Are Your Office Cleaners a Bunch of Clowns?

Has your office cleaning service thrown in the towel? Has your office cleaning company ever delivered service you were pleased with? Did your janitorial company start strong but eventually settle into a familiar mediocrity? Do your office cleaners even have the tools and skills to do the job well? You might think that finding a janitorial company to deliver solid office janitorial would be a slam dunk but if you’ve been a Facility Manager for long, you know it isn’t quite that easy. While there is no shortage of office cleaning companies, when you examine your choices, office cleaning companies that will deliver effective, responsive professional office cleaning services at a value seem in short supply.

Why Your Office janitorial Service Matters

Think the state of your offices has little or no impact on productivity and profits, think again. The quality of your office janitorial has a significant impact on measurable business outcomes. Where can poor office cleaning hit you? Research shows when your facility is not well maintained, revenue and sales suffer, productivity dips, staff morale suffers, quality standards collapse, absenteeism and attrition rise and employee health can even suffer.

A dirty office sends the wrong message about your commitment to your business and your performance expectations. A clean overall workplace sets the expectation for what you expect from employees or your buildings occupant. Properly cleaned facilities encourage employees and tenants to share some ownership and keep their individual work spaces and shared spaces cleaner. Research also tells us that a clean and properly maintained workplace has a positive impact on employee retention and satisfaction. And information regarding customer satisfaction shows that clean office facilities lend a sense of reliability and trust to customers and potential customers. Make sure your facility sends the message you want it to and don’t let your office cleaning company’s mediocrity become your own.

Why Office Cleaning Companies Fail?

While some office cleaners have clearly thrown in the towel and given up, the reality behind most subpar office cleaning companies is just a lack of intention, planning and systems. Things don’t get better simply because you want them to get better. They get better because you decide they need to and you back up this intention with systems that assure this reliability and high service level through accountability. Effective office cleaning service requires no less planning and strategy than any other business. Caring about service isn’t enough. You have to understand what constitutes good service to your customer, how to find good people and equip them to succeed and how to keep the process running smoothly with quality checks. If your office cleaning company doesn’t know how to do these things, there is no way they can deliver top notch service to you even if they really want to.

What’s Makes For a Great Office Cleaning Service?

While there are certainly a lot of stinkers out there, there are also some solid, effective janitorial companys just waiting to offer the level of service you and your facility deserve. What do the best office janitorial companies do differently? What do they know that your commercial cleaning company does not? The most effective and professional office cleaning services: 

• Have a clear understanding of your security needs
• Insist of documented employee screening & training
• Are CIMS Certified
• Strictly adhere to Commercial cleaning best practices
• Have in place the systems to guarantee responsive service
• Understand how to assure reliability through accountability with practices like frequent janitorial inspections
• Have the ability to staff up and staff down as needed to meet changes in your needs
• Feature comprehensive green office cleaning services
• Have documented systems, procedures and tools to assure high level service delivery
• Use technology to streamline process and create value

How Do I Find An Office Cleaning Company With the Right Stuff?

Okay so we know effective Michigan janitorial services are out there, how do you find them? First, look for good deals over great deals. Of course you don’t want to overpay for office cleaners service, but the objective should be value over cost. Very low office cleaning bids are usually too good to be true. Look for a medical office cleaning services or general office cleaning with transparent pricing to help you get a clear idea of what you janitorial budget is getting you. Look for companies that have a solid reputation and can back up their claims. Anyone can deliver a pitch but can your office cleaners service put their money where their mouth is and show you not just tell you? Companies that put the time and resources into developing, honing and managing great systems are excited to show you behind the curtain because they know it is what makes them better. You can also ask other facility managers, vendors or contractors you use for referrals. Yes, it takes some time to separate the wheat from the chaff but it is well worth it for the long term care of your facility.

A Shortcut to the Best Janitorial Company

If time is in short supply and you needed a new medical cleaning or office cleaning company yesterday, there is an effective shortcut to finding a high performing office cleaning companies that offers a solid mix of value and service. Look for cleaning services that are CIMS certified. CIMS stands for the Certified Industry Management Standard and was created and administered by the ISSA or International Sanitary Supply Association. This leading professional organization for Building Service Contractors offers a rigorous certification process that only the most serious and professional cleaning contractors even attempt. Certification covers areas like:

• Quality Systems: A framework to ensure effective operations & continuous improvement
• Service Delivery: Processes & systems in place to deliver consistent, quality service
• Human Resources: Best practices for managing any service industry’s greatest asset—their people
• Health, Safety, & Environmental Stewardship: Ensuring regulatory compliance, workplace safety, and health and environmental management
• Management Commitment: Establishing our Mission, Vision, and Values and ensuring that the organization's continuity is secured.
• A commitment to quality green office cleaning.

These factors are major indicators of whether an office cleaning service is set up for success. Sure it isn’t an iron clad guarantee, but it’s a very good start. This certification while an intense and costly process for a janitorial company is free to you making it a valuable tool in developing your short list of prospective office cleaning companies. Find a solid, effective, professional and responsive office janitorial service and find a partner who won’t throw in the towel and give up but rather, lean in and work with you to provide effective office cleaning company for many years to come.