmed by the ‘To Do” pile threatening to topple your desk. October is already a busy month ushering a busy quarter, being without a cleaning service or worse yet, having a cleaning company that isn’t working out can make this time of year even scarier than usual.
Don’t be scared if finding the best Michigan cleaning services is on your “To Do” list, we will give you some of the tips and tricks that can make finding the right local maintenance service provider far more simplified. Find a great cleaning company and you can both cross that item off of your list and breath a sigh of relief that one part of your workload is figured out and running smoothly.
What Makes the Best Michigan Cleaning Companies So Great?
Before you find a great cleaning and janitorial service, you have to consider what really, really makes a cleaning company useful to you as a Facilities Manager. Sure, high tech cleaning solutions and eco-friendly cleaning products are great and certainly have value, but do they really help you? Not so much. So what do the best Michigan cleaning companies do to make their Facilities Managers both satisfied and successful?
Tip #1 A Great Cleaning Company Will Be Staffed With Very Good People
Just say boo to witches and monsters, don't let the wrong janitorial company trick you with the wrong people. This means that any cleaning company you consider must both regard their employees highly and provide the screening necessary to insure your security. As a Facilities Manager, you want to know that you can trust the people in your building at night. Likewise, any good Michigan commercial cleaning company will effectively train and manage their people through systems designed to guarantee a level of responsiveness to your needs. Great service doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because people have taken the time to set standards and a plan to make certain they are implemented. The best companies will also have a strategy for getting things back on track when issues arise.
Tip #2 The Best Cleaning Companies Don’t Take Shortcuts With Insurance
Accidents in the work place are scary enough without a lack of insurance adding to the fright. We can all hope that we will never have to use this insurance coverage but the harsh reality is that theft, accidents and even serious injuries and death can happen. The last thing you want to think about when something goes south is whether or not you are legally at risk. Many more operators than you think go without proper insurance coverage, it isn’t uncommon even with larger operations. It is wise to not just accept the word of a prospective cleaning company but actually ask for written verification from the insurance company itself. A solid commercial cleaning company will protect both you and themselves with effective insurance coverage and be happy to demonstrate coverage to you; it’s simply a matter of good business.
Tip #3 A Good Cleaning Company Won’t Put You At Risk With Illegal Hiring
Illegal hiring is like the monster hiding under your bed just waiting for you to you’re your guard down and attack. Some companies will hire illegally in order to cut costs. Still, these kinds of savings have a way of blowing up in your face. If a local cleaning company is willing to cut corners and delve into unsavory business practices, it’s not usually just in one area. Ask yourself if this is the kind of business you want to partner with because cleaning your facilities isn’t a one time transaction like buying a printer, it’s an ongoing relationship built best on trust. Illegal hiring can take the form of undocumented workers but there are also issues of illegal subcontracting which is far more common. There are rules regarding what constitutes an employee versus a subcontractor and when a cleaning company uses illegal subcontracting, they skirt the law, obligations, operate unfairly and put you at risk. A reputable local Michigan cleaning company wants to keep their reputation as sparkling as your floors.
Tip #4 The Best Cleaning Companies Are Dedicated & Passionate
All work is challenging and if you don’t have some degree of passion for it, it will be hard to go the distance. Because starting a cleaning company is erroneously seen by many as an “easy” and low start up venture, too many people get in the business only to figure out that it is a great deal more difficult than at first they thought. The best Michigan cleaning companies have a passion for the work they do and they aren’t scared of hard work and honest feedback. It shows in their attitude towards their teams and it shows in their commitment to offering the cleaning industry’s best practices. This passion and commitment alone can’t guarantee spotless service but any company that is missing these vital elements will quickly fall short on service promises to you.
Tip #5 Good to Great Depends Upon Embracing Industry Best Practices
How does a Michigan commercial cleaning company get from good to great? This ascension requires that the company embrace industry best standards. Whether it is hospital specific cleaning training, green cleaning innovations or color coded rag systems, the best cleaning companies care about continually raising the level of work they offer you and your facilities—which brings us to the only actual trick we know for finding a great commercial cleaning company.
Trick #1 Using Industry Certification to Draw Up Your Short List
So how do you as a Facilities Manager figure out which cleaning companies are passionate about the cleaning business? How do you really determine who values their employees? How can you insure that a prospective janitorial company understands the importance of insurance, above board hiring practices and the value of industry best practices? You can ask of course, and look for verification. That might be as easy as asking them to send you their insurance information or as difficult as having a prospective company run you through their employee screening, testing and training processes. Any cleaning company worth their salt will be more than capable of showing you not just telling you how they do business. You can also back up what a commercial cleaning company is telling you by checking references. Check a few references they gave you and consider checking a few they didn’t.
But we told you there would be a trick, a shortcut if you will, and there is. The ISSA is among the cleaning industries largest industry associations and they offer a CIMS, or Certified Industry Management Standard, that cleaning companies can work toward. CIMS and CIMS-GB certification demonstrates a cleaning company is equipped to deliver quality, comprehensive, responsive service. Certification isn’t automatic and it isn’t easy, but achieving the CIMS says a great deal about a prospective commercial cleaning company and their commitment to quality, consistent work. Because of the rigor set forth in achieving CIMS, only companies that are in it for the long haul have the commitment needed to reach each benchmark. CIMS is more than just an A+ on a cleaning company’s report card, it’s a way for you to choose a cleaning service provider with an increased level of confidence by using CIMS and CIMS-Green Building (CIMS-GB) as a powerful pre-qualification tool.
Finding a professional, qualified and responsive cleaning company doesn’t have require spells and incantations to get right. With a little bit of upfront work employing the “tips” and “tricks,” you can find the right janitorial company to keep your facilities in spooktacular order all year long.
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