Industrial cleaning carries with it a more complex set of compliance issues and requirements than general office cleaning. The work is different, the facilities different and the needs of facilities different. Ranging from manufacturing to distribution, tech and more-- all buildings vary tremendously in their specific requirements. So not only does a commercial cleaning company have to understand the business of industrial maintenance services, they must have the insight and experience to understand the complex individual needs of YOUR industrial facility.
Industrial building maintenance services come with their own prerequisites, goals, compliance requirements and regulatory issues. You shouldn’t have to settle for one size fits all commercial cleaning services. There are commercial cleaning companies that go out of their way to make YOUR business THEIR business by making themselves familiar with your pain points and needs in order to keep you in compliance and keep your industrial facility in tip top condition. How can you leave the so-so commercial cleaning companies in the rear view mirror and hitch a ride with a Michigan industrial cleaning company capable of delivering responsive and effective maintenance services? While any janitorial company certainly WANTS your business, only a small few manufacturing cleaning services are set up and PREPARED to do the work required in industrial cleaning. The question becomes, how do you as a Facility Manager identify those companies up to the work?
Industrial facility management certainly has some commonalities with general office cleaning. There are janitorial budgets, floors to be cleaned, restrooms and more, however, as much as they have in common there are things that set industrial cleaning apart. Industrial and manufacturing cleaning bring with them a complex set of compliance, regulatory and health and safety issues. If a commercial cleaning company wants your business, they need to make your issues their issues. If you are looking for prospective commercial industrial cleaning services, be prepared to ask the tough questions, inquire what kind of experience the janitorial company has had with similar accounts. Ask what they do to train their teams to handle the unique needs of industrial facilities. Ask what processes they use to custom tailor their services to the unique needs and requirements of YOUR facility. Any Detroit industrial cleaning company that has resources into preparing themselves and their teams to serve industrial facilities will be pleased to share this with you.
As a Facility Manager, sure you know how to ask the tough questions and yet, grilling a bunch of commercial cleaning companies is probably not your idea of a good time. Is it anyone's? If you are anything like many of the Facility managers we work with everyday, you already have plenty on your plate. There is a way to get some of that basic, and not so basic, information that can make all of the difference when it comes to finding the right industrial janitorial services to partner with. ISSA CIMS certification offers you a free shortcut to help ‘sort’ through the crowded janitorial marketplace to find your ‘needle in the haystack’ of sorts.
CIMS certification is a deliberate certification process that requires a building services company to demonstrate their competencies in a variety of areas critical to the delivery of high levels of cleaning and maintenance. CIMS or the Cleaning Industry Management Standard demonstrates a manufacturing cleaning company’s commitment to industry best practices. These best practices are systems and methods proven to correlate with quality, effective service and consistently satisfied customers. These benchmarks are all predictors of success that can at the very least, give you a healthy starting point in the search for industrial cleaning services. Our suggestion is use CIMS as a starting point to develop your short list of qualified janitorial companies, then do a RFP (Request for Proposal) including on site walk thrus using price and your feel for which company will ultimately fit your needs best.
People are the benchmark of the service industry. Industrial cleaning, really any kind of cleaning and maintenance service business, is only as good as their people. People are the frontline service deliverers and who they are, how they are trained and managed matters. This being the case, your prospective industrial cleaning service should prioritize attracting, screening, hiring, training and managing great people who are a great fit for the work. Companies that take short cuts with their people, like illegally subcontracting, insufficient screening and poor training, will take shortcuts everywhere. Are your prospective industrial janitorial services doing what they need to in order to assure the people in and out of your facility are prepared to do their best? How do they train their teams? How do they handle errors and issues when they come up?
Effective, responsive, predictably consistent service doesn’t happen by accident. The best Michigan janitorial companies build it in by design. ISSA CIMS certification offers confirmation of the systems and processes a cleaning company needs to effectively manage high level industrial cleaning accounts. CIMS confirms meaningful hiring processes, effective and complete training, consistent, valuable management practices and the systems in place to all but guarantee results. While there is no guarantee of great service from ANY company, CIMS and systems, processes and safeguards all stack the deck in your favor, making it more likely that you find a true partner in your Detroit industrial janitorial contractor.