Why Your Cleaning Company Must Perform Regular Janitorial Inspections
The purpose behind janitorial inspections is not to fault find with your commercial cleaning services or beat the cleaning staff with a stick.
Pointing fingers isn’t the purpose of janitorial inspections.
Instead, inspections shine a light where work is needed and help you be proactive.
They find little problems before they become big issues.
Regular janitorial inspections are key in creating consistency.
They help assure reliability through accountability and are an integral part of janitorial services best practices.
Your commercial cleaning company should have multiple systems and practices in play to keep everyone on their toes.
But few are as critical as regular janitorial inspections.
If your janitorial service is not conducting regular janitorial inspections, the chances they deliver the professional, proficient, efficient, cost effective, consistent service you and your facility deserve is low.
Creating Reliability Through Accountability
Finding a commercial cleaning company isn’t easy.
You partner with what appears to be a competent and capable company, and you check off your list.
Safe, well screened employees, check.
References, insurance, legal hiring, check.
Green cleaning, check.
You create a plan with your janitorial service and everything seems to be going according to plan.
Until it isn’t.
It isn’t long before you realize you haven’t been happy for a while.
You walk through your facility and realize the things that aren’t being done are starting to pile up.
Your janitorial service isn’t performing to their agreements and you aren’t sure why.
You communicate the missteps and unfinished work.
First to the cleaners themselves, then to a supervisor.
Maybe it gets better, maybe it doesn’t.
But before long, a new set of issues pop up.
Then they add up.
Eventually, you may not even bother complaining anymore.
Maybe you consider hiring a new commercial cleaning company, but how can you guarantee they’ll be any better?
The reality is that with janitorial services, there aren’t really guarantees.
The work is done by people, and people will miss things.
Still, there are ways to create reliability through accountability.
That is where janitorial inspections come into play.
By conducting regular inspections, your commercial cleaning company keeps their teams accountable.
Let’s face it, we all do better work when we know someone notices.
Not only do janitorial inspections keep cleaners on their toes, they also reinforce that their work matters.
That can offer positive reinforcement and increase employee engagement.
What Factors Matter Most With Janitorial Inspections?
What should your commercial cleaning company focus on with regular janitorial inspections?
First, there should be inspections that are in person, visual, and formal.
Informal inspections can be useful, but formal inspections create clearer communication.
Communication between cleaning staff, cleaning company, and customer is most critical.
Only formalized inspections consistently deliver this information in the most effective way.
Second, inspections should be simple but on point.
If you have a large facility with multiple restrooms, it likely doesn’t make sense to grade every single toilet.
Still, inspecting representative restrooms and giving specific improvement notes is helpful.
Third, use an inspection checklist.
Better yet, use technology tools that help supervisors conduct inspections and share results.
Fourth, your cleaning company should take note of your requests, hot buttons, and pain points.
If they can’t address critical issues before you notice them, small issues quickly become big problems.
Your cleaning company should prioritize the tasks that matter to you most.
Finally, your commercial janitorial company should communicate inspection results with you.
It may seem counterintuitive to share mistakes with a customer.
But as a Facility Manager, wouldn’t you feel better that they caught issues and corrected them?
Wouldn’t you be reassured they are setting a high standard and working toward it?
Going From Good to Great With Janitorial Inspections
Regular janitorial inspections create a feedback loop that can take your building maintenance from good to great.
How does this happen?
First, your cleaners know a high standard is in place.
They also know there is a plan for accountability.
Great individuals and great teams get motivated when they know their work is noticed.
This helps your janitorial service keep strong team members engaged and doing their best.
It also holds the team as a whole accountable to higher standards.
Cleaners who might be tempted to phone it in are reminded that mistakes stand out.
Unfinished work will not go unnoticed or unaddressed.
Either way, you get better work more consistently.
Just as important, you gain a clearer way to communicate issues and improve service together.
Great service never happens without a plan.
No cleaning company will be perfect every single time.
But companies with tools and systems that create accountability are positioned to deliver better on their promises.
That is how a lasting business partnership is built, one that benefits you both.
