Most of the Facility Managers we sit down with every day are balancing a great deal over the course of each day. If they opt to outsource the cleaning and maintenance of their manufacturing facility, plant or industrial center, it is with the goal of saving money and saving time. Finding the right industrial janitorial services can really transform your facility and your workload, that is, if you find the right industrial facility services. With so many commercial cleaning companies out there of all sizes and types, getting the right one seems to take a great deal of effort or a sheer luck. When it comes to your industrial facility management, no Facility Manager wants to rely on luck to do their jobs well so you must put the effort into finding industrial cleaning and janitorial that will deliver quality and value for your facility services. So where to start? We think there are just 5 puzzle pieces in the search for effective commercial industrial cleaning, that if you find them, you have a great chance of partnering with an industrial cleaning company willing, ready and able to deliver consistent service.
What Your Janitorial Services Don’t Know About Industrial Cleaning Will Hurt You
Industrial cleaning requires more than general office cleaning and if your janitorial services company doesn’t understand that, it could hurt you. Critical issues like safety and compliance requirements must be front and center. From ISO 9001 to the Global Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), the regulatory Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), your industrial cleaning company must understand both your and their own requirements and regulations. And the best and most highly effective industrial and manufacturing cleaning services will go beyond the minimums to provide you with solid industrial cleaning services through obtaining their own industry certifications like the ISSA’s CIMS or Certified Industry Management Standard. CIMS is the Service Industry’s equivalent to ISO and other certifications that you as an industrial Facility Manager are likely familiar with. For manufacturing and industrial customers, safety is vital. When you expend effort and resources in your own operations to help assure no loss time, safety and compliance, you deserve an industrial cleaning company that is dedicated to the same goals.
Your Manufacturing Cleaning Services Must Have the Structure & Systems to Deliver
A desire to effectively serve your customers is laudable but it doesn’t mean much if your industrial cleaning contractor doesn’t actually have the structure and systems in place to realize those desires. The better industrial janitorial companies will have systems, processes, procedures and even technology at their disposal to create the consistent delivery of industry best practices and top-notch service. What does better mean when we are discussing an industrial cleaning company? Better is very good people, clear Pricing that is straightforward and easy to understand, accountability with a clear path to communicating issues as they arise, responsiveness, so that you get what you need quickly and finally, consistency. The best and most effective commercial industrial janitorial contractors work hard to keep your business and not simply secure your contract.
Great People Are the Foundation of Effective Industrial Cleaning Services
The reality is that if your industrial janitorial services take shortcuts with their screening, hiring and training processes, you can bet they’ll take shortcuts everywhere. Whether it’s illegal subcontracting, failing to do background checks or ill preparing an employee to deliver quality services in your facility, the wrong industrial janitorial company could have far-reaching consequences for you and your organization. Does your industrial janitorial company conduct no or minimal screening, operate a constantly revolving door of new employees, insufficiently train new people and fail to adequately manage their teams? If they do, you and your facility not only miss out n the many benefits of effective industrial janitorial services and great people, you run risks with safety and value.
What should your industrial cleaning and janitorial company do? They should conduct thorough police background checks and drug screening. Your janitorial company should have a documented training program they can share with you. They should have a clean record and a concrete policy against illegal subcontracting and undocumented workers. You don't want convicts wandering your facility, you want well-trained employees that are effective in the care of your facility.
Industrial Janitorial Pricing Shouldn’t Be Hard to Pin Down
Can we agree that understanding industrial cleaning prices shouldn’t require an advanced math degree? Far too many janitorial service contractors play games with industrial cleaning prices. The last thing you need is fuzzy math followed by up-sells and added fees down the line. Low initial estimates are only useful if you can look at your industrial cleaning quote and know precisely what your janitorial budget can get you with each prospective contractor. Your industrial cleaning company must be upfront and transparent in their pricing. Not only will it help you compare cleaning quotes in an “apples to apples” way, it will help set expectations and a baseline to monitor and measure success.
Price Is Great But Are You Getting Value From Your Industrial Janitorial Services?
As a Facility Manager, you have a janitorial budget that you are bound to so an industrial cleaning company that meets your price is great, but are they also delivering value. In today’s business environment, most Facility Managers are tasked with finding continual efficiencies to reduce cost. The best industrial janitorial companies are willing to work with you to contain and reduce costs. They can do this by assessing what you need versus what you want and work to include all of your ‘must haves’ with many of your ‘like to haves’ until you get a cleaning plan that reflects both your budget and your needs. This kind of smart cleaning requires that your janitorial services really take the time to understand your facility and what is most critical. In this way they make useful suggestions as to how they might reduce man-hours without impacting your service or the long-term integrity of your assets.
Don’t trust your industrial facility maintenance to just any janitorial company. An experienced, reputable commercial cleaning company can backup their pitch with proof. And when it comes to janitorial pricing, while you don’t have to choose the most expensive building maintenance services, you should be wary of industrial janitorial services that offer rates substantially lower than fair pricing quotes offered by experienced and trusted industrial maintenance companies. Cheaper prices often parallel unlivable cuts in services or dangerous, illegal subcontracting. Find a janitorial company that understands the specific needs your industry, has the systems to assure success, builds in quality with their teams from the beginning, offers transparent pricing and real value and you have the puzzle of effective industrial janitorial services solved!