Medical office cleaning is a good deal more complex than general commercial cleaning and thus, finding the right medical janitorial services to care for your health care facility is critical. It could be that you have multiple facilities or a very large medical complex and given that, are considering national janitorial services. Maybe you think you need more than a local commercial cleaning company can offer you. And sure, there may be certain scenarios where a national janitorial service might be the better option—like you have locations in several states and need a single, central provider. But understand this—bigger does not necessarily equal better. All the varying size and types of janitorial companies have their own advantages and disadvantages. The real question is, how do they line up with the needs of your facility or facilities?
Healthcare cleaning services are very different than general office cleaning for a number of reasons. You need a healthcare cleaning company that understands the requirements of medical cleaning. You deserve to find a janitorial services company that understands the regulations and compliance issues connected to healthcare cleaning. The right local Michigan janitorial company or national cleaning company must comprehend how their work contributes to HCAHPS scores. Likewise, they must be well versed on the science behind cleaning. And any professional building maintenance company that wants to draw medical cleaning customers should have in place a detailed and observable training system for both general office cleaning, medical office cleaning, hospital cleaning and other salient training like OSHA, HIPPA, & Blood borne Pathogens. Anything less from your janitorial company could spell disaster.
So you might be thinking given the complexity of healthcare cleaning that a National cleaning company might be what you and your healthcare facility require. Compliance and training are not exclusive to national janitorial companies. In fact, sometimes national janitorial contractors are so large, so spread out and even so reliant on subcontracting that they come with a host of potential issues and impediments you haven’t even thought about. So maybe national janitorial company isn’t for you but you know your facility is too large and complex for a small business. There is a middle ground between giant national janitorial company and ‘Mom & Pop” operation and that is the large local Michigan janitorial company.
First, let’s define better when it comes to janitorial services. Most Facilities Managers might consider better to be a janitorial company that:
Contracting for medical office cleaning or hospital cleaning isn’t a one-time business transaction. It is an ongoing business relationship that will determine the state of your facility and thus impact nearly every other element of business in one way or another, from your image as a reputable health care facility to the quality of healthcare providers you attract. Everything else being equal, who would you rather partner with, a monolithic national janitorial service set up in another state or a large, local Michigan neighboring business? The relationship between you, your employees, and your janitorial service is an important one. A local Michigan janitorial company has its fingers on the pulse of the local community and is better equipped to find, hire and manage the best people.
When we examine several service measures across the varying provider options, we can see how they stack up. For instance, a national janitorial service will likely have significant buying power where supplies like paper goods are concerned and they may or may not pass this savings on to you the customer. A large Michigan commercial cleaning company will also benefit from considerable buying power with cleaning supplies and stock supplies. They are often more willing to pass these savings along to their customers so as to be more competitive in their pricing. A small local cleaning company will likely offer little if any buying power due to small purchases of recurring supplies.
Finding a janitorial services company with organizational flexibility and an ample menu of services can get you more individualized, responsive service and save you money and time on future repairs, maintenance and special services. It is infinitely easier to use an existing contractor you already trust to handle minor repairs or special projects. A huge, national janitorial service will likely have the ability to offer you a variety of services beyond the basics. Furthermore, they may have organizational flexibility but it can be challenging to work out how to get what you need swiftly. A large yet local Michigan janitorial service likely offers a wide assortment of both basic and more specialized services. Similarly, their smaller size allows them added creativity and innovation with regard to problem-solving-- because they simply are not hemmed in by the rules and red tape a national janitorial service must get through. The right large, local commercial cleaning company has the capacity to attune their services to fit your needs. Smaller ‘Mom & Pop’ type cleaning companies do not usually offer services outside of basic cleaning meaning you will have to contract with additional vendors for specialty maintenance services.
Staffing flexibility can be a huge bonus if you have a business, like school cleaning for instance, that has a seasonal cycle. When looking at janitorial companies and size, it is important to balance what you need with what they offer. For instance, do they have enough people to meet your changing needs? Will they be able to add staff when you need it yet find work for those team members when you no longer need the extra set of hands? With staffing flexibility, large local janitorial companies often shine. With large, qualified staff on-site, they are usually best at offering flexibility when you need more or less people servicing your facility. Typically small cleaning operations simply cannot meet variable staffing requirements. If you need to down shift services, a small cleaning company now has more people than they have work. And when you need more help, they simply don’t have the people to temporarily shift people power to meet your facility’s needs.
National janitorial companies hire cleaners here in Michigan but beyond front line employees, their jobs and dollars go somewhere else. Made in Michigan companies hire Michiganites and they keep their dollars right here in Michigan. There is no doubt that local companies benefit the local economy. Everything else being equal, working with other Michigan businesses is good for our state.
A national janitorial service will likely have a adequate set up when it comes to employee hiring and screening but like so many massive national companies, fostering loyalty with employees and creating a responsive, engaging work environment can be difficult. A mid to large size cleaning company quite often will have developed systems to find, screen and manage a great team. Like the national janitorial companies, they will offer benefits but they also have greater access to a network of local labor. And like a smaller local company, they are capable of building loyalty and attracting great people through a strong local presence and reputation.
National janitorial companies can replace business as fast as they lose it. With so many areas to draw new business from it can be hard to garner the kind of service from them you really deserve. A large local Michigan janitorial services company has just one area to draw new business from and it is finite. If a local business burns through customer after customer, it is only a matter of time before they get a reputation for sub par service. With that in mind, the best Michigan commercial cleaning companies will work hard to earn your business, keep your business and safeguard their reputation. And while a smaller cleaning company will certainly value you as a customer they may not be able to deliver what larger accounts need. Likewise, when small companies handle larger customers, they often become precariously dependent on one client to keep their business above water.
Like many large corporations, getting in contact with the person who handles issues and problems when they come up can be tough. And getting the responsiveness and individual service you deserve can be difficult if you don’t know who is in charge or cannot if you can’t get in contact with a human who can get you what you need. On the other hand, a large local janitorial company offers the ideal blend of personal responsiveness and operational responsiveness. You will likely know your point of contact by name and can even contact upper management when necessary going up the food chain t address an issue or concern. This responsiveness and attunement can equate to really great service. Quality healthcare cleaning is a critical part of care and thus, finding the right company to partner with is an important part of securing the future and health of your medical facility.